Shelf life for a variety of grocery store foodstuffs

[MsDoodahs]

Guess I'll share this here...now that there is a forum where it fits!

This is a general "shelf life" list I put together for a friend of mine when she started stocking her pantry.
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Some general storage info from Making the Best of Basics that I thought might help with your planning. I've found that a LOT of products do not list their "expiration date" anymore. This book gives the general "use by" for ... damn near everything, lol.

I'm only doing the most common grocery store stuff because that's easiest to get.

Estimated shelf life for various stuff in months:

Commercial ground cornmeal: 60

Commercial ground wheat flour: 6 - 12 (if you buy the wheat berries and grind it yourself, the berries themselves have an indefinite storage life)

White enriched rice: 24 - 48

noodles (mac/lasagna/spag) 18 - 24

oatmeal 12

Nonfat instant powdered milk 24 - 48

dehydrated butter 60 - 96

dehydrated cheese 60 - 96

buttermilk powder 24 - 36

non dairy creamer 24 - 36

dehydrated eggs 60 - 96

evaporated milk 24 - 36

condensed sweetened milk 24 - 36

white, brown, powdered sugar indefinite

corn and maple syrup indefinite

iodized, pickling, ice cream salt indefinite

vegetable shortening 12

liquid vegetable oil 12 - 24

olive oil 12 - 24

baking soda 18 - 24

baking powder 6 - 9

baking chips 18 - 24

cocoa powder 18 - 24

cornstarch 12 - 24

arrowroot 12 - 24

hominy/hominy grits 12

ready to eat dry cereal (corn, rice, shredded wheat) 12

Fruit, canned - all EXCEPT citrus 12 - 18; citrus 6 - 12

Fruit cocktail 12 - 18

Dried potatoes 36 - 48

Dried beans: 60+

Canned veggies:

Beans (green/pinto/kidney/red/yellow/peas) 24 - 36

Beets 12 - 24

Carrots 24 - 36

Corn (whole kernel or creamed) 24 - 36

Potatoes 24 - 36

Canned soups/chili 24 - 36

Canned spag/sauce 12 - 24

Peanut butter 12 -24

unshelled raw nuts 12 - 24

roasted canned shelled nuts 12 - 24

crackers 6 - 12

graham crackers 12 - 24

black pepper indefinite

vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce indefinite

flavorings/extracts 12 - 24

Mixed Italian, Mexican blended herbs 12 - 18

Jerky 6 - 9

canned corned beef 12 - 24

canned deviled meats, vienna sausage 12 - 24

canned chicken/turkey 12 - 24

canned shrimp/tuna/mackerel/halibut 12 - 24

canned salmon/sardines 24 - 36

canned and bottled fruit juices, all 12 - 24

cake mixes 12 - 24

candy bars 12

Chips 12 - 18

Pudding mixes 24 - 36
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Hope that helps some of y'all...

MsD

[Roxi]

thanks ill be putting together some of these longer lasting ones soon!

[asgardshill]

On the rice, I know that you can extend its shelf life to almost indefinite by pumping out the oxygen in the container you seal it in and replacing it with nitrogen. Its the O2 that causes it to go off-taste so fast.

[amy31416]

Thanks for helping get this subforum started, MsD.

[MsDoodahs]

Thanks for helping get this subforum started, MsD.

I can now let my inner survivalist run free at RPFs!

YIPPEEEEEE!

lol...

:D

[amy31416]

I can now let my inner survivalist run free at RPFs!

YIPPEEEEEE!

lol...

:D

Hahaha. Run amok withyerbadself! Learn us city slickers. ;)

[yongrel]

I am liking this new subforum a lot.

[pacelli]

I can now let my inner survivalist run free at RPFs!

YIPPEEEEEE!

lol...

:D

Very reassuring to see another freedom-living person here who is concerned with these issues.

Thanks for the list! Who authored the book you got that list from? I might just have to pick up a copy!

[MsDoodahs]

James T. Stevens

This link may work...

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Best-Basics-Preparedness-Handbook/dp/1882723252

:)

[pacelli]

James T. Stevens

This link may work...

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Best-Basics-Preparedness-Handbook/dp/1882723252

:)

Thanks, that worked great. Just picked up a signed used copy for $15. Amazon is great!

[Dr.3D]

Here is a pretty good list for shelf life information: http://www.y2kkitchen.com/html/can_code_decoder.html

[GunnyFreedom]

Here is a place to get foodstuffs that are packaged to have insanely long shelf lives:

http://www.mredepot.com/

Here are some for-instances:

Canned butter, shelf life, indefinite:
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-90/red-feather-canned-butter/Detail

Cooked Beef chunks, shelf life: 10 years:
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-241/Yoders-Canned-Can-Beef/Detail

Cheddar cheese, shelf life 10 to 15 years:
http://www.mredepot.com/servlet/the-217/Kraft-Bega-Canned-Can/Detail

If you get stuff that has been canned intentionally for an extremely long shelf life, then you are way way better off than grocery store cans, which tend to have shelf lifes of 2 years etc.


ETA: On the list above (regarding grocery store canned food expiration) the two very longest lasting products are Dinty Moore Beef Stew and Hormel SPAM, both of which are listed at 60 to 96 months. That's a 'mere' 5 to 8 years; where the food you get from MRE Depot STARTS at 10 years (120 months).

just food for thought.