12 Reasons NOT to Use Oxygen Absorbers in Bulk Food Storage – A Family Food Supply

Oxygen absorbers are super helpful when building a food supply to protect the quality of certain foods.  

There are times, however, when you should not use oxygen absorbers.  

We’ve learned from our own mistakes and the mistakes of others that there are times not to use oxygen absorbers; and we want to share what we’ve learned with you.  

Here are 12 Reasons NOT to Use Oxygen Absorbers:  

1. For Items You Don’t Need to Store Long Term  

Oxygen absorbers are not needed for items that will be consumed in a short period of time.  

Unless you are storing an item long term, you probably don’t need an oxygen absorber.  

One exception to this is if you have bug issues. Oxygen absorbers inside of Mylar bags do a great job of killing bugs. They will prevent insect infestation.  

2. When Oxygen Absorbers are Hard and Crunchy 

If your oxygen absorbers turn brown or are hard and crunchy, this means that they are spent and won’t work. Toss them out and use new oxygen absorbers. There’s no point in risking your food going bad because you used a spent oxygen absorber.  

Some oxygen absorbers have a small color indicator in the package that shows if the package has already been exposed to oxygen. 

3. When Storing Foods With a Higher Fat Content 

Foods with a higher fat content should not be stored with oxygen absorbers. This includes items  like brown rice, beef jerky, nuts or granola.  

4. For Items You Need to Access Frequently  

There is no reason to use an oxygen absorber with foods that you will be opening frequently. Every time you open the container, it allows more oxygen to enter. This will cause your oxygen absorber to be used up quickly.  

5. When Storing Food Loose in a 5 Gallon Bucket 

When storing foods such as grain or rice in a 5 gallon bucket without Mylar bags, there is no need to use oxygen absorbers.  

Plastic does not keep an airtight seal. It slows down the air but does not prevent it from entering. Therefore, your oxygen absorbers will get used up and stop working.   

Oxygen absorbers in a five gallon bucket will help with preventing insects. 

6. For Items That Could Explode 

Baking soda and baking powder could explode if stored with oxygen absorbers. They will store indefinitely in an air-tight, moisture-proof container without an oxygen absorber.  

7. When Storing Dehydrated Foods 

We are not talking about freeze dried foods, but dehydrated foods like dried fruits, beef jerky, dehydrated eggs, or any other food that’s going to have a higher moisture content.  

The recommended moisture content for safe long-term storage of dry goods is 10 percent or less and low in fat.  

You can find out the moisture content of a food by contacting the manufacturer or looking it up on the USDA Agricultural Research Service. 

8. When You Don’t Have Enough CC Available 

When you don’t have enough cc oxygen absorbers to meet the minimum requirement of what you’re storing, then it won’t work. There’s no point. Once the oxygen absorbers are full, the remaining oxygen in your container will begin to mess with the quality of the food.  

Different foods and different containers require a certain level of oxygen removal. If you go under, it’s not going to work and it’s going to be a waste. 

9. For Items that Might Turn Into a Brick 

You do not need to use oxygen absorbers in things like sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, or salt. Packaging these items with an oxygen absorber will make them turn clumpy or hard. 

These items do not actually need a reduced oxygen environment to stay good. These items can be stored indefinitely as long as they are in an airtight container such as a Mylar bag or mason jar.  

10. When Storing Powdered Foods 

Powdered foods such as tomato powder, carrot powder, and cocoa powder are excellent for food storage and do not require oxygen absorbers to stay good.  

11. When You Can’t Use All of the Oxygen Absorbers in a Pack 

When you don’t have the ability to use all of the oxygen absorbers in your pack, or the ability to reseal them quickly, they will become useless.  

Oxygen absorbers come in packs of 1-100. Once they’ve been opened, they will go bad quickly if they’re not resealed.  

You can get around this by resealing them inside of a vacuum sealed bag using a FoodSaver and/or using glass jars and sucking the air out of the glass container.  

We recommend using oxygen absorbers that have been removed from their original packaging within 6 months. 

If oxygen absorbers are left unopened in their original packaging, you have about 2 years to use them according to most manufacturers.  

12. When You Can’t Afford Them 

If you were to come across an amazing deal or were given something like grain for free, don’t let the idea of needing hundreds of Mylar bags and oxygen absorbers hold you back from taking advantage of that offer.  

We have grain that was stored in a 5 gallon bucket with no mylar bag and no oxygen absorbers for 10 years and it’s still in perfect condition. I think it even sat in our garage for a number of years! 

Storing food items properly is something that is more critical in certain areas of the country.  

We are in Colorado, where we don’t have extreme temperatures and it’s a very dry climate. Storing food in Florida or Texas may require more precautions to reduce the risk of it going bad.  

Don’t let the idea of needing Mylar bags, or oxygen absorbers, or proper storage hold you up if you come across a great deal on bulk food!