Beans & LegumesHow Long Does this Stuff Really Last?
One of the most frequent questions we’re asked is, “How Long Does this Stuff Really Last?”
With dried goods, there’s been a wide range of “expert” responses that have left the average person throwing there hands up in the air wondering who they should believe. When I say “Dried Goods” I’m referring to freeze-dried, dehydrated and traditional food products like wheat, flour, sugar, baking powder, etc…
So how long does it last? Is it 10 years, 15, maybe 25, is it possible to get a shelf life of over 30 years? Interestingly enough Brigham Young University, a private university run by the LDS Church (a group that’s encouraged food storage for a long time), recently released detailed results regarding tests they performed on food storage products. Here’s the short of it, Professors in the Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food Science at BYU found that, “Generally speaking, the foods retained their sensory and nutritional quality and they could be stored for an emergency for a much longer period than previously thought,”
They go onto say that powdered milk stored for 20 years was still acceptable in an emergency and bread made from 30 year old wheat had only a slightly lower quality than bread made from un-stored wheat. A key point they emphasized was that in an emergency situation while the food quality may be lower, the foods are being stored for the purpose of sustaining life and they will accomplish this for a much longer period of time, certainly more than what experts initially suspected. The four fundamental aspects in getting the most out of your food storage are humidity, air, light and temperature. Humidity, air and light have largely been addressed with the current industry standards for the packaging of Long Term Food Storage products. With the most common method of storage being #10 size metal cans.
A sealed #10 can insures that moisture (humidity) cannot penetrate to the product. It also insures that your product is not impacted by light and air (oxygen absorbers are the most common method for controlling the impact of air).With packaging primarily addressing humidity, air and light, it’s extremely important to create an environment where you can control the temperature; doing this will insure that you get the most shelf-life out of your food storage products.
The professors at BYU indicated that a temperature controlled environment is crucial to maintaining a long shelf-life and recommended storing no warmer than room temperature, preferably cooler. So, “How long does this stuff really last”? With the proper storage environment not only is it possible to get 20-30 years of shelf life, you can count on it! Get started on your food storage today!
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That is good to know but what about canned food like from the grocers, tomatoes, beans, fruits, condiments? Thank you.
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:36 amThere is one thing I never ever see addressed……What is the shelf life after opened. A #10 can is a pretty large size.
May 3rd, 2010 at 5:52 amThank you
After opening a #10, I put the remainder into quart jars with an oxygen absorber and vacuum seal it with my food saver. Not sure how long it keeps that way but would think it would stay fresh until I get it used up. You can reseal the jars over and over again.
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:11 amOur small community is organizing a disaster preparedness plan and I’m advocating that all members store a reasonable amount of freeze-dried food and water. I’ve shown them this site and many are taking advantage of it. It’s important that your neighbors be prepared too and I think The Ready Store is a terrific resource to help them do so.
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:19 amHi Cindy,
If you click on the product, for example “Saratoga Hard Red Winter Wheat” and then scroll down the page to product details, it tells you the unopened and opened shelf life, as well as total calories, servings, etc. Hope this helps.
May 3rd, 2010 at 6:37 amNo problem with freeze dried and such but how about
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:12 amMREs ?
Great topic! I hope to see more of this type of information, possibly comparing different types of food storage (freeze dried vs cans, etc)
May 3rd, 2010 at 7:57 amColleen, Thank you. I sure didn’t see that info. That helps alot.
Tori, also Thanks!! Good idea.
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:08 amHi,
May 3rd, 2010 at 8:25 amEd in Eugene here. Not to be mean to anyone nor disrespectful but if you don’t have it, you won’t need to worry about shelf life. I know longevity is important but I’m more concerned about getting it stored. If it wasn’t doing what it’s supposed to do the newspapers would have already told us, a long time ago how misleading “those Mormons” are. Also, if you are using it and rotating your supply you are even safer.
Ed
All this how long it lasts about freeze dried food is great,but you must calculate the additional water storage required to rehydrate your freeze dried food, over the basic amount calculated for each persons personal hygiene and dietary needs. Get a book on being a survivalist, It will save you and your family. With out potable water you cannot survive
May 3rd, 2010 at 9:27 amHello Everyone,
A lot of good questions. Take 30 minutes and look at previous posts in this blog. You will find that there have been many discussions and answers on how long these last both opened and closed. You will also find some interesting ideas to increase the storage time and quite a bit on water storage too.
Enjoy
May 3rd, 2010 at 11:49 amI like all this information. My wife and I have been getting things together for awhile now. Mostly from that “other” EE store. We’re now concerned with the 1 year storage. We have very little room for it in a room temperature environment. My wife is resistant to the Freeze dried because of it’s expense. I’m pushing for one of them very soon. I am of the opinion that May 21, 2011 will be the BIG day of need for all of us. Other disasters may come in between also. Be Prepared! (no pressure)
May 30th, 2010 at 1:58 pm