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How Long Does Canned Food Really Last? 

Avatar for David Stillwell David Stillwell  |  Updated: May 10, 2021
How Long Does Canned Food Really Last? 

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One of the biggest chores that preppers face is the accumulation of an emergency food supply. Prepping is not a new adventure. Many cultures have lived a prepping lifestyle. The Mayan culture is one such people who could survive and grow a large empire thanks to their innovative means of storing foods. The Mayans had a method of storing sweet potatoes where the food would last for upwards of ten years.

It was their insurance against drought and famine. Food security is certainly not new, but many of us in the modern world prepare for times when our plentiful bounties fade to slim pickings. In this blog, we address the question, “How long does canned food last?”

Canned Food and Its’ Definition

There are many types of canned food, and the meaning of “canned” becomes confusing.

Home Canned Foods – When you can your food its shelf life depends on the type of food that you can. According to the USDA, home canned foods have a shelf stability of about a year. The short recommendation of home canned food does not mean that you should bypass home canning as a means of stocking up for lean times. It means that you must be more conscious of how you plan and use food so that you use up canned food within a year.

Remember that to safely can a variety of foods at home you will need a pressure canner. There is no amount of increased time in a hot water bath canner that can make up for the lack of a pressure canner. Properly canned food means that you have eliminated the factors that contribute to botulism, a potentially fatal form of food poisoning.

Always check a canning jar for any defects before using for home canning. Not only can defects lead to food spoilage later on, but it can also interfere with the total canning process and result in a broken jar and wasted food. When you are canning meat, it really stinks to open up your pressure canner and discovered a broken jar and pounds of spoiled meat with glass shards contaminating it.

Consider a Food Rotation System

A good method for managing home canned food is to adopt a system that rotates food in such a way that you use the oldest foods first. We refer to this method as First In – First Out. It means that the first items that you put into your food closet are the first items that you use. Food rotation is an excellent tool for prepping, and it helps to keep the quality of food at its highest while minimizing the risk of food spoilage and food-borne illnesses such as botulism.

It is possible, and many people have lived to tell about the long shelf life of home-canned foods. Still, in an emergency food situation, it is best to be safe rather than risk illness due to food spoilage. Oddly, the USDA has different standards for commercially canned foods.

Special Note: If you are looking for some high quality non-GMO canned meats, I cannot speak highly enough of Keystone’s all natural canned meats.

Commercially Canned Foods

The USDA divides commercially canned food into two categories:

  1. Food that is highly acidic
  2. Food that is low acidic

Highly acidic foods include citrus juice, fruit such as apples, peaches, and pears, pickled foods, foods with vinegar, and tomato-based foods such as salsa, canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc. These foods have a recommended shelf life of just 12-18 months according to the USDA. Once opened the USDA recommends discarding highly acidic and commercially canned food after the seventh day of refrigeration.

Low Acidic Foods

Low acidic foods have a much longer shelf life. These are foods that are not tomato- or citrus-based and included commercially canned meats, poultry, soups, and many vegetables such as corn, peas, and squash. These types of foods can last for upwards of five years if stored properly. The USDA recommends a shelf life of 2-5 years.

Commercially canned vegetables and meats make an excellent addition to emergency food stores, especially if you use a food rotation system. Highly acidic foods can bolster your home canned food supply since they have a similar shelf life. Remember, though that home canned foods have a recommended shelf life of just a year, whereas commercially canned foods can last for a year to 18-months.

What we can infer from the USDA that low acidic and commercially canned foods have the capacity to be the central pillar of an emergency food store with a five-year shelf life, especially the proper management of the food stores.

Freeze Dried Prepper Foods

Freeze dried and commercially prepared foods designed for the longest shelf life can last from 10-30 years depending on the brand and food type. The benefit of freeze-dried food is that it maintains most of its flavor and texture when rehydrated properly. To prepare, most freeze-dried foods simply requires the addition of cold water, such as for freeze-dried milk, or hot water for meals that we enjoy warm.

Freeze dried foods are an outstanding way to add variety to an emergency food store. Thanks to the growing demands of the prepper community there are many food choices available from high-quality emergency food supplies such as:

In fact, companies supply quality emergency food for the prepper community (you can see the BDS top list of survival food brands here)

Beef JerkyDried and Jerked Food Shelf Life

Dried and jerked foods, such as meats, are generally shelf stable, according to the FDA. They do not have a long shelf life. Commercially prepared jerky has a recommended shelf life of about a year. Home prepared jerky has a 1-2-month shelf life according to the USDA.

The reason for the vast difference in shelf lives between the two is that the process of making jerky varies at home, whereas it is regulated and inspected on the commercial level.

