Food storage as a buffer against supply variability

Food storage is a way of decreasing the variability of the food supply in the face of natural, inevitable variability. It allows food to be eaten for some time (typically weeks to months) after harvest rather than only immediately. It is both a traditional domestic skill (mainly as root cellaring) and, in the form of food logistics, an important industrial and commercial activity. Food preservation, storage, and transport, including timely delivery to consumers, are important to food security, especially for the majority of people worldwide who rely on others to produce their food.

Significant food losses result from inadequate storage conditions and decisions made earlier in the supply chain, which shorten shelf life. Adequate cold storage in particular can be crucial to prevent quantitative and qualitative food losses.

Food is stored by almost every human society and by many animals. The main purposes generally include preventing foodborne illness from consuming decomposing food, reducing food waste by preserving unused food for later use, distributing harvested products to consumers, enabling a better balanced diet throughout the year, preserving pantry staples like spices and dry ingredients, preparing for emergencies and periods of scarcity, religious obligations such as the LDS Church's encouragement of household food storage, and protection from animals or theft.

This pack is a general reference, not professional food-safety advice. For specific safety questions, consult primary sources such as the United States Department of Agriculture or the European Food Safety Authority.