Shelf Life and Food Storage Information

French , From the country that GAVE YOU the Statue Of Liberty

 

Ok. Not big on grammar. I try to be intelligible and proofread my posts. But I don't pretend to be an editor or anything.

 

@Thumper40

I was just having a funny , pushing the chain !!
Was NOT picking ,
Sloth

 

from survivalblog https://survivalblog.com/?s="Long+Term+Beer+Storage"


Letter Re: Long Term Beer Storage
Jim,
Great work on your “Rawles Gets You Ready” preparedness course! For folks wanting to keep beer in their long-term storage supply, the “blue” variety of Chimay (a dark ale made by Trappist monks in Belgium) will store nicely for upwards of 15 years. Even better, my local Costco (in Texas) sells the 750 ml bottles with corks. Regards, – MP

ANYBODY ever drink this..or keep it a long time

 

I've tried it. Not terribly affordable, at over $10 a bottle around here. The alcohol content is 9%. Would be a shame if it didn't store well.

I think I still have some Reingold that's over 10 years old. I tried some last year and it's just as bad as I remembered. It was on clearance for around $2.00 a six pack, and I snatched up all I could find.

 

SHELF LIFE Impact Of Acid Content On Shelf Life 88888
How Long Does Canned Food Last?

"Canned food with a low acidic content can remain safe to eat approximately two to even five, years longer than food with a high acidic content. Foods that are high in acid contain vinegar. The same vinegar that helps to preserve the beneficial nutrients in the food cause them to decompose at a far greater rate.

Food with a high acid content should boast the crispest or fresh taste as well as the most nutrients for the first 12 months after being preserved, but they will not be shelf stable.

Therefore, home or commercially canned meat and fish could potentially possess a longer shelf life than many varieties of preserved vegetables or fruit.

Canned pumpkin, peas, carrots, potatoes, and soups as long as they do not contain tomatoes, should have a substantially longer shelf life well past the “best by” date stamped on the can or permanent marker date inked to the top of a Mason jar lid.

High acidic foods that will likely only be shelf stable or up to 18 months include all varieties of citrus, tomatoes, and pickles – due to the amount of vinegar in the brine used to make them.'

The only actual can failure that I have experienced with canned goods was with canned tomatoes AND FRUIT The contents ate through the metal wall of the can. ..in 2-3 years
TOMATOES in jars last 5-6 years

pickles in jars are good for 1-2 years and they get soft

 

SHELF LIFE Five Commercially Canned Food Items With Longest Shelf Life 88887
How Long Does Canned Food Last?

1. Hormel Spam. – This cheap processed meat product might not be a gourmet delight, but it is filled with protein, sodium, and “good” fats that should help your body strong during a long-term disaster. You could mix the canned Spam into soup or stew recipes to create more filling and energy building meals. How long will Spam keep? Some claim to have opened and safely eaten a can of Spam 10 full years after the expiration date stamped on the top of the can.
   
   
2. Beef Stew – This is a low acid offering from the supermarket soup aisle because it does not contain tomatoes. It should safely keep, when stored properly, for about five years.
   
   
3. Chunked Chicken Breast – The small cans of chunked or shredded poultry you would buy to make chicken salad also boast a low acidic count and are full of protein and sodium. This low acid canned food is typically expected to remain shelf stable for around five years when stored in a cool dry and dark place.
   
   
4. Canned Chili With Beans – This protein-rich commercially canned food also possesses at least an average fiber count and when stored properly, can remain safe to eat for at least five years.
   
   
5. Green Beans – Getting in your greens could prove to be both especially difficult and important during a doomsday disaster. Stocking up on green beans when they are on sale or adding a few more rows to your garden will increase your level of shelf-stable greens. When stored properly, green beans should remain safe to eat for at least five years but possibly seven.

HORMEL canned ROAST BEEF & GRAVY dated aug 2014...still GREAT DEC 2018
VALLEY FRESH white chicken in water dated july 2011....still GREAT dec 2018
HELLMANN'S REAL mayonnaise in plastic only good for 6 months or so after best by date
HELLMANN'S REAL mayonnaise IN GLASS STAYS GOOD LONGER

 

Due to high acidity in some foods, it would be prudent to check ones PH and correct it from time to time using baking soda and distilled water .your better off being more alkaline than acidic, seeing the cancers/tumors depend on an acidic atmosphere .
No matter what the canned food is or how old it is take nothing for granted and open things with caution .
Modern canning process can be using irradiation ,in which case the bacteria is dead so long as the can stays intact .
The medical manufacturing I worked for irradiated every thing after it was packaged, to insure purity on top of all the precautions during processing .
Your MREs are irradiated . no one is required to print it on their packaging.

 

I once had a can of crushed pineapples explode in the cabinet. Talk about a mess!
Pineapple snot all over the place!

 

Great thread. I missed it until now.

The only canned food I've had go bad was store generic canned kraut at about 16 months. It ate through the can. It was in a climate controlled space and surely pH related.

