Why storage matters more for a cold-pressed food
A dog food bucket is not just about keeping pests and moisture out. It is also about protecting the nutritional content itself, and that is especially important for food with a high content of natural fats and fresh ingredients. Fats and oils turn rancid when exposed to air, light and heat, and it is the same process that gives a food a flat or sour smell when the bag has been left open for too long.
The food bags you find in this collection are cold-pressed meals from the finest series, where the ingredients are processed at low temperature to preserve as much as possible of their original content. This is exactly why it makes sense to move the food into, or store the bag inside, an airtight bucket, so that what you have paid to have gently produced is not lost in the kitchen cupboard after opening. A tight container slows the oxidation of the fats and keeps the aroma in, so the food still smells the way it did when you opened the bag, right down to the last bowl.
Keep the bag in the bucket instead of pouring the food in directly
A piece of advice that is often overlooked: do not pour the food loosely into an empty bucket. The food bag is usually lined so that it protects against moisture and light, and it also retains the food's own oils. If you place the whole bag in the bucket and then close it, you get two layers of protection, and you avoid fat residue settling in the bottom of the bucket and turning rancid over time.
If you do pour the food in loosely, you should wash and dry the bucket thoroughly between each bag, so that old fat residue does not transfer to the fresh food. Whatever method you use, the bucket must be completely dry inside before you fill it, because even a little residual moisture can trigger mould over the weeks a bag typically lasts.
How to choose the size according to your dog's consumption
The size of the bucket should follow how quickly your dog eats a bag, not how much space you have. A rule of thumb is to choose a bucket that can just hold the bag size you normally buy, with a little room to get a scoop or cup in.
If you buy OUR FINEST BALANCE, 10KG for a larger dog or several dogs, the bucket needs to hold the ten kilos. If you have a smaller dog and buy OUR FINEST BALANCE, 2.5KG, a smaller container is both easier to handle and better for the food, because there is less air around the food as the bag empties. An oversized bucket with only a little food in the bottom gives more air contact and therefore faster oxidation. If you choose food for an active working dog, you can also see the whole range under working & sporting, where consumption is often higher and a larger bucket therefore makes sense.
Buy food and storage according to how quickly a bag is emptied
The freshness of the food after opening depends just as much on how long a bag lasts as on how you store it. If you have a dog that empties a bag in a few weeks, storage plays a smaller role, because the food is used up quickly anyway. If, on the other hand, you have a small dog that takes a long time with a bag, a tight bucket is more important, because the last portions can otherwise lose flavour and smell.
If you are in doubt about how much your dog should actually eat, and thus how long a bag lasts, you can learn more in the guide how much dog food should my dog have. It helps you hit a feeding amount that suits your dog's weight and activity level, so you can buy the right bag size and choose a bucket accordingly.
Store the bucket in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight
Even the tightest bucket cannot save food that is stored incorrectly. Place the bucket in a cool and dry spot out of direct sunlight, for example in a utility room or a kitchen cupboard away from the oven and heat sources. Heat speeds up the rancidity of the fats, and changing temperatures can cause condensation inside the bucket if it is moved between warm and cold rooms.
A garage or a shed sounds practical, but here the temperature and humidity typically fluctuate more than indoors, and that makes it easier for mould and pests to take hold. If the food is kept indoors at a stable room temperature and in a tight container, it best retains both flavour and nutritional content throughout the entire life of the bag.
How to keep the bucket clean between bags
Over time a bucket collects a thin layer of food dust and fat, especially if you pour the food in loosely. That layer turns rancid and can give the fresh food an off-taste that picky dogs react to. Wipe out the bucket between each bag, and give it a thorough wash with warm water and a mild dish soap at regular intervals.
The most important thing is that the bucket is completely dry before you fill it again. Even a little leftover water in the bottom or under the lid creates moisture, which over weeks can cause mould. If your dog suddenly turns up its nose at a food it usually eats, a rancid or damp bucket is one of the first things worth checking, along with the advice in dry food picky dogs.
