Shelf Life of Canned Goods, Dried Foods, and Other Goods
Ever wondered about the shelf life of different items in your long term food storage? Sure, you have. Well, let’s look at the shelf life of canned goods, dried foods, and other goods.
Now, if you have freeze dried food that is still in the factory packaging, such as No. 10 cans, then you don’t have to worry. Tests have shown that Mountain House Freeze Dried Food in No. 10 Cans can have a shelf life that exceeds 30 years. However, other foods are different.
For purposes of our discussion, we will assume that the temperature of the storage area is 70 deg F. Also, these are somewhat conservative estimates, meaning safe estimates.
Canned goods that are unopened will store for 12 months or longer.
Canned fruit juices that are unopened will store for 9 months.
Dried fruits in an airtight container will store for 6 months.
Dried vegetables in an airtight container will store for 1 year.
Dehydrated vegetable flakes will store for 6 months. You may need to refrigerate this one.
Grated Parmesan Cheese will store for 10 months.
Meat substitutes (imitation bacon, etc.) will store for 4 months.
Peanut Butter, unopened will store for 6 to 9 months, opened for 2 to 3 months.
Popcorn will store for 2 years.
Powdered Breakfast Mixes will store for 6 months.
Whole Spices will store for 1 to 2 years.
Ground Spices will store for 6 months.
Herbs will store for 6 months.
Herb/Spice Blends will store for 6 months.
Dry Yeast has an expiration on the package. However, I have stored yeast in the freezer for a couple years or more with no problems.
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My question is if you put things like flour, pinto beans etc in storage vacuum seal packages, will it preserve longer?
I am thinking of starting to stock up. Buying containers that mice etc can not get into (we live in the mountains) doing my own canning as I have for years, but to preserve the food as long as I can. We have daughter with 3 kids. Want to be able to feed them too.
Hi Meg,
You can vacuum seal dry foods and it does preserve it longer than just putting them in jars. Actually, some vacuum sealers have a canning jar attachment so you can suck the air out of the jars. I have done both methods and have kept things for several years. One gauge we can go on is that the manufacturer for Mountain House Freeze Dried Foods says their food in pouches (both sealed and vacuum-sealed pouches) will last for 7 years. I certainly have kept vacuum sealed dry goods in bags for many years.
I can tell you that vacuum sealing powdered items (flours, cheese powder, etc.) is an adventure. It’s tricky and will probably take several tries to get it right, but it can be done. However, trying to vacuum seal bags and bags of flour is going to get on your nerves real fast. For staples, the best way to go is to use 3.5, 5, or 6 gallon food grade buckets with lids.
If you use these kinds of buckets, you know that no rodents or bugs will get in there. The ideal method is to buy a regulator, a piece of hose, and a piece of copper tubing, rent a nitrogen cylinder, and nitrogen-pack your food in these buckets. However, you only want to do it when you have a lot of buckets to do, because the nitrogen cylinder is not cheap to rent. The last time I did it, it was around $85.00. That’s for the gas, you have to put down a deposit for the cylinder, but you get it back when you’re done.
If that is too expensive for you, or sounds too intimidating, you can just get food grade buckets and pack your food in there, and just hammer the lids on (gently). This will work for a few years. I’ve done it and have had no problems.
For the longest life, you would have to nitrogen-pack buckets. I have opened buckets I packed 15 years earlier and the dry goods were fine when used in cooking. Sometimes, beans can taste a little bitter with age, but if you add spices it’s not a problem.
Another option is to buy oxygen absorber packets. You just put your dry goods in the bucket (fill it almost up to the top), throw in a packet, and hammer the lid on. The packet absorbs the oxygen and that is good for many years.
If you are on a budget, then you can just store food in buckets and put the lid on. It won’t last indefinitely, but it will work when you are on a budget. Just remember that things like salt, sugar, cheese powder, etc. will be caked when you open the bucket. So, you will have to loosen it up.
The ideal thing is to use new food grade buckets. However, sometimes you can get used ones if you work in the food industry. Just make sure the lid really seals. Remember that when you do not pack the same food item in a previously-used bucket, it make acquire a taste of the originally-packed item. This is not a problem in most cases. But if you use buckets that had pickles or olives in them, your newly-packed food may acquire some of the taste.
If you have any more questions, write back.
Uncle Lester