What canned foods have the longest shelf life.

I have food in my bug-out plan.

But my survival-in-place plan allows for a basement I have. Some of my victuals will be canned goods because they are cheap and convenient in a crisis when you don't want to risk an open fire or the smell of cooking food.

Can you suggest good canned items?

Some of my favorites are only good for six months, maybe even less.

It would make more sense to shelve some that are good for 2 - 5 years or so. Any suggestions?

reply to post by tovenar


short answer.. what every you like to eat. most canned foods will last long enough for you to eat them. unless you stockpile like a million dollars worth.
tuna and slamon probably have one of the shortest life spans but is a great survival food.
canned vegetarian foods such as lentil mince etc.. offer the same benefit (and more) as most meats. they should be in a seperate part of the supermarket.. but i would suggest them as the core survival canned food.
any vegetable or fruit is going to last a while, all up to your taste really
also condensed milk, cocunut milk/cream is another good one.

one thing when it comes to survival food, always remember to stockpile spices.. you dont want to have to be eating crap without some flavour. stuff like paprika is great to cover up foul tastes

I have never seen a label on
a can that gives the shelf life.
I was under the impression
that canned goods are alright
as long as the can is not
swollen or rusty. Maybe I am
wrong - I would like to know
more about this myself.
I have a lot of can goods
stored but not in the basement
as I thought it might be too
damp there. I bought those
big plastic storage boxes from
WalMart and stacked them in
a closet we are not using.

dont know about canned food, they actually seem to last forever whether the shelf life states that or not. I have only had 1 issue with a can of spaghetti, and that big boy was in my pantry well over a year. The rest were fine though. Maybe the bacteria came from the production line or somthin though.

reply to post by Redevilfan09


How did you determine the
canned spaghetti was bad?
Was the can swollen?

Hate to say it but

Spam.

Honey Pure honey is as durable as it is delicious; it keeps safe indefinitely. Honey may change color or crystallize over time, but that won't make it unsafe. Keep it fresh: Store in a cool area and keep tightly closed. Revive crystallized honey by placing the opened jar in warm water and stirring until dissolved.

Rice White, wild, arborio, jasmine and basmati rice all have an indefinite shelf life, when kept free from contaminants. The exception: brown rice. Thanks to its higher oil content, it won’t keep nearly as long. Keep it fresh: Store in a cool, dry area. Once opened, place rice in a sealed airtight container or place original package in a resealable heavy-duty freezer bag. For added protection, store rice in the refrigerator or freezer.

Liquor!!!! Whipping up some penne alla vodka and a pitcher of cocktails? Distilled spirits —vodka, rum, whiskey, gin, tequila and the like — don’t spoil, even after opening. The taste and aroma may fade gradually, but it’ll take ages before you notice. Keep it fresh: Store in cool, dark area, away from direct heat or sunlight. Keep bottle tightly closed when not in use.

Maple Syrup Pure maple syrup not only makes your pancakes special, it adds tremendous flavor to a whole range of dishes. Best of all, it keeps forever in the freezer. Keep it fresh: Refrigerate after opening. For long-term storage, freeze maple syrup in airtight plastic containers.

My neighbor (for as nasty as they are) sometimes treats us to freeze-dried or dehydrated food. That stuff has a shelf life of 15 years sometimes!

I think the main problem with canned foods is that in some foods it eventually makes a chemical reaction with the metal, and inevitably it becomes toxic.

There are some beef stew type can foods that last for up to 2 years. But as previously stated by someone else, the chemicals eventually react to the metal in the can after a few years, but that would depend on whats inside.

I have seen survival food gear on sites like cheaperthendirt.com that last up to 5 years. Or you can go old school and get some MREs.

My ITSHTF stockpile is spices, dried beans and rice stored in original containers and then in Plastic boxes. RAMMAN noodles will last if kept in a dry place. Spam, Treet, potted meat will last a year. ALL noodles if kept dry will keep a long while. And of course, a good gun for fresh meat! So don't give yours up or get one if you haven't yet.

I agree the canned fish doesn't last as long. I have sardines and they went bad within their expiration date. Also, I have had pineapple go bad before it's expiration date. It not only went bad but ate through the can and leaked all over my other canned food. DON'T store canned pineapple very long. And tomato sauce will turn as well. I think heavy acid foods and heavy oil foods last the shortest, like fish and peanut butter. All canned foods that I am aware of, at least in the US is date stamped with an expiration date.

Back in the days of C rations i had some that were 30 years old (1946) and this was in 1978.

The new MREs are only good for about 5 years.

And i understand Spam is good for 6 years.

back in 1980 i home canned dry beans and dry rice that were still good in 2010.

Canned foods can vary considerably.
Ultimately it depends on the can or metal itself, and the content.
Another big factor is storage in a cool, dry place.

Cans are not what they used to be.
We emptied a caravan a while back with cans from the late 1980s, and the food was quite edible.

Here are some tips:
www.indianfoodforever.com...
Here it warns that acidic foods (tomatoes and fruits, for example) should not be considered for a longer-term crisis.

Perhaps making home-canned food in glass containers is a good option.

I am stocked to the hilt with refried beans in the cans probably over two years old...1 I don't necessarily like them but it's ok if you got tortillas and make bean burritos out of, and I get the protien beans have, but I am thinking of chucking them and replacing with stuff I do like and stuff that is fresher.

Canned foods and Bisphenol plastic linings:

www.ewg.org...

Summary. Independent laboratory tests found a toxic food-can lining ingredient associated with birth defects of the male and female reproductive systems in over half of 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods. The study was spearheaded by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and targeted the chemical bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic and resin ingredient used to line metal food and drink cans. There are no government safety standards limiting the amount of BPA in canned food.

It all depends what time-frame the cans should support.
All I know is that canned foods give a painful heartburn when eaten habitually - so remember to stock-up on antacids.

If you look at hormels website it states that the shelf life of any of their canned foods is indefinite.
www.hormelfoods.com/faqs.aspx
So I just buy anything with the hormel label in a can.

reply to post by Lostmymarbles


Old school MRE???
OK I'm just old I guess.
When I think old school I think C rations.
I'm sure some of the other older members here will think the same.
Either that or pemmican, waaay old school.

Canned foods are certainly not always indefinite, and they have killed people with metal and all kinds of poisoning since their invention.

These cans, for example, do not look very safe:

Temperature is a huge factor. If you store cans in a shed which freezes during the winter and gets hot during the summer, your canned food isn't going to last very long. 1 to 2 years. But if you store it in or underground with a cool stable temperature, they'll last 5 to 10 years.

If the can swells, that means the food is rotting. Test one of your cans every 6 months after the first 2 years just to make sure your back up food supply isn't going bad. It's better to find out now before you need it.

Honey in earthen ware pots has been found in Anceitn Egyptian tombs. Despite being 4000 years old, ti was still perfectly edible.

Home canning introduction from Becky's Homestead:



Old timers from WW II I've spoken to say they survived mainly on potatoes.
Potatoes were a bit of a weed at one time, and even grew in the cities.
They also halted any kind of scorched earth policy, because unlike the taller grains, they could not be burnt.
Not an optimal choice (many quietly starved), but it might be good to seed potatoes where ever possible.