One of the most common questions that are asked is “Jeff, What is the shelf life of a #10 can once it is opened? I know you state it has a 25-30 year shelf life but does that change once you open the can?” The quick and simple question is, yes the shelf life does change once you open the can. Why you might ask?

When dealing with the freeze-drying process, it is slowly lowers the temperature and pressure in the freeze-drying chamber and is able to remove the oxygen and water  from the food. Once the product is canned they also include oxygen absorbers into the #10 can and it will absorb the remaining oxygen from the #10 can. Now once the #10 Can is opened it is exposed to 2 things that will affect the shelf life oxygen and water, now you might be puzzled where does the water comes into the picture.

The water is in the air like humidity, and once the freeze-dried food is exposed to that it wants to soak up the water and hydrate back to its original state. That’s why when ever you buy our #10 cans you get included a plastic lid that will help seal off the outside air & help prolong the shelf life.

But the great thing with the freeze is that you don’t have to worry about once the content is opened that you have to store it in a refrigerator but only when you hydrate the contents then you do have to treat it like you would with any other food that you have prepared. So to finalize the answer to the question it is recommended by Saratoga Farms that once you do open your #10 can it is recommended to consume all the contents within a 6-12 Month period, and if you are able to keep the plastic lid on the contends as much as possible then it will help you maximize the contents shelf life.

You might also take note that if you are wondering if the food has gone bad what will be the signs of the over exposure? If the contents texture & taste does not match up to your first batch then you will know it has been over exposed. If the Fruit or Vegetable is chewy and has a gummy like texture that is caused by over exposure. For more information regarding the shelf life of your open can please feel free to contact our call center & they would be more than happy to assist you with any questions that you need answered.