Long Shelf Life Foods
Understanding the shelf life of foods is important for meal planning, grocery budgeting and emergency planning. Throughout the year many Americans throw away a lot of food. When you understand the shelf life of foods, you can make better shopping and food preparation decisions.
Each year I purchase long shelf life foods. I organize my pantry and storage by putting the newest purchased foods in the back. So if I use an item, I pull from the front and the goods coming up for expiration are always used first.
There is some planning that is needed when stocking up on long shelf life foods. For example, know what you and your family would like to eat during emergencies, threats of war, city lock downs or virus outbreaks. Make sure you have the staples if you had to reduce the frequency to the store. If you plan, you can buy items when they are on sale.
During emergencies, popular food items like flour, rice, soup, can goods and meat disappear or could be rationed. So having a good supply of long shelf life foods could be critical. Knowing you have a plan for these occasions also reduces stress for you and your family.
Consider starting a home emergency written journal that you can track all the things you need and cross off when you are stocked up.
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Supplies That Help With Food Preparedness
I would suggest over time investing in kitchen accessories that help with extending the life of foods. These are products like a dehydrator, food saver, Mylar bags and especially oxygen absorbers. I would also recommend investing in air-tight food storage containers for storing things that are opened. Oxygen, temperature and light are what deteriorates food the fastest. Here are some things I recommend getting over time. So you can budget one thing a year or when someone is looking for the perfect gift for you, make the suggestion.
- Food Dehydrator
- Food Saver
- Mylar Bags, Impulse Sealer and Oxygen Absorbers – I recommend getting bags that fit your family size. Unless you eat tons of beans, storing them in a 5 gallon tote loosely will not benefit you. Store the beans in smaller Mylar bags and open what you need. Since it is in a Mylar bag with an oxygen absorber, it extends the shelf life to up to 30 years.
- Bread Maker
- Flour Mill
- Canning Kit
Foods That Last 1- 1/2 years in Original Packaging
- Flour (max 1 year)
- Baking Chocolate
- Cocoa
- Cornmeal
- Cornstarch
- Evaporated Milk, Powdered Milk, Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Jerky
- Lentils
- Oatmeal
- Applesauce
- Can Fruit
- Can Tomato Soup, Tomato Paste, Tomato Sauce (most canned Tomato products)
- Salad Dressing
- Salsa
- BBQ Sauce
- Pickles
- Juice (bottled or canned)
- Dry Cereal
- Dried Fruit
- Ketchup
- Alfredo Sauce
Shelf Life Foods – 2 years – 4 1/2 years
- Jalapeno Bean Dip and Regular Bean Dip
- Can Soup (some can last up to 5 years)
- Can meat products (Tuna, Salmon, Chicken)
- Pasta (pasta can last up to 20 years if you repackage into Mylar bags)
- Pasta Sauce
- Can Ravioli and other Italian canned goods
- Canned Mushrooms
- Canola Oil, Vegetable Spray
- Molasses
- Microwave Popcorn
- Can Chili
- Box Rice Mixes
- Jelly/Jam
- Mustard
- Bread Crumbs
- Bottled Water (over time the plastic starts to seep into the water so it is best to drink it in the first 2 years)
Shelf Life Foods – 2 1/2 – 5 years
- Canned Beans
- Canned Vegetables (most)
- Vienna Sausages
- Soy Sauce
- Iced Tea Mix, Tea Bags (can last up to 20 years if you repackage into Mylar bags)
- Can Broth
- Dried Herbs & Spices (can last up to 5 years if you repackage into Mylar bags)
- Imitation Vanilla Extract (forever it is real Vanilla Extract)
- All Vinegar’s (best in the first 4 years but good indefinitely)
Foods That Are Good 5 Years or More
Some foods will last a very long time if they are stored properly. This means that foods for long term storage should not be stored in areas that are exposed to extreme heat or extreme cold. The moisture content is critical for dried grains, sugar, salt and rice. So it is best to store these foods in Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. The ideal environment is a cool, dry environment that is dark away from the sun, around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Dry goods would need to be repackaged to meet these extended shelf life timelines.
- Hot Sauce – 5 years
- Granular Bouillon – over 5+ years
- Baking Soda – minimum 2 years but can last forever
- Powdered Milk in cans – 20 years
- Salt – forever with no moisture
- Sugar – forever with no moisture
- White Rice – 20 years
- Whole Wheat Grains – decades – no moisture but you need a flour mill
- Dried Corn – decades – no moisture
- Honey – forever
- Coffee – decades – no moisture
- Dried Beans – 30 years
- Rolled Oats – 30 years
- Potato Flakes – 30 years
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