Food storage temperature

[Medusa]

I was proper chuffed (Lancashire terminology) when I eventually had a spare room in which to store my food preps which gave me the ability to rotate things easily and properly. I bought a thermometer which also monitors humidity and check this daily. The room is on the first floor and has two external walls and a quite large window for the size of the room. During the last few days of warm weather the temperature has gone up to 24 degrees C despite the roller blind being kept drawn (I keep this drawn constantly) and the window open together with a pedestal fan being used. The sun is constantly on the rear of the building in the afternoon until early evening. I am panicking a little after reading that once storage temperatures reach over 23 degrees C that it could affect my food, the majority of which is tinned, in jars or dried in packets. As we are currently doing work on the landing where my stores were previously kept in crates in a large cupboard, which is likely to take quite some time, I have no alternative storage. I am considering a car windscreen foil reflector type thing for the window but wondered if anyone had any advice or could reassure me on storage temperature.

[Brambles]

I wouldn't worry too much as it's temperature fluctuations and humidity that usually cause a problem.

[ukpreppergrrl]

Below 20c would be better but 24c isn't too bad - it depends on how long you're planning to store it for. Tins should be fine easily to and a little beyond their BBE dates. I think freeze dried food fares less well in warmer climes but at 24c will still last to its BBE date. As Brambles says fluctuation is important too. Storing in something like polystyrene boxes will stabilise the temperature. If you're planning on long term storage (i.e. 10 years or more) then you probably need for it to be cooler.

The fan won't be cooling the room any - it only has a cooling effect on warm blooded creatures. Taping something opaque to the windows (e.g. cardboard, aluminium foil) will keep the room cooler if the sun shines in through the window - the trick is to have no space between the glass and the opaque covering otherwise you get a greenhouse effect which will heat the room anyway. Perfect is to have the opaque stuff on the outside of the glass. But it looks ugly and probably isn't practical unless you can invest in external shutters. If the sun doesn't shine in through the window then this will make less of a difference. On hot days it is better to keep the window closed and something opaque over the window as you want it cooler inside than outside and having the window open will allow the heat in. Tins don't mind if the room is stuffy. Think of shutters in the Mediterranean: they close and shutter the windows during the day so it is cooler inside than out, then open them once the heat outside has cooled to release the remaining heat from inside.

[Mortblanc]

I live in an area where the temps routinely top 30c for a good part of each year. Tinned foods are kept in warehouses, shipped in trucks and stored in homes without climate control all over the world.

Your tinned foods are safe.

The humidity will get to the dried foods long before the temperature affects them.

I have found that the application of metallic, reflective window film along with the use of good blinds, will bring temps down a great deal.

I have that situation in place right now and with the outside temp at 31, inside is 25 with just the big fan running.

[Medusa]

Thanks everyone for your reassurance, which has made me feel somewhat better.