 

When my Dad died in 2013, I was cleaning out the kitchen cabinets. He stored a lot of canned goods there. The tomato products had all rotted through the cans. What a mess!! Potatoes, corn, beans and peas were good.
Tried a can of pineapple rings, but they tasted metallic. Threw them out. Dry packed items were hit&miss. Some good, some bad. Bunch of things in the fridge that needed tossing.

 

Lots of good food for thought in this thread, lol. Seriously, thanks for the info.

I have eaten store bought eggs stored for 8 months without refrigeration. Who knows when they were laid, and thus how old they actually were?? People have stated that they ate farm fresh eggs after 13 months without refrigeration without any issues.

I have eaten canned 7 years, bottled/jarred 8 years and dry mixes 12 years after their "best by" dates. Tastes weren't the greatest, nutrition was likely minimal, but didn't get sick.

Then again, have gotten sick from canned goods that still had 8 months left until their best by dates. "It pays to pay attention."

Always follow the "When in doubt, throw it out." maxim.

Be careful out there.

 

I'll start a new thread if somebody doesn't have an answer other than "die" on this one.

I've been food poisoned countless times overseas, and twice in the U.S., but I was always able to go to sick call and get something for it. Last time was a can of Hot & Spicy Spam that was only out of date by a few days. The temperature that this can was stored in varied greatly, and I hold no ill feelings against Spam. Without clean water and toilet facilities this could have quickly become dangerous to me and made me a burden to others.

I see food poisoning as a "when" rather than an "if" situation post SHTF. What's the best home remedy, and/or what drugs should we have on hand to treat food poisoning?

 

To get back on track
I look at 3 things for store bought
1) is it open or dented
2) how does it smell
3) where was it stored... looking for temperature swings for the storage and moisture.

this site has lots of good info on how much food USA wastes
US wastes half its food

 

I read an article recently in which the FDA stated that commercially canned food will out last you, as long as the can is sound and intact.

 

those are "types of plastics" - ABSOLUTELY not exclusive to "food grade" nor do those re-cycle symbols represent "food grade"

posting isn't doing anyone a favor by distorting the facts about "food grade" - proper packaging is an important aspect of long term food storage ....


"Food Grade Plastic Containers For Brining - The Virtual Weber Bullet"


What Is Food Grade Plastic?

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) requires that plastics used in food packaging be of greater purity than plastics used for non-food packaging. This is commonly referred to as food grade plastic. Plastics used to package pharmaceuticals are held to an even higher standard than food grade.

Food grade plastic does not contain dyes or recycled plastic deemed harmful to humans. However, this does not mean that food grade plastic cannot contain recycled plastic. The FDA has detailed regulations concerning recycled plastics in food packaging.

Another aspect of food grade plastic is matching the appropriate type of plastic to the food in question. Foods that are highly acidic or that contain alcohol or fats can leach plastic additives from the packaging or container into the food. As a result, you should only use plastic containers that are FDA approved for the particular type of food the plastic will come into contact with.

Finally, it should be noted that a plastic container can no longer be considered food grade if it has been used to store non-food items like chemicals, paint, or detergent.

Not All HDPE Containers Are Food Grade

There is a common misconception that all containers made of white plastic or HDPE plastic bearing the symbol are food grade containers. This is not true.

If you are considering the purchase of a container from some place other than a kitchen or restaurant supply store, and the container is not clearly labeled as "food safe" or being made of food grade plastic, then you should assume that it is not food grade and you should not brine in it—unless you line it with a food grade plastic bag.

 

My dry reserves are portioned and again bagged in mylar or zip lock all having o2 absorbers as their primary shield to oxygen. so there are 3-4 layers of food grade bags involved .
I believe that what they go into after that is a shield to protect that packaging and it's grade can be any thing, even a paper box for that matter . but a paper box is vulnerable to mice and rats so any kind of plastic bucket will do. this tool only is to shield the bags and does not have to be air tight . although being air tight has it's advantages too. In the event of a flood these sealed buckets at worst will float in sewage and not compromise the contains.
Ideally even keeping canned goods in 5 gallon buckets would be practical if you had to bug out, not only for the convenience of handling , but keeping water away from the tin cans. Imagine trying to handle wet boxes of caned goods in the rain and on top of that loosing the labeling . Foresight is better than hind sight. And once in a new more secure location the emptied buckets are still good tools for handling water or other chores.
And for some of our more delicate members, a good hand truck can move up to 3 buckets at a time.

 

If its in your home and not being moved. Used Barrels for Mango slices, works very well. Water proof, Heavy plastic, food grade, and Cheep. I used to get mine for $2 a piece from the cannery (granted that was 18 years ago) I would pack up my dry goods like Arleigh did. Stack a weeks worth at a time in the barrels, separated by cardboard. Then fill with nitrogen before sealing. Made it easy to use and rotate my 2 year stockpile. Of course that was with my 2nd wife. Me and wife 3 live in an apartment now, and both are disabled. Not something I can do now.

Edit: The barrels are 55 gal. so hand truck is needed to move. Not good if you plan on bugging out.