# commercial food companys and some other food ??



## darius28z (Jan 2, 2015)

wondering if some of this stuff is a good value. i got my free sample of wise company food not bad, is it really 25 yrs shelf life? also what do you think about M.R.E stock piling good bad? and can anyone give me a straight answer on buying canned food and how long i can expect to last in my basement. bottled water does it go bad??


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## Ripon (Dec 22, 2012)

Lot of questions. The answers are not hard to find. Just a lot of searching online. We also all have different opinions. 

Yes water goes bad. Depending on temp, light, and container. ive seen reccommends that water be rotated every 12 months. 

There are good items that are said to last 30 years. I have a bucket of lentils I'm eating now that are 5.5 of 30 years and are fine. Otherwise I have no experience w anything older, but it's written online. You can find it.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

IMHO
Starting with the water going bad question. Water is water, it does not go bad! In military I had the "opportunity" to try a can of water from bomber survival kit. I just didn't know how old it was (guys in military played some dumb ass jokes at times), the case said packaged in 1955 . The earth has had the same water on it for a billion years. Your water might have something bad growing in at worst or become contaminated by a chemical but I would think you would protect the water from such contamination. Water can be cleaned by filtering, it can be purified by use of disinfectants (common bleach) or boiling. Some filters are out there that say they do both by filtering down to 0.2 microns that will remove everything down to virus. As long as your water didn't become contaminated by some chemical, filtration and purification are the most you should have to do. However, some home packaging of water could lead to PBA contamination. I would only store in FDA approved containers. I have a 260 gallon storage tank that I disinfected with strong bleach solution. Even though it was filled with city water, I added bleach at the recommended amount, just to make sure. While water is recommended to be drained and refilled every year and I would in my old state, in AZ water is tight. I will drain and refill every 2 or 3 years or so depending on yearly sampling (microscopic) of water. Unless the water comes back that is is badly overloaded with nasties, each year I will add 1/2 the recommended bleach to it and mix it in. If it wasn't for the water situation and if I had 2 tanks so I could drain one and use the water on plants (would take a month) while having another tank for SHTF. If you can, rotate out the water. Oh, the tank company says to keep the tank of water out of the direct sun so less chance of water type vegetation growing in it. 

As far as prepackaged foods such as WISE, I bought one bucket of their food after tasting it. If you check the ingredients, those 25 year foods are all vegetarian because they will last that long when dehydrated and packed properly. My bucket is for grab and go when seconds count for bug out. 

A little extra if you want to read it.
Canned foods have a "Best used by date". The food in the cans doesn't expire or go bad unless the can leaks out or air leaks in. As long as can is good, the food will start loosing some flavor and maybe some food value. In service I was eating 9-11 year old C rations, the sliced ham was not only ok, it was pretty decent. The crackers were a bit dry but tasty enough. The rest of the stuff you could live on but taste was very so-so (being polite).


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Two years ago I consumed some beans & rice I had put up in 1985.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

ABC news last week had a segment on the best used by, sale by, etc. One of the things they stated was most canned goods would be good for atleast 5 years past used by date. They also stated that no matter what it is, the smell test is your best bet.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

HuntingHawk said:


> Two years ago I consumed some beans & rice I had put up in 1985.


Did you live?


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## Maine-Marine (Mar 7, 2014)

canned food can last years and years after the BEST BUY date.

here is what hormel says (I added the *BOLD FONT*)

PRODUCTS-PANTRY:
CAN I SERVE A CANNED PRODUCT BEYOND ITS "BEST BY" DATE? HORMEL® canned items should be consumed by the date printed on the container for best quality, flavor and freshness. After this time, the product should be safe to use *as long as the can has not been compromised* (no dents, split seams or other container damage).

Canned items are best stored in a cool, dry place to adequately preserve the flavor.

WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF A HORMEL® PRODUCT IN AN UNOPENED CAN? The product is *always* safe to consume as long as the seal has remained intact, unbroken and securely attached. However, the flavor and freshness of the product gradually begin to decline after three years from the manufacturing date.


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## HuntingHawk (Dec 16, 2012)

Making Sense of the 'Sell By' and 'Best By' Labels on Food Video - ABC News


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