BellyBytes.com > Food Facts > Storage of Foods

Storage of Foods

Canned and Packaged Foods:

Supermarket foods may have an extended stay on the shelves as well as long warehouse times resulting in reduced potencies of vitamins and minerals.

Fruits and Vegetables:

Usually are harvested before they are fully ripened then allowed to ripen in the markets. Fruits and vegetables are regularly cut into smaller sizes which expose their surfaces to the effects of light and air (oxidation) for long periods of time, thus reducing their nutrient potency.

Rotation of Foods:

Rotation of Foods:  Canned, frozen and packaged products in the home are rarely dated and rotated properly. Dehydrated foods as well lose a percentage of nutrient potency over time and should be rotated.

Restaurants:

Purchase in large quantities, possibly resulting in long storage times, especially if the restaurant is not too busy. Fast food chains avoid this problem due to the faster food turnover.

Notes:

Excess storage times may result in the purchase of foods thought to contain adequate amounts of certain nutrients only to end up with little or none.

Oranges from supermarkets have been tested and found to contain no vitamin C content, while a fresh picked one contains approximately 180mg. Vitamin and mineral potency losses may occur before the product receives its expiration code date.

A potato in storage for a period of six months can lose approximately 50 percent of its vitamin C content. Most food charts will deduct 25 percent of the nutrient value of foods to allow for the effects of storage, packaging, transportation, processing, preservation and cooking. In some cases this is not enough.

Print this Recipe  Print Page  Index  Back to Index  Email this Good Eats!  Email this Page!

Back to the Top