ESSENTIALS OF FOOD STORAGE AND PRESERVATION

PART 1

Food storage and preservation has become an essential part of our food handling procedures, so it has become imperative to bring it to the fore as this may come in very handy to a lot of people who are quite challenged in this area.

Modernity and civilisation has brought a lot of changes on the methods and procedures of storing and preserving food.

In the olden days traditional means were applied in the area of food preservation such as digging buckets of sands for carrots. Apples and things like peas were stacked in baskets while meat was left in a smoked house.

Today however, the emphasis is on processed foods and the use of freezers.
Food must be properly stored:

- to keep it dry or moist, depending on the food.
- keep out dirt, dust, insects and pests.
- protect it from heat, light and moisture.
- keep it at the right temperature to prevent spoilage.