[purehavoc]

So the wife and I were grocery shopping today and I kept picking up mostly canned stuff and or dry goods to see how long of a expiration date they all had . To my disbelief a cooked canned ham had a exp date of 12/2017 . All I could say was wow 5 yrs ????. Most dry goods had a 1 yr shelf life but some stuff had a 2-3 yr shelf life , Most of the white rice I looked at had a 1-1.5 yr shelf life , Now I know that most of this stuff if kept cool and dry will out last the date on the packaging by many years especially if you pack it in vaccum packaging . My wife thinks Im crazy , but some day she will thank me for what Im doing .Some of it I hide from her as I just prefer she not know what exactly we do have , I figure if she doesnt know neither will anyone she knows

[partdeux]

Properly sealed, it will go decades. There was actually some 100 year old food that was tested and while nutritional value was lacking, it was perfectly safe. I'm hearing from people that can, if it's done right, the food still tastes great several years later.

[trip286]

MRE's, the last I heard they were inspected after being in storage for 7 years or something like that.

It's a little off topic (only slightly) but my point is, some food can last seemingly forever.

[c3shooter]

Yes, canned food can go a REAL long time.

MRE's- well, check the chart.

[trip286]

Originally Posted by c3shooter

<img src="http://www.firearmstalk.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=37181"/>

Yes, canned food can go a REAL long time.

MRE's- well, check the chart.

I figured the Marine corps would serve me food that was well past its shelf life...

[ellis36]

I was in the Navy in the fifties, and I remember the dates on cases of cold-storage eggs being early forties. Once in a while one would be bad---they would just scrape it off the griddle.

[c3shooter]

US Army- late 60's, we had C Rations that were from the end of WW 2. Back then, the accessory pack had a mini-pack of 5 cigarettes. Chesterfield or Old Golds- non-filter, so dry that when you took a drag, half the tobacco came out.

[dragunovsks]

Originally Posted by c3shooter

US Army- late 60's, we had C Rations that were from the end of WW 2. Back then, the accessory pack had a mini-pack of 5 cigarettes. Chesterfield or Old Golds- non-filter, so dry that when you took a drag, half the tobacco came out.

Ive eaten mres from the 80's, not sure the exact year but my dad would pack them for camping trips when i was younger (i was born in '84, my dad was indiana national guard from '83 to about 2000). They were in olive drab bags with black lettering. The Hersheys chocolate bar was rock hard.

[adjusterr]

Properly canned food, whether commercial or home, will last 10-15 plus years. Always make sure the lid or top of the container is concave or flat, any container with a domed or convex lid should be disposed of without opening. The dates on most food are " Best if used by" which is nothing more than a marketing ploy. Canned food does not suddenly go bad when a certain date is reached. The nutritional value will slowly diminish over many years but the food will still be good.Obviously, perishable food, milk, meat etc will be dated and these items should be used within the indicated time period.

[winds-of-change]

Here's my personal story of 'eating outdated food'.

I was cleaning out some food shelves in the basement. There was a can of soup that was dated "June 06". Well, it was only August so I thought it was just a couple months outdated. It was Campbell's Tomato Soup and I brought it to work and had it for dinner that night. It tasted just a little 'off' but not bad, really. While I was eating it, it occurred to me the date on the can was NOT Month/Day.....but Month/Year. I was eating soup that was 4 years overdue. I lived to tell about it.......and laugh at myself.

Though I think when storing food for 'the long haul' it is best to continually rotate the stock. Use the older stuff and replace it with fresher stuff regularly.