Freeze Dried Food Question

[SuperMom]

I purchased some freeze dried food and noticed the company put an expiration date of 2022 on the container. My understanding is, with proper storage, freeze dried food can last 20+ years. Are they just being safe with that expiration date? Or should I be storing the food in mylar bags for it to last longer?

 

[jontte]

prolly that they have to put something on it, just like when I buy salt here there's an exp.date on it and that stuff been on this planet for zillions of years and it wont be bad to use it after that date...

 

[SuperMom]

prolly that they have to put something on it, just like when I buy salt here there's an exp.date on it and that stuff been on this planet for zillions of years and it wont be bad to use it after that date...

That's what I was thinking. Thank you!

 

[jontte]

but we better wait for some other members to chime in on this as they could be more in on this than me.

 

[Proud Prepper]

Those dates are almost meaning less. It just gives you a base date to approximate the age of the product. The conditions of which they are stored will effect how tasty or nutritious it is when opened and consumed. The cooler and darker the storage the better. I would not worry, chance's are it will still be good to eat long after your gone from this world. Check smell and visual signs after opening, then a taste if all looks well.

 

[GaRp58]

Good morning supermom. I was in a Prepper forum that is in Switzerland. You cannot build a new house there without an architect, or without your own bunker in the cellar or directly nearby...One of the members had reported that he and his family took a 3 week vacation and "lived" in their bunker. Just to see how it is stuck with each other 24/7. Chemo toilet, cold showers, canned food, gas cooker, etc. Reality show in reality. BUT! You cannot simulate the fear, danger and unknown of what is still out
there waiting for you to come back out...
Anyway, back to your question. He had also set up the same question in the forum and had taken a 5 gallon container filled with about 1 weeks food, sealed it with tape and let it stand in his bunker for !!5 years!! Then he took it to a friend working in a food control lab and had all checked for edibility. All the expiration dates were 5 years over. Flour, peanutbutter, chocolate, powered milk and eggs, etc. ALL was still quite edible. The cookies with chocolate were a bit soft and smelled old, but edible.
The food companies put the dates on there for two reasons. If it is eaten too late and it is not good, you cannot sue them...and they want you to finally eat it (AND BUY MORE). I have read stories of C-rations from the second world war found and still edible.
I have kept butter in the freezer for 7 years over date and it was fine, flour; 2 years, chocolate 3 years, peanut butter, 4 years.
Keep it: 1. DRY 2. DARK 3. COOL 4. SEALED 5. OXYGEN FREE if loosely packed.

 

[DrHenley]

Oil in foods will go rancid after a few years. This is the most predictable type of degradation for dry "non-perishable" food, but it does not make food inedible, it just hurts the taste. Many food products here have a "Best Used By" date instead of an expiration date which means the taste will not be as good after that date.

Dry beans is an example. They will be edible long after the expiration date, but will not taste as good due to rancidity.