Grain, which includes dry kitchen ingredients such as flour, rice, millet, couscous, cornmeal and so on, can be stored in rigid sealed containers to prevent moisture contamination or insect or rodent infestation. For kitchen use, glass containers are the most traditional method. During the 20th century plastic containers were introduced for kitchen use. They are now sold in a vast variety of sizes and designs.

There is one new style of rice packaging, that is, vacuum rice bag. People put rice into special vacuum bag, then draw gas away from it and seal the bag at last. Vacuum rice bag could increase rice valve, prolong rice shelflife, and make rice be more easy to take away. 

Metal cans are used (in the USA the smallest practical grain storage uses closed-top #10 metal cans). Storage in grain sacks is ineffective; mold and pests destroy a 25 kg cloth sack of grain in a year, even if stored off the ground in a dry area. On the ground or damp concrete, grain can spoil in as little as three days, and the grain might have to be dried before it can be milled. Food stored under unsuitable conditions should not be purchased or used because of risk of spoilage. To test whether grain is still good, sprout some. If it sprouts, it is still good, but if not, it should not be eaten. It may take up to a week for grains to sprout. When in doubt about the safety of the food, throw it out as quickly as possible.