[TomGuy]

I ate a five-year-old can of soup a couple of weeks ago while rotating my basement stash and it tasted just fine.

I've been rotating stuff recently too. I ran across a few cans that were 2005-2009. Some cans didn't even have expiration dates and I knew from they labels (which have changes over the years) they were a few years old.

When I open them, I consider: (1) do they smell okay, (2) do they look okay.

Some foods have a higher acid content and would probably turn bad faster.

As others mentioned, look for rust or corrosion or leakage. Cans that have severely bulged ends (top/bottom) should be avoided. Botulism can cause that, IIRC.

[hennie pennie]

I didn't save the links, but a few years back, the U.S. Army opened up LOTS of canned goods from the 1970s and they were astounded to find that the food was FINE, and all of it was SAFE to eat.

So it's my impression that except for slight changes in color & texture, IF the food was commercially canned with NO dents & NO pinpoint holes, that one can safely eat most canned food for at least a decade after the "best by" date -- and of course, one MUST store the cans in a cool spot.

[ConservativeWarrior]

While we’re on the subject, does anyone know the practical shelf life for militray MREs? (assuming they’ve been properly stored, and never frozen)

Many thanks.