# Expiration dates



## readygirl (Sep 8, 2012)

Does anybody know how far past the expiration date typical canned goods are safe to consume corn, green beans. chili, etc. Also, why does bottled water have an expiration date? Would you be better off to store tap water since it is chlorinated ?


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## Irish (Oct 5, 2012)

Great ?'s do a quick search we have 2 great threads right now about both long term water and canned goods as well!!


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm not positive on canned goods... but if you open one and it looks and smells good... and you heat it through... it should still be edible. The problem is that not all canned foods are vacuum or heat sealed... and I don't know enough to tell you what is the best to store. So... I primarily stick with bulk dry goods and dehydrated food. 

Water bottles are now designed to degrade over time... so we don't run out of landfill space. I'd assume the issue is the breakdown of the plastic... especially if stored where they get exposed to the sun. Some containers are specially made for long term water storage and you may want to look into getting some of those. As for tap water.... all water can go stale over time. There are various methods suggested to "wake it up" and make it potable again. A quick search on the internet should give you some ideas... and allow you to choose an option that you think best fits you.


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

Hey Irish... I just got back from your neck of the woods.... I was up in Denver doing the Victorian Horrors tour at the Molly Brown house... with a quick stop at Casa Bonita. You just gotta love that crappy mexican food they serve.


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## jandor123 (Oct 24, 2012)

Aren't most expiration dates just the date the company that produces the product will no longer gaurantee the procduct?
Doesnt mean it magically turns to poison. I know that this is true with drugs, antibiotics, etc...


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## WoadWarrior (Oct 10, 2012)

Jandor... you are correct. But I think readygirl wants to know if 6 months past is the cutoff.... 1 year past... 5 years past... etc.


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## ajk1941 (Feb 17, 2013)

If the SHTF, the "best used by" dates won't mean a thing. As long as the can isn't bulging or shows signs of rust, I will use it since there may not be an alternative...


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## bennettvm (Jan 5, 2013)

Just use your best judgement. If you are starving a month over the expiration date is not going to make a difference.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

Food expiration dates are there because the food may start to decompose chemically after a certain period. I would suggest cooking anything that passes its expiry date, however, chances are it will still be non lethal. Eat a little bit, and if you don't get sick within 24 hours it is probably ok to eat the rest, if an animal such as a dog will eat it is is probably ok.


If it is a meat product I suggest boiling it.

I just cooked up 6 month expired milk.


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## Will2 (Mar 20, 2013)

> As long as the can isn't bulging or shows signs of rust,


What you don't like iron?

thats value added minerals!


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## grinder37 (Mar 1, 2013)

I'm in the "bulging,smell,rust" crowd myself.If it taste "off",don't trust it.Otherwise,most exp dates are just the dates the company will no longer guarantee thier product.Although it may lose nutritional value after that date,most canned foods are edible for quite some time after the exp date.


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## stonewolf (Mar 22, 2013)

i dont rotate out untill 7 years out of date never had any problems ... tomato based anything is out of the question i think 7 years the acid content will have eaten away the can lol meat on the other is not my area i have meat animals lol also i can alot of my own stuff i recomend it since its in glass less metal contact and easy to test if the lids come off with the rings dont trust it lol


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## mikes69baja (Nov 2, 2012)

I ate a mason jar of 14 year old pickled jalapeños. They were great. Now the water i do know about... Exp dates on water are more to do with the plastic containers than the water. The water will absorb particulates from the plastic and can be harmful to your health. Distilled water is the worst, because it is void of minerals which water wants... Distilled water will absorb plastic particulates faster than reg water. I think most bottled water is good for about one year and then should be re-cycled.


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## paraquack (Mar 1, 2013)

If you read the printing, it says "Best used by" and a date. This is where the manufacturer says the flavor will start to go south. As was noted before, if the can is showing no sign of rust or pin holes rusting thru, no bulges, and smells ok, it is ok. I try to put mostly canned foods that I use in my daily meals in my supplies and rotate the stock about the time the date says. I mark each and every can, box, or bag of food on the top with a marker to easily see the date. I check each and every package of food I buy, and grab the farthest out date. For really long term storage, I use the aluminized mylar bags for rice, beans, flour, sugar, etc. Check this website, if your interested. Light and oxygen are the biggest killers of stored food.
http://www.usaemergencysupply.com


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## jnichols2 (Mar 24, 2013)

When I was in the Air Force they fed us 35 year old "C" Rations from WWII, they were still good.


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## Wquon (May 9, 2013)

hormel products are shelf stable, anyother brand just call the manufacture & get it in writing, if they say theyre product is shelf stable. the reason for the experation dates are that over time the nutritients degrade & the labels arent correct anymore. sometime the last 2-5 time longer than the label. hope this helps


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## MrsInor (Apr 15, 2013)

The reason that everything edible (including drugs) has an expiration date or a use by date is due to federal law. There has to be a date. Now if you were a manufacturer you would make that date as soon as possible so the consumer will purchase more. But not so soon as to lose customers. In one of my canning books the authors came across some twenty five year old home canned beans. Looked good, smelled good, lab said it was still 90% nutritious and it tasted fine. I still use canned goods from the store that are "expired" (gasp) and they are just fine. Plastic water bottles I do wonder about - heard about the plastic degenerating - but is that advertising hype to get you to buy more water? You can't trust anyone these days. That said, trust me (LOL) I use up store bought canned goods within a year of the use by date.


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## Inor (Mar 22, 2013)

MrsInor said:


> The reason that everything edible (including drugs) has an expiration date or a use by date is due to federal law. There has to be a date. Now if you were a manufacturer you would make that date as soon as possible so the consumer will purchase more. But not so soon as to lose customers. In one of my canning books the authors came across some twenty five year old home canned beans. Looked good, smelled good, lab said it was still 90% nutritious and it tasted fine. I still use canned goods from the store that are "expired" (gasp) and they are just fine. Plastic water bottles I do wonder about - heard about the plastic degenerating - but is that advertising hype to get you to buy more water? You can't trust anyone these days. That said, trust me (LOL) I use up store bought canned goods within a year of the use by date.


I (and my waistline) can personally attest to the high quality of Mrs Inor's cooking even if she is using nasty old stale outdated cans of food.


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