Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Shelf Life of Food Storage Items

Knowing the shelf life of your food storage items is a very important part of any food storage program. The wide varieties of food items that are available make it hard to keep track of the shelf life of canned and pre-packaged food items that are common in most parts of the country.

Mrs. RW recommends http://stilltasty.com/ as a great website for checking the shelf life of your food storage items. They cover a wide variety of food items from canned to frozen to opened or un-opened packages. They also include the shelf life of food items commonly found in your pantry, your refrigerator and your freezer.

So take some time and check out this handy website if you need to check the shelf life of your food storage items. From fish to dairy and veggies to fruits, they have some great information for you. Whether you prefer canned, dried or fresh you can get the information you may need to help you keep the shelf life of your food storage items up to date.

Staying above the water line!

Riverwalker

10 comments:

Ken said...

...good link,thanx Mrs.RW(RW too)...lol

...now try and give an easy explanation on the 'sell by:date and the "ugh,i aint eatin'that" expiration date ?!?!?

...when i was getting in to the rotation schedule of my stores last year,i came across a couple/few cans,with 'use by' dates in the '06's...two were mystery cans,no labels...turned out to be corn and carrots ?!(i got a few more mystery cans,does anyone else ?...lol)...anyway,i guess under controlled conditions the dates are only a referance...

...Buy A Good Sharpie...multi-pack...lol

Anonymous said...

Very informative. Thanks

Everybody has to have a can of something out dated.

Preparedness Pro said...

Ken, expiration dates are a tricky thing. Expiration dates exist to cover a manufacturer's legal backsides. Millions of dollars of food every year is discarded because people think that it's not good anymore. One unfortunate example was a gal I heard of who had buckets of honey and once it crystalized, she tossed it, not realizing that honey can last practically forever. Like you mentioned, under controlled conditions, like keeping your stores in a cool, dry place can do a lot to extend the lifespan of your food. http://tinyurl.com/punrwr

riverwalker said...

To: Ken

Cans should be checked for dents, rust, or bulging which can be signs of a bad product. The interior lining of the can may be damaged by any of these conditions.

The sell by, best by or use by dates are guidelines for the best or freshest tasting product. Some loss of texture or quality of taste occurs after the recommended dates but should still be safe to eat.

Just remember that if it smells bad or looks bad...it probably is!

When in doubt, throw it out!

We got the Sharpie multi-packs...Mrs. RW puts the dates on the cans in big, easy to read numbers.

Thanks Ken!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Did It My Way

Yep! Had a few of those myself. Most were still OK...not that far out of date(a couple of months or so). There is always the odd can or two that will get by you.

Thanks!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Preparedness Pro

There is so much food that is thrown away each year that it is shameful.
Thanks for your insight.

RW

Joseph said...

What about a site that discusses drugs, supplements, etc. For example how much longer will my Vit.C and Ibuprofen last?

Ken said...

...thanx RW,thanx Pro...everything i've ate until now(rotations good now)has been first rate...(knock-on-wood)even the cans of mystery veggies was fine...

riverwalker said...

To: Joseph

Working on that also but a good site will take me a little more time to find...but it's in the works!

Thanks Joseph!

RW

riverwalker said...

To: Ken

That's good to hear...but remember one of my favorite sayings:

"When in doubt, throw it out!"

Better to play it safe than take a chance where your food items are concerned.

Thanks Ken!

RW

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