I would think that the biggest problem in storing food would not be finding a place to put it, but finding some way to keep insects out of it. For instance, I know that if I put a bag of flour in the cabinet sealed inside of a plastic container with a silicone seal, somehow moths and weevils will grow inside of it. How they get past the seal is a mystery, but they do every time.
With the risk of grossing everyone out, it could be that they were already there. Industry standards allow for a certain amount of insect eggs, parts and excrement in food articles like flour, cornmeal and the like. You also have the added issue of contamination during transport.
Foodstuffs should be rotated on a regular basis, particularly if one is planning on long-term storage. Any eggs will hatch, and the rotation allows you to weed it out of your supplies.
Out of curiosity, has this happened with a single type and brand of food item, or does it happen in everything?
the food has their eggs in it. They hatch out after sealing. I’ve had success freezing pasta and flour first before long storage. This kills the eggs.
Try #10 cans of food from:
www.waltonfeed.com
You can keep enough cases of cans under your bed to feed you for a year. I keep to basics like oatmeal, rice, potato flakes, barley, powdered milk, etc.
The food is good as long as the cans don’t rust through. You can paint the outside with clear shellac, candle wax, etc. to keep them about 100 years.
Buy food from Walton by the pallet to save on freight. For about $1000 you can buy enough to feed a family for a year.
That’s a lot cheaper than freeze dried.
A small pressure cooker will save on fuel and cooking time. With a grain grinder, you can bake bread using fresh flour forever. The whole grains in sealed in mylar bags inside 6 gal. pails will keep for at least 20 years.
Heat treatment is tougher but sure. A couple of hours in a 200 degree or so oven will generally do the trick. Safest way is to put the flour in a tin, but make sure the tin is try. Even a little moisture can damage the product. I've had people tell me that 180 degrees or so will do the trick and flour (and the paper bag it comes stored) will not combust and burn at that temperature or even the 200 degrees which is the lowest most gas ovens will go down to.
But, unless you have the time to watch it carefully, I think freeze treatment is just easier and safer.
That’s because the eggs are already in there.
As others point out, the bugs get in your stored food because the eggs or larvae are already in the food when you store it.
After a few pantry weevil investations we have resorted to the freeze treatment.
In fact, we bought an inexpensive older, used freezer primarily for this purpose.
Other than canned foods, foods that just can’t be frozen or foods we will eat almost immediately, we now pass every food product through the freezer. That includes grains, rice, pasta, flour, cake mixes, prepared dressings, dry soups, yeast, seasonings, etc.
When the food comes in, it goes in the freezer and stays there until we need the room for the next batch. But we make sure foods stay in for sufficient time - usually at least a week. Some foods we are using, like an open bag of flour or rice, are stored there until they are used up.
So far it seems to work.
Heat is even worse. For every 10 degrees over 70 F, food degrades quite a bit. It’s easier to protect food from pests than it is from heat.