This is not to say that home-made jerky spoils after only two months in a bag. It is, however, pointing out that there are many ways to make jerky at home and not all those methods create a product with a long shelf life. If you plan to make jerky at home as part of your emergency food stores, choose a process that dries the food completely. [2]

A good tip for storing dried foods with a shorter shelf life is to freeze the food after drying occurs. Freezing will increase the shelf life and decrease the risk of spoilage.

Dried foods have been around for millennia. The art of canning food dates to around 1750 as a means of preventing military food rations from spoiling. [3]

Some dried foods have an almost indefinite shelf life. Dried corn, according to FEMA when properly stored has an indefinite shelf life. Specially packaged foods such as powdered milk in nitrogen-packed cans also last indefinitely. [4]

Food StorageEmergency Food Storage

Emergency food stores need to be stored properly for them to have the longest shelf life possible. Heat shortens the life of canned foods. The rule of thumb is to keep canned food in a dark location, out of direct sunlight, and where it will remain dry and cool.

Rust and Metal Cans

Food cans that are metal rust over time. This is one of the reasons that the location of your food storage needs to remain dry. Surface rust is usually not a problem; however, if there are dents in the metal or if the can is excessively rusted, or if it is swollen then throw it out as it is unsafe to consume.

Storage of Dried Foods

When it comes to food stores that are not canned, such as dry beans or powdered milk, make sure that you store them in a sealed bag and then placed in a sealed container or a second bag. Once opened, these foods must be used quickly. A good tip for extending the life of dried foods such as powdered milk is to double wrap them and then freeze them. Doing so allows you to use the food over an extended period before it spoils.

Boxed foods such as dried fruit should be carefully repackaged by opening the box and removing the sealed inner bag. Place the unopened inner bag into a jar with a screw top lid or a plastic container that allows easy visual inspection of the food without opening the outer container.

Conditions that Spoil Food

Food that becomes wet should be discarded because water is a prime source of contamination. Dried grains, flours should be kept in the freezer in a double sealed bag or container. All flours and many grains have insect eggs in them. If left at room temperature, the eggs will hatch and cause the food source to spoil.

Sure, weevils are like free protein, but do you really want your survival to be due to protein-rich weevil flour? If so, you can buy flour made from crickets. It’s great with chicken. All kidding aside, they really do sell cricket flour.

Food storage is a prime concern for anyone who stores emergency food. By understanding how long foods keep, helps preppers find better ways to manage their emergency supplies of food and make more informed decisions about how to prepare their emergency food stores.

Food Stability Chart

Here’s another look for reference:

Food TypeShelf LifeAfter Opening / Cooking
Rice and dried starches2 years3-4 days w/refrigeration
Low Acid Canned Goods (including most meats)3-5 years3-4 days w/refrigeration
High Acid Goods (tomatoes, tropical fruits, krauts, etc...)1-2 years1 week w/refrigeration
Jerked Meats (commercial)1 yearN/A
Dry/hard Porks6 weeks3 weeks refrigerated
MREs120 °F, 1 month
100 °F, 1 1/2 years
90 °F, 2 1/2 years
80 °F, 4 years
70 °F, 4 1/2 years
60 °F, 7 years
Unclear / depends on specific MRE
Seafood Pouches1-2 years4 days w/refrigeration
Dried Egg Whites12 - 16 monthsReconstituted eggs should be used immediately (within 2-3 hours)

Final Word

With the long life of most commercially canned food and with the use of a good food rotation system, you can stock your emergency food cabinet with foods that you use. Commercially canned food is usually much less expensive than freeze-dried meals, and with a little planning, preppers can achieve the same or better results while cutting expenses and stocking up on quality, nutritious emergency foods.

David is an active prepper and freelance writer. He lives in rural Northern California in the shadow of an active volcano. He hunts and fishes as a means of providing. He brings a science background to his writing and discusses botany, biology, geology, and weather as they apply to live, growing your own food, and surviving. He is a master gardener and understands food production, storage, and preserving. He lives five miles down a single-lane road and he deals with power outages, wildfires, earthquakes, flooding, and crazy pot growers, raiders, medical emergencies, law enforcement and the potential of that volcano.

