And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
I think that what you are calling an "expiration date" is actually a "Best If Used By _____" date. The reality is that the Feds do not require any food sold in America to have a "Best If Used By" date--with the exception of baby formula. It is simply the last date the manufacturer guarantees that the product is as fresh as it was the day it left the factory.
Women, in particular, won't eat food that is beyond this date and they toss good food in the garbage. While the food that is well beyond the "Best" date may be lower in nutritional content, it is still worth eating if the can gives no indication of concern.
For more about that, do an internet search, since this isn't a prepper blog. :-)
Yes, as I look at my salt again, it does show a "Best if Used By" date and not an expiration date as I said above. However, I think that my point still stands. Should I expect that there is something in that salt that has decayed or worsened a day, or a year after that date? [BTW, the date on this salt goes back to 2018. I think we're gonna be fine.] It is ridiculous for salt to have a date on it.
I spent a few years managing a distribution center for long-term food storage. The packaging may indicate a date that they call expiration or “best by” date, but it is more of an inventory control date. Products that you can store indefinitely: - salt in any form - sugar in any form (some forms clump, but still totally edible) - honey, even if crystallized - baking soda - baking powder
Wheat of any kind will generally be good for decades and possibly centuries. Try to sprout a bit and if it sprouts, it’s almost certain that it is just fine to grind and bake. Same with other grains like rye. Storage should be under vacuum in a cool place. Oats may not survive so robustly, but they will survive decades.
Nuts should be vacuum packed and stored in a freezer to extend their usable lifetime. The oil in them will turn rancid if not stored in the freezer.
Freeze dried fruits and vegetables will be good for 20 years, and maybe more. Other freeze dried products may be ok, ymmv.
Blockbuster! Started in Spartanburg, SC. Big $$$ invested through his member friends at Grandfather Mtn. (NC Mtns.) CC. Sold to a fellow GMCC member, Wayne Huizenga (founder of Waste Management). He dumped it at the right time.,
Yes, soda can go off horribly. Diet soda expiration date especially must be respected. This fact has been true since the 60s and cyclamate-sweetened diet soda. Storing in the fridge gives you another few weeks or months.
No. Inorganics (soda, salt, etc) are stable for millenia. They may suck up water or harden, but no microorganism can grow and decomposition is generally rare though there are exceptions. Cyanide for example can degrade in storage, as can hydrosulfides or similar salts, peroxy compounds, and the like. Most inorganics, though, are as stable as rocks. Because they ARE rocks. The 'expiration date' (best used by date) is a legal requirement for food/drug/cosmetic products, and is simply an example of a good law demanding truly stupid statements in the margins. Kind of like the Prop 65 warnings you see all over the place on stainless steel and other metals, though Prop 65 is more a case of requiring truly stupid warnings on everything and thus negating its value entirely.
I just checked our pantry.
ReplyDeleteWe have one of those grinder containers of Mediterranean Sea Salt that we bought from Costco. It has an expiration date.
There is someone out there in some .gov bureaucracy that believes it makes sense for sea salt to have an expiration date. Madness.
azlibertarian
I think that what you are calling an "expiration date" is actually a "Best If Used By _____" date. The reality is that the Feds do not require any food sold in America to have a "Best If Used By" date--with the exception of baby formula. It is simply the last date the manufacturer guarantees that the product is as fresh as it was the day it left the factory.
DeleteWomen, in particular, won't eat food that is beyond this date and they toss good food in the garbage. While the food that is well beyond the "Best" date may be lower in nutritional content, it is still worth eating if the can gives no indication of concern.
For more about that, do an internet search, since this isn't a prepper blog. :-)
Yes, as I look at my salt again, it does show a "Best if Used By" date and not an expiration date as I said above. However, I think that my point still stands. Should I expect that there is something in that salt that has decayed or worsened a day, or a year after that date? [BTW, the date on this salt goes back to 2018. I think we're gonna be fine.] It is ridiculous for salt to have a date on it.
Deleteazlibertarian
expiration date?
ReplyDeleteI spent a few years managing a distribution center for long-term food storage. The packaging may indicate a date that they call expiration or “best by” date, but it is more of an inventory control date. Products that you can store indefinitely:
ReplyDelete- salt in any form
- sugar in any form (some forms clump, but still totally edible)
- honey, even if crystallized
- baking soda
- baking powder
Wheat of any kind will generally be good for decades and possibly centuries. Try to sprout a bit and if it sprouts, it’s almost certain that it is just fine to grind and bake. Same with other grains like rye. Storage should be under vacuum in a cool place. Oats may not survive so robustly, but they will survive decades.
Nuts should be vacuum packed and stored in a freezer to extend their usable lifetime. The oil in them will turn rancid if not stored in the freezer.
Freeze dried fruits and vegetables will be good for 20 years, and maybe more. Other freeze dried products may be ok, ymmv.
My Brother Anonymous:
ReplyDeleteMost informative-great response!
Blockbuster! Started in Spartanburg, SC. Big $$$ invested through his member friends at Grandfather Mtn. (NC Mtns.) CC. Sold to a fellow GMCC member, Wayne Huizenga (founder of Waste Management). He dumped it at the right time.,
ReplyDeleteMix your baking soda with a little vinegar to find out if it's still fresh.
ReplyDeleteWhen the box is rock hard and it will not break when dropped.
ReplyDeleteWhile I generally ignore "best by" or "use by" dates, an exception is Dr Pepper. Long story. Trust me on this.
ReplyDeleteYes, soda can go off horribly. Diet soda expiration date especially must be respected. This fact has been true since the 60s and cyclamate-sweetened diet soda. Storing in the fridge gives you another few weeks or months.
ReplyDeleteNo. Inorganics (soda, salt, etc) are stable for millenia. They may suck up water or harden, but no microorganism can grow and decomposition is generally rare though there are exceptions. Cyanide for example can degrade in storage, as can hydrosulfides or similar salts, peroxy compounds, and the like. Most inorganics, though, are as stable as rocks. Because they ARE rocks. The 'expiration date' (best used by date) is a legal requirement for food/drug/cosmetic products, and is simply an example of a good law demanding truly stupid statements in the margins. Kind of like the Prop 65 warnings you see all over the place on stainless steel and other metals, though Prop 65 is more a case of requiring truly stupid warnings on everything and thus negating its value entirely.
ReplyDeleteif your spoon breaks trying to get it outta the box....
ReplyDelete