A long time ago people had to go to great lengths to preserve food. Eventually, we figured out that using specially prepared banana tree leaves or beeswax wraps was an effective method for storing food for later usage. And soon wrapping food in such containers became commonplace.
As time progressed, these natural food storage containers turned into plastic wrap, takeout containers and plastic baggies and now we are faced with large amounts of plastic waste in our landfills and oceans.
There has been a movement in recent years to move bags to more natural products and reusable containers for storing a meal you want to eat later.
Let’s take a look at some of the best eco-friendly food storage options available below. Hopefully, with a little effort, this can be another way you work to make your carbon footprint a little smaller and your life a little greener.
The Eco-Friendly Food Storage Containers in 2023
1. ecozoi Stainless Steel Eco Lunch Box
Investing in BPA-free stainless steel products means you are investing in healthy alternatives that can last you for generations. This stainless steel food storage container will not leach chemicals into your food when mode correctly and can help retain temperatures and fluids.
This bento box-style lunch container is made to be used in your dishwasher, making cleanup very easy. ecozoi trusts their product so much they offer a lifetime warranty!
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2. Reusable Silicone Food Storage Bags
Going plastic-free can make a huge difference for the planet. Reusable silicone bags help you to cut down on your plastic usage and be washed so you are not contributing to throw-away culture.
These bags are made to prevent chemical leakage and be safe for food storage for years and years to come. When you are finally done, they are made from materials that will degrade decades before plastic begins to.
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3. Multisize Tempered Glass Canning Jar
This set of 3 jars with airtight sealed enclosures is useful for a huge amount of purposes. The quart size is ideal for toting a layered salad to work, and while you could the larger jars to store just about anything, filling them full of your favorite beans or wild rice allows them to double as a table-piece as well.
Reduce plastic waste, reduce your need for extra packaging, and give your table a beautiful conversation piece – or you can just use them to bring snacks to work. A million uses, zero waste.
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4. Reusable Beeswax Food Wraps
Used for centuries before plastic wraps, beeswax was a staple for keeping food dry and well-kept for travel. The cotton is all-natural and safe and the beeswax helps to make it watertight. This blast from the past makes a very enjoyable alternative to plastic waste.
You can reuse the wraps by handwashing with soap and they should last up to a year! Afterwards the whole item is biodegradable.
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5. Thermos Vacuum-Insulated Food Jar
This BPA-free stainless steel thermos is highly insulated and will help preserve temperatures for hours. Easily washed by hand, this is a fantastic way to avoid disposable containers.
Like all properly made stainless steel products, these food jars can last decades when properly cleaned and cared for and will leech no harmful chemicals into the food they store no matter the temperatures.
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6. OXO Good Grips On-The-Go Silicone Squeeze Bottle
Even our dressings and sauces have become a part of our throw-away culture. Stop buying wasteful single-serve sauces packets that clog landfills with plastic when you can take small reusable sauce containers along with you.
Easy to fill, easy to clean and made from food-safe silicone, this is a great addition when making lunches to go.
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7. Tempered Glass Food Storage Container
As we touched on earlier, glass jars make for great long-term storage options as well as great-looking centerpieces. These are made from lead-free and BPA free glass and are a bit smaller, meaning these jars are great for shelf storage.
These are also thick, durable, and washer safe jars that come with little chalkboard labels. Turn on your DIY brain and start making your kitchen a custom storage masterpiece.
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Natural Food Containers Buying Guide
Here are a few key tips for eco-friendly food storage and management.
Remove yourself from throw-away culture
Use reusable products to store food or at least use materials that are compatible. Stainless steel dishwasher safe containers and trays with an airtight lid work very well in this fashion. So do glass containers. Clothes and Beeswax wraps are also a nice easily compostable product.
Some of the products we covered today fit these descriptions, but there are dozens if not hundreds of similar alternatives. Glass food storage containers and mason jars were used in this way for centuries.
The trick for eco-friendly food storage is to reduce needless waste however possible.
What about aluminum foil?
Aluminum foil is something many use to avoid plastic, but it is actually far worse for the environment. Tin foil uses a lot of fossil fuels and can harm humans with the chemicals that are put into the atmosphere in their production.
Go BPA free
BPA stands for bisphenol which is an industrial chemical found in many of the products we use today. It has been found that non-BPA-free products may leech harmful hormones into the food they contain even though they are rated as food grade.
Because of this many choose to go BPA and plastic-free regardless of food-grade ratings.
In much the same way it is suggested you use an organic cotton tote instead of a plastic bag at the grocery store, you should work to replace all of the plastic products in your world when possible. At the very least, try and go BPA free when you must use plastic.
A Little Effort Goes a Long Way
Food storage is a small effort, but it is something that we do time and again throughout our lives. Making the effort now to utilize eco-friendly food storage now can have an exponentially beneficial effect on the planet through the years to come.
Get started today with one of these great eco-friendly products and do your part to keep the planet just that much greener and safer for our animal friends.
Consider these other Eco-Friendly Gift and Product Ideas: