Shelf Lives of Some Common Storage Foods

Shelf Lives of
Some Common Storage Foods

The chart given below has been adapted from a number of different shelf-life charts published by the cooperative extension services of several states. It presupposes no special packagings other than the way the food comes from the store. The general assumption is that when a given foods' taste, appearance or texture begin to take on noticeable changes it has reached the end of its best marketable shelf life and should be rotated out. This is not to say the food is no longer edible, but it is losing nutritional content at the same time so no purpose is served by keeping it for longer than is necessary to replace it with fresher stock. For what it's worth, I'm not fully in agreement with it myself, but it's a good working hypothesis and I modify it by my personal experience which may vary from yours. If it is a dry food then only dry utensils should be used to remove it from its container. The less light, moisture, heat and oxygen it comes into contact with, the longer the food will keep.

All of the below are for new, unopened containers.

                              RECOMMENDED
                              STORAGE TIME

FOOD                          AT 70 deg. F.         STORAGE TIPS
                            Keep the product:Baking powder                 Till can date      Sealed & bone dry
Baking soda                     2 years          Sealed & bone dry
Biscuit, brownie, muffin mix    9 months         Sealed, cool and dry
Bouillon, cubes or granules     2 years          Sealed, cool and dry
Cake mixes, regular             9 months         Sealed, cool and dry
            angel food          1 year           Sealed, cool and dry
Canned  metal can, non-acidic   2 years          Cool
 food,  metal can, acidic     12-18 months       Cool
        glass jars             2-3 years         Dark and cool
Chocolate, semi-sweet
   or  unsweetened             18 months         Cool and dark
Chocolate syrup                 2 years          Cool & tightly sealed
Cocoa, powder or mixes          8 months         Sealed and cool
Coffee, regular                 2 years          Cool, dry and sealed
        instant                1-2 years         Sealed
Coffee creamers, powdered       9 months         Sealed and cool
Cornmeal                        1 year           Guard against weevils
Cornstarch                     18 months         Dry
Crackers                        3 months         Dry
Flour, white                   8-12 months       Guard against weevils
       whole wheat             6-8 months        Cool and weevil proof
Frostings, canned               3 months         Cool
           mix                  8 months         Dry and cool
Fruits, dried                  6-12 months       Cool & sealed
Gelatin, all types             18 months         Protect from moisture
Grains, whole                   2 years          Dry and weevil proof
Hominy & hominy grits           1 year           Guard against weevils
Honey                           1 year           Sealed
Jellies, jams, preserves        1 year           Refrigerate after use
Molasses & syrups               1 year           Sealed
Mayonnaise                      6 months         Refrigerate after use
Milk, condensed or
      evaporated                1 year           Turn over every 2 mos
      Non-fat dry               6 months         Bone dry and cool
Nuts, vacuum canned             1 year           Cool and dark
      other packaging           3 months         Cool and dark
      in shell                  4 months         Cool, dry and dark
Pancake mix                    6-9 months        Dry and weevil proof
Pastas
 (macaroni, noodles, etc)       2 years          Guard against weevils
Peanut butter                  6-9 months        Sealed, cool, dark
Peas and beans, dry
 (not soybeans)                 2 years          Dry and weevil proof
Potatoes, instant              6-12 months       Dry and weevil proof
Pudding mixes                   1 year           Cool and very dry
Rice, white                     2+ years         Guard against weevils
     brown                     3-6 months        Cool and weevil proof
     flavored or herb           6 months         Sealed & weevil proof
Salad dressings               10-12 months       Refrigerate after use
Salad oils                      6 months         Sealed, dark and cool
Sauce and gravy mixes          6-12 months       Cool and dry
Shortening, solid               1 year           Dark
Soup mixes                      1 year           Cool and dry
Sugar, brown                    6 months         Airtight container
       confectioners           18 months         Dry and sealed
       granulated               2+years          Dry
Syrups (corn syrup based)      8-12 months       Sealed and cool
Tea, bags                      18 months         Sealed and dry
     instant                    3 years          Sealed
     loose                      2 years          Sealed and dry
Vegetables, dried               1 year           Cool and sealed
Vinegar                         2+ years         Sealed
Yeast (dry)               Pkg expiration date    Cool and dry

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Revised: 1 Dec 99