Where’s the Kibble?

Heide here, from Healthy Pets. Did you know that how you store your dog or cat’s dry food (kibble) can be as important as the actual food? Dry foods have fats from protein that go rancid from air exposure. The bag your food comes in actually has an inner layer that helps prevent this. Rancid fats are highly carcinogenic and can cause a laundry list of health and digestive problems.

Many people use a secondary container to store food. If this is you, let’s look closer at the best ways to do that. Since air exposure or “oxidation” is what causes the food to spoil, keeping it airtight in a cool, dry, dark place is best. Glass, metal, or a high-quality hard plastic are good choices. Ideally, you want the original bag that the food comes in to fit inside. A thorough cleaning with soap between bags is also really important to remove any residual fats, especially the crumbs at the bottom.

If you dispose of the original bag, be sure to take a photo of the batch/lot # in case of a recall. Where you keep the container is also important. The garage is almost never the right place, as 70° is about as warm as you’d ever want your storage area to be. Both the expiration date AND the date you open the food are important. When stored properly, kibble is only fresh for 4-6 weeks. Even under perfect conditions, the fats will go rancid in that amount of time. Never store in the same place as chemicals, cleaning products, or lawn care items. Remember that this is food, and contamination could have terrible consequences.

On a side note… as a dietician, I think this is a good place to mention that adding anything fresh and high in moisture, i.e., warm water, bone broth, kale, green beans, broccoli, blueberries, or whatever your pet loves can add loads of nutritional value as well as tail wags!