Sometimes a #2 plastic bucket (or whatever plastic) might not be labeled food grade because it either has an additive that doesn't qualify as food safe either because it isn't safe or because it hasn't been tested.
Sometimes it isn't labeled food safe because the manufacturer doesn't guarantee it doesn't have unknown contaminants. Or can't prove/document that it doesn't anyway.
Sometimes it is pretty obvious it would be stupid to use a particular #2 plastic container for food or water. One example I have is a tube originally used to ship drill bits to a machine shop... I can see the swirls of color caused by plastic from different origins and some odd lumps that seem to be either a different kind of plastic or maybe not plastic at all.
I don't worry about storing food in lowes, home depot, tractor supply, meijer, menards buckets. I store dry things like oatmeal, rice, wheat, ect that I eat and feed my kids in them long term and wet things like maple sap in them short term. I might not in a hot environment.
But I also paid a dollar or two more per bucket to get food grade 5 gallon buckets from Menards last month - the first time I've seen them for sale in a brick and mortar store. I can't get frosting buckets anymore - the stores around here changed their policy and will not give them away or sell them anymore.
I prefer non-plastic materials such as glass or stainless steel whenever possible. Eh, more accurately -when the price, weight, or breakage risk isn't too much greater. I don't think the plastic I use leaches much but it isn't as stable or as reusable or as recyclable or as safely degradable as glass or stainless steel. I don't like seeing all the plastic in dumps and landfills or worse places.
