How long can I keep canned goods after the expiration date?
By babyfase from Jersey City, NJ
How sick do you want to get? Bacteria begins to form well before the container begins to bulge best bet is toss it out and better planning next time. (03/23/2010)
By Nate
I'd say at least a year if it's been kept in a reasonable environment and the cans are not dented. Tomatoes and other acid foods like orange juice will get a "tinny" taste, so I taste them before using them. Evaporated milk seems to separate and won't come together no matter how hard you shake it. Ground coffee will get rancid because of the oil in the coffee beans, but instant is okay, as is tea. I have used canned goods 2 years past the "expiration" date.
As far as food safety, my mom's uncle was a hermit and didn't have electricity, had a rain barrel for water and shopped once a month for groceries. He was born in 1908 and died in 1990 of a stroke. Uncle Joe always used canned or dry goods such as oatmeal and beans. (03/23/2010)
Same answer as Frazzled Leslie! I've even had canned goods three years past expiration and the only thing was at that age they weren't quite as tasty and needed a little spicing up. The sell by date is not a safety date, but rather a quality taste date. As long as the can isn't dented or bulging they are fine :-) (03/23/2010)
By Deeli
Here is what I have learned directly from some of the leading canned food mfg. Before they started adding the exp.dates on most food products I wrote to several companies asking what the shelf life was on their products. Three of the major companies all said about the same thing. Most canned goods are safe to eat up to 5 years. However, after the 2nd year they may lose some nutritional value and show color loss. They did caution about swollen and dented cans, throw them out.
Oh and one other personal note, My sister-in-law gave us a 1lb.can of coffee many years ago, she said she didn't need it. ( don't know how long she had it.) Because it was a brand we normally didn't use it was stuck back in the cupboard for a long time. I don't know how long we had it, but when I did finally open it, it smelled wonderful, looked great. Better than the coffee we were used to. (No fillers).
The kicker is, there was a coupon inside, with the expiration date 10 years before. That was the best coffee we'd tasted in a very long time. Now when you call the 800 #s most will say they can't recommend use after the expiration date. Have to cover their you know. I just might still have those old letters though.
LOL GG Vi (03/24/2010)
By Vi Johnson
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