Question from Charise
Hi Debra,
We bake everything homemade, and I often buy grains in quantities of 50 lbs. or more to save money.
I can’t seem to find a food grade storage container that isn’t plastic that will hold 25-50 lbs. at a time.
Do you know of a source?
Thanks,
Charise
Debra’s Answer
Readers?
Do you personally think food grade 5 gallon plastic bins would leach any toxins in food. I buy other food in bulk and it is in a food grade 5 gallon bin. I have never had any problems with smells or taste. I have come across Big Mouth wide mouth bubbler 5 gallon glass Carboys or Libbey makes a 5 gallon glass jar. My concerns with both of these products are as followed:
1. Are they heavy metal free ? I know I can test for lead, but not other heavy metals.
Please let me know your thoughts. You are always very insightful Debra. Thank You.
2. Cleaning them might be a nightmare for me. I am thinking about If I drop one. Yikes !
3. How heavy they maybe when food is put in them. Unable to move when full.
4. how fresh will they keep the food stored over time because of the sealed top ?
5. The cost
Blessings
Well, yes, all bulk food is stored in plastic bins until you buy it. So to store it in the same bins once you get it home…
I buy bulk organic foods and bring them home and put them in glas jars. My rule of thumb is the less plastic the better.
Debra, do you mean you buy the 5-gallon plastic bins of bulk food (I think that’s what kdragonrider is buying) and then transfer it all into smaller glass jars once you get the bins home? Seems like if it’s just one 5-gallon plastic bucket full of food, that might not be too bad; but transferring food from multiple 5-gallon plastic buckets could require a lot of smaller jars and a good bit of time. I’m wondering if the extra time spent in the 5-gallon plastic bucket has much effect on the food, after it has already spent so much time in the bucket already. One thing I’ve realized is that the plastics are everywhere…even on/around the organic foods I buy. I do transfer smaller things into glass jars for storage at home. But I’m not sure I’d do it if I purchased multiple 5-gallon buckets of food.
No that’s not what I meant. I mean that I buy bulk foods at the natural food store, but buy small amounts and when I bring those small amounts home I put them in glass jars.
The point being that even if you store the food in glass jars at home, it’s been in contact with plastic along the way from the farm to your hand.
If I purchased a five-gallon plastic bucket of food I would just store it in that bucket.
Unless you are growing your own food or buying it from a CSA or a farmer’s market, the food has come into contact with plastic along the way. Even organic food.
But here’s the thing. These plastic buckets are food-grade polyethylene. Not PVC or some other toxic plastic. They are as nontoxic as you can get when it comes to plastic.
In comparison to other toxic exposures, this is really small, if anything at all. I’m not concerned about exposures to polyethylene as a toxic exposure. Some people who are very sensitive to petrochemicals might react to it because it’s a petrochemical.
I see. We are on the same page, then. I have realized that, as you are saying, even organic food is usually surrounded by plastic. Fresh produce is organic but in a plastic bag (celery, for instance); frozen organic vegetables/fruits in a plastic bag. As you said, at least they are polyethylene. I just don’t like that these fresh/frozen produce bags aren’t as easily recyclable in my area, and I don’t like throwing them out. So it’s kind of a two-pronged issue: the toxic exposure is not as much of a concern, as you stated, but the recycling aspect bothers me more. But it seems to be as you concluded: it’s pretty much everywhere unless you grow the food yourself. My pastured chickens from a local farm, for instance, are in plastic wrapping which I throw away.