Canned Food

Canned food items are just one of the types of long-term storage foods that you can put by against times of need. However, you can’t just go down to the nearest Piggly Wiggly and toss a bunch of canned chili, canned soups and canned fruit in your basket.

There’s something called an expiration date, although on canned goods it’s really a date which indicates the product inside will still be at its best. For most of us, in our day-to-day use, we simply ignore the use-by date, believing that if it’s on the shelves it’s gotta be good. Wrong! There’ve been many times that I’ve gone to purchase a can of something, or a box of biscuit mix only to see that it was getting close to expiring, or….had already expired!

Most canned goods will last a maximum of two years from the date of purchase…but as I’ve just told you, you cannot count on that. The optimal time to use is also affected by the storage temperature; the ideal temperature being 75° or below. In fact, if kept at temperatures well below 75°, but above freezing, canned food will stay perfectly edible for decades.

The next time you’re in the store stocking up on canned goods, be sure to check the “best by” date. Then when you get the canned food home, make sure you store them in a cool place.