Vacuum sealing food has taken this country by storm. The ability to divide and seal food in a low oxygen environment in order to prolong its freshness and storage time is a prepper’s dream.
Vacuum sealing, or ROP (Reduced Oxygen Packaging) slows down the process of spoilage by reducing atmospheric oxygen, and creates an anaerobic environment that limits the growth of aerobic bacteria or fungi, and prevents the evaporation of volatile components. Vacuum sealing is often used in combination with other packaging and food processing techniques.
As effective as this food storage source seems, it could put your health at risk. There are certain types of bacteria that prefer low oxygen environments and will grow on foods that have been vacuum sealed. Knowing the dangers that these bacteria possess can help you avoid them and keep your food storage safe.
Botulism and Listeria Monocytogenes
Even in an oxygen-depleted environment, Anaerobic organisms can proliferate, potentially causing food safety problems. Botulism and Listeria monocytogenes are examples of pathogenic bacteria that cause food borne illnesses from growing and thriving in an anaerobic environment. Moreover, these bacteria have the capacity of growing at a faster rate in vacuum sealed foods due to the oxygen-free environment as well as the fact that these bacteria are not in competition with other spoilage bacteria. These bacteria often do not produce noticeable changes in the foods; therefore, relying on sight, smell and taste would not be helpful. However, only a tiny amount of these spores (a few nanograms) need to be present in order for them to be deadly.
According to the FDA, the following are dangers associated with vacuum sealing food sources:
- Facultative bacteria (most foodborne pathogens) grow under aerobic & anaerobic conditions
- Most spoilage organisms are no longer “indicators” for temperature abuse
- Extended shelf life could allow “slow growers” to reach high numbers under refrigerated conditions
- Secondary barriers such as low pH or aw are not always possible with cook chill and sous vide packaging
- Potential for temperature abuse at retail and in the home is great
- Cooking and fermentation destroy most vegetative cells but spore formers survive
Safety Guidelines for Vacuum Sealing Food
If you have taken proper steps in preparing your food in a clean and uncontaminated environment, then this should not be a problem. However, if there is any question about the safety, then err on the side of caution and do not vacuum pack the food, as you would be creating a perfect breeding ground for bacteria.
Follow these guidelines to properly vacuum seal food:
- Vacuum sealing food does not replace the need to pressure can or water bath home canned foods.
- Wash hands before and during the vacuum sealing process.
- Try not to touch food with your hands. Use clean spoons, tongs or something else to handle the food.
- Be sure to keep utensils, cutting boards and counters clean.
- Keep vacuum sealed foods in the refrigerator or freezer. Dry food, like crackers and nuts, can be stored at room temperature.
- Freeze low-acid vacuum packaged foods and consume immediately after heating. Never heat a low-acid vacuum packaged food and allow it to stand at room temperature in the vacuum package.
- Ensure that you do not cross contaminate food.
- Properly label food sources with type of food and date packaged.
- Ensure the seal is complete and that there is no debris in the seal.
Which Foods are Safe and How Long Do They Store?
Shelf life of vacuum packaged foods
| Food | Stored In | Normal Shelf Life | Vacuum Shelf Life |
| Large cuts of meat: beef, poultry, lamb and pork | Freezer | 6 months | 2-3 years |
| Ground meat: beef, poultry, lamb and pork | Freezer | 4 months | 1 year |
| Fish | Freezer | 6 months | 2 years |
| Coffee beans | Room temperature | 4 weeks | 16 months |
| Coffee beans | Freezer | 6-9 months | 2-3 years |
| Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries | Refrigerator | 1-3 days | 1 week |
| Berries: cranberries, huckleberries, blueberries | Refrigerator | 3-6 days | 2 weeks |
| Cheese – hard, semi-soft and pasteurized cheeses.*Soft cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, Ricotta, Cottage and Teleme MAY NOT be vacuum packaged | Refrigerator | 1-2 weeks | 4-8 months |
| Cookies, crackers | Room temperature (periodically opening) | 1-2 weeks | 3-6 weeks |
| Flour, sugar, rice | Room temperature | 6 months | 1-2 years |
| Lettuce | Refrigerator | 3-6 days | 2 weeks |
| Nuts | Room temperature | 6 months | 2 years |
| Oils with no preservatives, like safflower, canola, corn oil | Room temperature | 5-6 months | 1-1.5 years |
| Wine | Refrigerator | 1-3 weeks | 2-4 months |
Above table adapted by Tilia Inc. from Dr. G.K.York, Dept. of Food Science & Tech, U of California, Davis
Vaccum sealing food can be a productive way to maintain your food source as well as prolong its shelf life. Ensure that you take the proper steps in handling and storing your food to reduce the presence of bacteria in your food storage.
Additional Resources:
What is Reduced Oxygen Packaging and What are the Food Safety Concerns & Controls?
Should I Vacuum Package Food at Home?
This article was originally published at Ready Nutrition™ on February 12th, 2013
Great table at the end. Printing this out to put on the frig door.
WE HAVE VACUUM SEALED FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. JUST MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A CLEAN AREA TO DO IT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS METHOD.
