Canned/Jarred Food Expiration Dates
It’s probably a good idea to learn about some of the canned and Jarred foods that we have in our pantry, before it actually becomes a necessity to know which are safe and which are not. We definitely don’t want to be testing at that point.
So I thought a list of what people have noticed is very helpful, we can all learn from each other.
Iron Munro & nomorelurker have contributed to this list; let’s keep it going, what sort of things have you noticed? It doesn’t have to be scientific, but if you have some articles with research in them that’s great too.
• In our limited experience with storing store bought canned food the product that went bad first was canned pineapple.
• In general store bought canned food in old style cans keeps much better than new style cans with pop-top lids.
• Another point: Plastic is not impermeable to the same degree as metal or glass.
Foods and water in plastic bottles will all lose moisture over time.
• Only thing I have had a problem with is evaporated milk. A few months past expire date and it turned into some kind of brown crud.
• So far the only thing I have found that is affected by a couple years past the expiration date is Peanut butter. It sort of loses its peanut flavor and becomes a horrible consistency
• I have several 28 Oz cans of whole tomatoes, DLP San marzano. The date on the oldest one is 2016. Those are starting to look a little pudgy and I think it’s time to toss it. The ones dated 2017 and 2018 still look okay. I’ve been using those and quality and everything else seems to be fine. So looks like about 5 years for canned tomatoes past the expiration date is still safe.
A short video stated Medications retain 90% efficacy after expiration date.
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I need Two Aspirin daily to get going in the Morning...
Today maybe Three!
High acid foods do a number on cans.
They eat through the coating on the inside of the can then destroy the aluminum.
“So looks like about 5 years for canned tomatoes past the expiration date is still safe.”
Most likely due to the high acidity of tomatoes/tomato products in general.
I am very good about ‘rotating’ my purchased canned goods, and we normally ‘eat through’ what I home-can by the next spring - except I always seem to have Salsa on hand. :)
Canned goods can usually be found for a SONG at Aldi (it’s worth the trip for me once or twice a year) and any warehouse-type food store you have near you. We have one called ‘Twelve Baskets’ which I am DYING to check out - but again, it’s a ways away. Dollar Tree, of course, can provide good values once in a while - but check the expiration dates, of course!
I’ve been stocking up on the shelf-stable milk, also available to me at my Dollar Tree. I have a few chocolate milks stashed in the even that I can’t get any coffee creamer during the Zombie Apocalypse. ;)
Here’s a pretty comprehensive list of long-lasting canned goods from a site called ‘Build A Stash.’
https://www.buildastash.com/post/longest-lasting-canned-foods
P.S. SPAM - love it or hate it - lasts a very long time. :)
I am always nervous about canned tomatoes, including tomato paste, etc. I have a whole box full in my basement that are a few years past expiration and aren’t bulging or rusty, but I would still be nervous about eating them. We buy tomato stuff in bulk like most things, but we never eat it all because I grow/can/freeze my own.
One thing I have found that keeps well past expire date is jarred olives either in oil or brine.
Some years ago a local grocery had 8 oz jarred green olives on sale for 8 cents a jar, yes 0.08 cents. We and everybody else bought cases of the things (they had large pallets out). Was still eating them 6 years plus later own.
Don’t let canned coconut milk go past the date. It will smell and taste like vomit. Serious, vomit. I refuse to buy it anymore.
Does your canned tomatoes expire in September of whatever year? Every last one of mine always expires/best buy is September. That gives quite a while for plus or minus leeway so who knows. A while back (not that long ago), I had just purchased some Great Value canned tomatoes and shortly after noticed each can had serious spikey rust on the top rim. Carefully got some of the spikes off and opened them. The rust hadn’t gone through but it was the weirdest thing. Guessed they had sat on cargo ships but it was after the cargo situation so who knows. But with the “September” dates on tomatoes, well, you never know where it’s been hanging out.
Yes, my limit is 5 years past dates on cans in general. Rotate, rotate and if something needs used, put it out on the counter so it’s in your face to be used asap. Had some pumpkin pie mix. Can’t stand the stuff and guessing I picked the wrong product off the grocery shelf. Had a couple old cans so used them in pumpkin bread and they were pretty tasty.