Deeper Learning:

Shelf-Stable Food Safety – USDA – Scroll down to find the chart

How Canning Was Invented, and How It Changed the Way We Eat – Kitchn

Food and Water in an Emergency – FEMA

How to Can Meat Products – Backdoor Survival

Selecting, Preparing and Canning Meat – National Center for Home Food Preservation

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28 Responses to “How Long Does Canned Food Really Last? ”

  1. Hi, I have been calculating costs and so far, storing regular canned veg’s, stews, dry goods – beans, flour, rice, sugar, salt, pepper. staples would be what I’d need some help with.
    As for the canned foods, I am hoping that we start putting away enough to keep us fed for 1 year. I am thinking along with the canned foods, freeze dried meats, fish would/could be a ”Plus” for us. I’ve also considered getting freeze dried vegetables as well. We have an great place for food/supply storage. I believe it can get up to around 70 degrees during warmer summer months. Then of course down into the 50’s during the cooler months. I am really open for teaching here. I’ll probably be the one in charge of making the area prepper ready. Including a plastic barrier where needed, labeling everything and probably organizing.
    As for water, I am trying to find large glass seal-able containers unless there are places that sell them already full/sealed at a reasonable price. I can get 1 gallon plastic bottles but I’m thinking that past a year or two the taste may be too blaa for personal use. Any help would really be appreciated. We do live 2 blocks from a lake so access to water for washing clothing & for bathing would be more plentiful. Yes, I am trying to cover every base. The best thing is, I can make the area secure + unless you knew where to look, the storage area wouldn’t be noticeable. Thanks, Dan

  2. Yea, trust the gubmnt.
    Generally the date on the can is the point half of the shelf life, where the food properties, are at 100%, is expired based on some storage temperature.
    People who I have tried to educate still bring me their expired cans and packages.
    This is a great way to get gullible people to buy more.
    Same goes for medicine and vitamins.

    I just inspected my buckets and barrels put away in ’06 with ’10 dates on the cans.
    Stored in air tight containers with oven dried beans to absorb moisture if any failed. It worked too.
    Pop tops suffered if too much weight was placed on them.
    Corned beef – I lost one in eight and it seems the internal coating failed on those.
    Taste suffered but still edible.
    Tomato paste, 100% loss and the residue caused the loss of 3 to 4 various cans.
    Dried beans and rice in sealed containers fared 100% with no loss of taste. Beans in sacks do not smell as fresh but the taste is at 100% compared to new beans.
    Buckets of grain and beans were sealed with hand warmers to absorb the O2 and did well.
    Some buckets of wheat given to a friend with no preparation, who had to move and he returned them to me, fared just fine too and these did not seal well. Stored in the work shop, go figure.

    Home canned tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, etc, from ’12 are doing just fine.

    Brutus

  3. Regarding age of can goods, in 1969 (Viet Nam) the US army was feeding us items with a date code from the early 1950s. This idea of one,two, or even five years just dose not make sense and certainly dose not match the governments own actions.

  4. what about “pop-top” cans that you can open without a can opener (i don’t know the official name for them)? i know molecules can get out of such cans because i tested it with two cats, and both had no problem smelling what was in the sealed cans. that suggests that air, and whatever is airborne, can also get in. has anyone done any testing on the newer cans?

    • I would not trust pop top cans as long as regular cans. I’d say these guide lines shown above would be better for those types of cans than holding them longer. just don’t put them in the back of your cupboards, and be very careful with how and where you store them and watchful when you open them/

    • thank you, kitty. i agree that until someone finds out for sure how these pop top cans endure over time, all we can do is make sure we use them first and use the old-fashioned ones afterward.

  5. As far as inert gas, most of us don’t have ready access and using such gases in less ventilated space may be a safety hazard. Oxygen scrubbers leave a Mylar bag with mostly nitrogen. Just adding my thoughts.

  6. I have never seen a post about using an inert gas, such as nitrogen, or argon, to displace the oxygen in a container in order to extend the life of what’s inside. The bugs cannot live in there without oxygen.

  7. the article says written by survival woman, then you give a biography of
    “David.” Does not compute.
    The article is lame as are some of your other emails. I guess it is for people who are not already preppers, because there is little new information for those who have been prepping for any length of time.
    I hope you can give some more indepth topics in the future.
    Also, I asked for only a weekly update, and still get “promotional” emails. No, thanks.

  8. Agree on the article not answering the main question? Lately I’ve shifted my buying fooods to long term freeze dried storage 20-30 years. I can’t afford to keep replacing stored items I’m stocking up on for emergencies. We don’t use but a minimal amount of canned food anyway. It appears most of the recent articles are very generic in nature with many hyperlinks to Amazon, Mountain House, etc., to get you to buy products so site generates some funds.

    • Thank you for your comment. We try to provide informative and timely content for all people interested in prepping. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just getting started, we aim to provide you with all of the free content necessary to advise this growing community of individuals seeking to attain a prepared lifestyle. But in order to run our website and continue to provide 100% free content, we have affiliate relationships that provide us with small commissions for products sold through our site. All of our affiliate relationships are with companies that we select, based upon our assessment of their value to our readers. If they don’t provide value, or their products are substandard, we do not affiliate with them. Thank you

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