@ Mr. Prepper,
I have never had this problem either when we have vacuum sealed our foods, but nevertheless, the dangers are present. When preparing food for vacuum sealing, ensure that the area is clean, your hands are washed and you do not cross contaminate foods. If you do this, you should be fine.
Thanks for your comment.
Tess
My dog had a habit of getting out and crossing the street. He never had any problem until the day that truck ran over him.
This is more true for foods that are not dehydrated? If they are dried enough to be brittle then vacuum sealed they should be safe?
Sande – Yes, absolutely this is referring to the more perishable food items.
So my deer meat is about 10 months old and no good??
Sorry. It’s in butcher paper, what I have left.
I though sugar keeps basically forever anyway. So, if I vacuum seal it, why would it keep less time? Also, I though white rice would keep for 10 yrs. in a cool, dry place. So I thought vacuum sealing would make it even longer. Right? My parents have tons of blueberries and I always freeze them in vacuum seal bags. They have to be frozen, then suck the air out later, and stick back in freezer. Works great. Does heat kill these bacteria mentioned in the article? Please advise.
Hi GA Girl,
The chart in the article is meant to be a guide for when food can turn. It is based on findings at the University of California, but I’m pretty sure they are not preppers. Personally speaking, I have vacuum sealed sugar that I packed in 2006 and is still good. The best thing to do, as you probably already know is when you take food out of your food storage pantry, examine it to make sure the bag hasn’t been damaged, the bag hasn’t been infested with bugs and that it still looks good.
We have been using a vacuum sealer for years and have never had a problem. Clean hands means everythig in health.
Hi Tess, I am wondering if it is necessary to refrigerate dehydrated apples that I have also vacuum sealed?
Allyssa,
If you wanted to go a step further to ensure that your food sources are at optimum temperatures, you could. But the fact that you dehydrated the apples means that they are shelf stable and can be stored in the pantry.
Thanks!
Tess
I made some home cooked frozen dinners, like turkey, potatoes and gravy. I vacuum sealed them and froze them. Have I created a problem?
I have vacuumed sealed and consumed rice, flour, sugar, oats sealed for over five years and it was as fresh as the day it was bought. I guess the important point is to buy a very good vacuum sealer that can do multiple seals and vacuums without fatiguing the machine. One suited for hunters would be my choice, but the shelf life is far more by my experience than is stated here.
Can you vacuum seal Applesauce and then heat it the way you do with jars?
What about dry cured meat vacuum sealed
Just came along this article today…and it is so full of crap. Literally there were like 2 cases in Taiwan years ago. The food was oysters and they were past their use date. No need for the hysteria. Vacuum packing is perfectly safe if done cleanly.
This held my interest until they listed Wine. It depends on the type of wine and how well the wine is stored. Fortified wines can last open for up to a month at room temperature, but most table wines last only about 3–5 days before “spoiling”. Also, old wine won’t hurt you, it just doesn’t taste as good. You’ll hear the experts say “the wine has turned” meaning it doesn’t taste the way the vintner intended. This article implies old wine is “Hazardous to Your Health” and makes the rest of their numbers come into question.
older article, but I am interested in the availability of modified atmosphere packaging technology for home use. i.e. changing the gas composition of air that remains in vacuum sealed packages, such as changing the % of oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide.
Hey. Sugar doesn’t spoil. Don’t vacuum pack it. Just keep it dry.
I have made extensive use of my vacuum sealer for many years, and have never had a problem.
I am a 63 year old single man and nearly all of my meals are prepared in bulk and sealed in individual serving sizes…bulk cooking just makes economic sense. I also vacuum seal nearly all my raw meats(chicken/beef/pork/fish)…again, buying in bulk and knowing I am well-stocked. I bet well over 90% of the foods I eat have been vacuum sealed at least once during their life cycle, from main dishes to sides.
-I keep opened cheeses vacuum sealed.
-I keep berries and washed lettuce vacuum sealed in refrigerated canisters.
-My counter top is a display of vacuum canisters containing everything from staples (flour/sugar/corn meal) to dried herbs, mushroom and chilis.
-I have been doing this for many years.
That being said, no one can ever say they have not had any type of food poisoning from their own cooking. That transient bought of diarrhea just may be a mild case of food poisoning. But after 40+ years of making most of my own meals, I’ve never had to go to the doctor/hospital from it.
I make certain to have a clean work surface, but am not hyper-vigilant on cleaning my hands every single time I may have touched a non-sterilized object when I vacuum seal. Of course I wash after touching raw meats. I’m just reasonable about it.
The only type of anaerobic bacteria I worry about is that caused by garlic. As innocuous as it sounds, keeping garlic submerged in oils is a risky thing to do. This includes infusing oils as well as pre-made garlic butter with pieces of garlic embedded. Commercial garlic products have added acids to prevent the growth of bacteria. It’s the homemade stuff you gotta be leery of. I make bulk garlic butter from crushed garlic so the bits are easy to strain out through cheesecloth.
BS on the sugar. It has an indefinite shelf life.