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Interesting article on yahoo about food Expiration Dates... I am not sure if there expiration times are completely accurate but gives ya something to think about.
Food Expiration Dates
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Good read, especially about the cereal and sugar content. I opened a box of raisin bran that was apx. four months past expiration and the flakes were definitely on the stale side. Still edible, but not very enjoyable. And enjoyable is the word that should pop into everyone's mind when eating a nice bowl of bran.
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I didn't need to get far in that article to already find mistakes backed up by factual data. Such as cans only lasting 2-5 years. Canned goods will last for decads if the can remains sealed. There is plenty of scientific data and tests to back this up, and even the canneries themselves will reluctantly admit it. See Hormel or Del Monte for info.
Over the years texture and flavor can be effected, but the food is safe. Since it is sterile when it's canned, it can't actually rot or spoil unless the seal is compromised to allow bacteria in the can.
Over the years texture and flavor can be effected, but the food is safe. Since it is sterile when it's canned, it can't actually rot or spoil unless the seal is compromised to allow bacteria in the can.
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What about cereal? I tend to buy a lot of it when it's on sale and often don't get to it until months after it's expiration. I know it won't hurt me, but keeping it fresh long term? Have you ever tried sealing it in mylar w/oxygen obsorbers? If it worked I would be willing to try it. Cold cereal is a favorite in our house and I 'm the one that ends up eating the stale cereal.
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Read these sights and it will change your whole view on canned foods expiration times.
http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm
http://www.whatcom.wsu.edu/family/facts/shelflif.htm
http://www.grandpappy.info/hshelff.htm
http://www.whatcom.wsu.edu/family/facts/shelflif.htm
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I have 20+ boxes of special K in mylar. Have maybe 10 more that I'm thinking of putting in LTS because we slowed the consumption.
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It depends on the cereal. A lot of them have quite a bit of hidden fat. Fat is the enemy of long term storage, even with O2 absorbers. Although they'll extend the lifespan. For example, the long term food storage companies pack granola. So, some types will last quite well.
You'll probably at least double or triple the normal shelf life. Remember though, that some of the more fragile cereals may already be packaged in nitrogen like they do with potato chips. This I don't know. So these types (and potato chips) won't really benefit all that much from O2 absorbers.
Even if you only got a couple years out of it, that's still not bad if you're rotating it.
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The problem is that some people just refuse to get it. I don't even remember how many arguements have come up over the lifespan of canned food, despite the fact that there is proof out there like those links. One test conducted by the FDA and the other by the US Army.
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I still have K rations from WW2. Except anything with tomato's in them they are still eatable. But they taste like cardboard. Funny my friends even tried the cigarettes and said they were fine. Still have like 8 more cases to sell off though. They go well on ebay.
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I can remember finding some old c and d rations when I was in the AF back in 92 and a group of us trying them... granted they had a texture of saw dust and didn't taste the greatest, actually about like saw dust 
but some of the "old timers" said it was about the same back in WWII. So I figured as long as they are stored properly. Most canned items can last many decades.
but some of the "old timers" said it was about the same back in WWII. So I figured as long as they are stored properly. Most canned items can last many decades.
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Thank you O.P. for this thread. This is very important information that people need to know.:thumb:
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Yes brother, had my share via AF during recon. When your hungry and its still good, its a feast.:thumb:I can remember finding some old c and d rations when I was in the AF back in 92 and a group of us trying them... granted they had a texture of saw dust and didn't taste the greatest, actually about like saw dust
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If you really want your cereal then try storing oatmeal and cream of wheat. If you want you can also store corn flakes, cheerios, and special K. The rest have too much oil, sugar and preservatives that break down over time. That's what makes them stale so fast. Stick to plain cereals and they will last much longer.
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Another thing. We donteat to much oatmeal anymore but we do eat rolled red wheat. its like oatmeal,doesnt get all nasty has a slight nut flavor and I even like it 24 hours later. Oatmeal I cant eat after 5 min of sitting around. But I only keep about a 2 to 3 year supply of canned goods and rotate them out. But most of our canned goods are what we canned from our garden. Our longterm is between dehydrated,freezedryed and bulk beans,wheat,rice,ect ect ect. Also we love to keep many differnt kinds of beans and rice becasue we like to change everything up.
Aslo find a good source of new supplies. We have a huge river and a pond and the river get 4 main salmon runs a year,crabs all the time ect ect, We get Elk every couple of days and Deer every so often. Some Turkeys ect and we grow most of our own food. Becasue your food will run out if you dont resupply it.
Aslo find a good source of new supplies. We have a huge river and a pond and the river get 4 main salmon runs a year,crabs all the time ect ect, We get Elk every couple of days and Deer every so often. Some Turkeys ect and we grow most of our own food. Becasue your food will run out if you dont resupply it.
I'm eating Wheaties that are about 4 months out of date and Cheerios that are 8 months and I can't tell any difference...in general I eat all the food in our house that's out of date that doesn't have signs it's actually bad. Something scarier, I've been eating kielbasa with an expiration date in April the last couple days, and haven't died of food poisoning yet. I can't tell any difference in taste or texture. I wouldn't do it with regular meat obviously, but seems kielbasa is very highly processed=).
With food prices like they are, I'm doing everything I can to make sure we're not throwing anything away!
With food prices like they are, I'm doing everything I can to make sure we're not throwing anything away!
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I was making a dish that required tomato sauce, looked in the pantry and found a can that was 1 year past the date. Opened it, looked good, smelled good, used it and was fine. Seems to me, if it looks good and smells good then it should be good, right?
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I was that way with oatmeal too. The problem is that they steam it and roll it too thin. That's to make it cook quick. But it makes it turn slimey. Try steel cut oats. They're basically just whole oats sliced on the bias. Takes a little longer to simmer them tender, but they maintain their texture and flavor and are absolutely fantastic! I like wheat as a hot cereal too.
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Not necessarily... you aren't going to smell or taste botulism. Canned food *should* be good for years and years, but that doesn't take into consideration an innumerable amount of unique factors - was it stored properly, was it damaged, did it get too hot, etc etc. 99.9% of the time it's going to be fine. But it only takes one time
I haven't been prepping for a long time, so I don't have much in the way of expired cans (yet!), but when I do come across them, I just boil them for a bit. And considering that you were most likely going to serve it hot anyway, it's not really a problem.
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