These Pantry Expiration Dates guidelines will help you know how long you can actually store the staples in your kitchen and how to make them last longer.
Have you ever gone into your pantry only to pull a can of whatever out, look at it and wonder if it is still good because you’ve had it for so long?
If so, don’t feel bad since this is actually a fairly common occurrence in most households.
Pantry goods have such a wide array of expiration dates that it can be hard to tell when something should be tossed or when it is still good to use and it is that wide array that can lead to confusion.
Learning how long you can safely store pantry items as well as how expiration dates affect your pantry can help end that confusion while allowing you to build a fully stocked pantry stockpile.
First, the skinny on expiration dates. For refrigerated items and items in your medicine cabinet, you need to pay attention to them since using them past their “use by” date can be dangerous, but for pantry stockpile items, you have a bit more leeway.
Manufacturers are required to date their products and as such, most of them do so with a date that they can guarantee the product will still taste good and hold onto its nutritional value.
This is why most canned or boxed foods actually say “best by” and not “use by.”
That best buy date is, simply put, a guide so that you are aware that after that date the product may taste a bit differently than you might expect.
Because of the difference in wording, this means that the majority of the products in your pantry can be stored a lot longer than the six months or so that they actually say by date.
How long though? We can help you out with info on a few common pantry stockpile products and how long they are actually good for.
Rubbermaid Modular CanistersRoyal Air-Tight Food Storage Container Set
Before we get to the date information, one thing is key: How you store your pantry items makes a difference!
By transferring items from their cardboard boxes or bags into tight-sealing containers, you can greatly extend the life of your staples.
I’m a fan of Rubbermaid containers because they’re easy to use and have a tight seal.
Another option that looks great if you have glass front cabinets or open shelving is Mason jars. They even make them in a big half gallon size!
They also have a super long life and you can be using the same jars for decades.
1 Ball 64oz Wide Mouth Half Gallon Mason Jar
The big thing you’ll notice on the list below is that for foods that have the oxygen removed the storage time is waaaaaay longer!
To remove oxygen before storing you’ll need a vacuum sealer. There are multiple types available, but the biggest name (and the one I have used personally) is the Food Saver.
You can put your food in bags and seal them or they even have a jar sealer so you can put your foods in regular mason-type jars and seal them.
If you do transfer your foods into other containers, you’ll want to mark the container with the date it was stored.
One way to do this is by using freezer tape. You can just tear off a piece, write the date on it, and attach to the jar or container.
These pre-printed labels let you just fill in the date and the contents, which is especially helpful if you have multiple types of flour or other items that look similar out of the packaging.
If you want to get fancy, you can also use a label maker.
Pantry Expiration Dates
- Canned Tuna – 2 to 5 years from the date of manufacture
- Canned green beans – 2 to 5 years
- All-purpose flour – 6 months to 1 year if stored in the freezer or an air tight container
- Granulated sugar – 6 months to 1 year if stored in the freezer or an air tight container
- Brown and powdered sugar – 6 months if stored correctly
- Canned pastas – 2 years – 4 years
- Canned soups – 2 to 5 years
- Spam – 2 to 5 years
- Canned broth – 2 to 3 years
- Other canned meats – 2 years
- White rice – up to 20 years if stored in an air-tight container
- Salt – indefinitely if stored in a dry area – moisture is salt’s worst enemy
- Canned whole kernel corn – 2 to 5 years
- Honey – Indefinitely – If it crystallizes, heat the honey and shake to reconstitute.
- Baking soda – Indefinitely if kept dry
- Pasta – 2-5 years if kept in their own packages, 20+ years if stored in air-tight containers with oxygen removed
- Oats – Indefinitely if stored with oxygen removed, 2-5 years in an air-tight container.
- Dried beans – 5 years if stored in normal air-tight containers, 20+ years if stored with oxygen removed.
Crazy, right? So what does this mean for you? Feel free to stock up the next time you see a great sale!
You’ll have time to use them before they spoil and you’ll be able to save big by building your pantry stockpile!
More Information on Storing Food:
Walter says
Too small to read many of them or poorly printed,
Patricia McDowell says
Granulated Sugar does not go bad ever, if stored properly.
Linda Woerth says
How long is canned milk, stewed tomatoes good for?
Angie says
PUt the flour and pasta in the freezer
Rosie says
Good info! I notice some things that I don’t tend to use, they just quietly sit in the back of the cabinet – for ages! Then I end up getting rid of them. One thing to note – most food pantries have a rule to not give out anything expired, so check before you donate.
Sarah L says
Good info. I just need more pantry space.
Jen Temcio says
Sugars are my big issue. I need to get new storage containers that work well so it is airtight and lasts longer.
valmg @ Mom Knows It All says
I always try to stock up on canned goods when there’s a good sale. Oddly enough I find that I run into more expiration date questions with refrigerated or frozen food than I do with cans.
Melissa says
What a great informative post about how long we can store stuff. I often wondered about the shelf life of some things. I swear some items can’t be junk when the label says sell by date, but love that you have given insight in a deeper level so now I know when I clean out my pantry what to toss and not toss and how to properly store stuff!
Natasha says
We learned a very hard lesson with flour quite a few years ago when beetles showed up. We’ve also had an outbreak of pantry moths, and let me tell you, those aren’t fun to get rid of. Especially with seeing all of that money going down the drain. We now use mason jars, and the airtight containers from OXO to store our goods. That way I don’t freak out about money being wasted!
rhonda says
omg the pantry moths are the WORST. Its a nightmare getting rid of those.
MaryBethHartHicks says
I just cleaned out my cupboards AGAIN . Saw a moth in there and got all freaked out .. last time I emptied all boxes of pasta into colander and looked thru carefully .. found lots of bugs .. so I thru out a ton of things .. now I saw a moth in the cupboard and moved things so only canned good in that cupboard and moved pasta into a diff cupboard .. we’ll see .. I thru out lots of thngs that had old dates .. just not going to use the once I’m freaked .. I should put flour and sugar in freezer that’s next
Jackie says
you might want to try sprinkling a few Bay Leaves inside your cupboards (whole, not crushed). Years ago we moved into a rental (duplex) and within a few weeks we had these little tiny bugs. Small as fleas but they weren’t fleas. They got into the flours, oatmeal, rice all the grains. I threw out everything, scrubbed down everything and tried again but they came back. 3 x I did this then I remembered an old wives tale about using bay leaves in your cupboards. Well darn if that didn’t work. I kept bay leaves in all the kitchen cupboards, drawers, pantry and they didn’t come back. I would even put a few leaves inside the packages layed on top of the flour/rice etc. just to be extra sure. I know you had moths but this might be worth a try!
Becky says
Wow! I have not been good when it comes to storing my flour. I think I still have some in the original packaging. Definitely need to check my pantry and use your tips.
Cynthia R says
Yikes, I’m not following your sugar and flour guidelines. I super coupon and a lot of times end up with things that expire before I know it. I have to regularly give away things to prevent waste.
Gall Chasse says
Being a baker, flour and sugar doesn’t last long in this house. LOL!
Carol says
Everyone knows by now that the expiration date on products is for store use, not home use. If things are stored properly they last months to years longer than store shelf exp dates.
Julie Wood says
I wonder why sugar does not last longer. I have my sugar for over a year and it still works. I think that this is a very good list to follow.
Hannah C says
This is really helpful information! Thanks for sharing!
shelly peterson says
This is really great information to know. I have always wondered about this.