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V -- SHELF LIVES
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A. SHELF LIVES OF SOME COMMON STORAGE FOODS
From: Geri Guidetti
Newsgroups: misc.survivalism
[Contact info in V.A.Books]
...As far as general rules for shelf lives of common veggies and fruits
is concerned, jarred foods keep at least 6 months longer than cans if
stored in the dark as well as dry and cool. Glass is inert. Acid or
acidified foods such as sauerkraut, apple sauce, pickled beets,
tomatoes, tomato sauces, pineapple and citrus juices, etc. keep the
least length of time in cans. They do interact eventually with the
metal of the can. They will taste "tinny" and blacken as well. These
are suggested by their mfrs. to be eaten within 18 months of the day
packed--that's where the code comes in. Jars of the same products last
at least 24 months from date packed. Non-acid foods in cans--corn,
green beans, mixed veggies, mushrooms, potatoes, yams, asparagus,
carrots, etc.-- will keep a minimum of 24 months. Beyond these dates,
though the food will not have deteriorated beyond eating, there is a
steady vitamin loss in percentage points each year for individual
veggies and fruits. The percentage varies with the product. But they
ARE still edible. The cooler/darker your storage conditions, the
greater the shelf life as a rule and you can push these dates some.
Interestingly, the shelf life of evaporated milk varies with the fat
content. From my book: Skimmed evap. milk, only 9 months. Lowfat, 12
months. Regular, 15 months. Sweetened condensed, 12 mo. This,
Carnation says, has to do with the stability of the milk proteins and
their expected performance in the recipes people use them for. They
still have nutrition but will fail performance tests in cakes, etc. The
skimmed and low fat versions will also darken faster.
For the group member asking about the longevity of canned meats:
Meat, salmon, stews and tuna--24 months recommended shelf life. Again,
you can extend that with no danger if unopened but with fewer intact
nutrients.
B. DATING CODES USED BY SOME CANNERS AND PACKERS
From: Geri Guidetti
Newsgroups: misc.survivalism
[Contact info in V.A.Books]
Tammy Barette wrote:
> I was a little shocked to learn that MREs are expected to be
>usable for only a 5-7 year period. I routinely keep store bought
>canned goods for more than two years, regardless of their expiration
>date. So far I have never encountered a bulging can or food which has
>a funny odor, and I have never experienced food poisoning.
> Just how long will a canned meat product stay fresh? Vegetable
product?
> (Today was a wonderful lesson in food shortages -- we're expecting
>a whoppping 4" of snow tonight and the bread shelves are empty at the
>stores in large areas of Ohio.)
I will do my best to answer. First, individual companies make up
their own codes to be stamped on the tops of cans and jars. I finally
got disgusted enough trying to decipher them when doing research for my
book that I called a few big food corporations and asked "what's up?"
with these coding systems. Carnation Foods was one and deciphered their
evaporated milk stamps--example: 4145MC 202S. The only thing
important to us lies in the first four digits. The 4 stands for 1994,
the year the milk was packed. The 14 represents the 14th day of...the
5, the 5th month, May of the year. This can was packed May 14, 1994,
well past their recommended shelf life. The rest of the letters and
digits represent plant and lot numbers as I recall. Now let's make
things more confusing: A can of store brand cranberry sauce is stamped
NOV 98 MO 652. This firm stamps the pull date, or date after which they
can't guarantee top quality. Much more direct for our purposes. A jar
of mustard, another company: 696270 Packed June of 96 and should have
a shelf life of at least 2 years if packed in a cool dark place.
Remember this is a glass jar, not an acid-sensitive tin can. More on
that in a minute. A jar of tomato sauce, not a can: OCT98 1003....etc.
Bless them, too, an easily read code that suggests it's at top condition
until Oct. of '98 if kept in good storage conditions.
In a nutshell, my observations have been that more and more mfrs.
are beginning to use more user-friendly codes, but the funny business
still persists for many. On such cans, like the evap. milk, read the
can label carefully to locate a consumer hotline or customer service no.
Call it and ask for a translation and then register your dissatisfaction
with their coding system. Tell them you and your food storing friends
won't be able to buy their products if you are to be kept in the dark
concerning expiration dates, etc. They WILL listen. BTW, my discussions
with Carnation disclosed that the grocery store, a large, reputable
chain, had sold me evap. milk two years beyond the recommended storage
date! Carnation called the store to tell them to pull it off the
shelves and then sent me two coupons for free cans for the ones bought
past date...
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VI -- RESOURCES
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[This FAQ does not tell me what I need to know!]
Please put the question to the rec.food.preserving, rec.food.cooking
or misc.survivalism newsgroup. You could even resort to the tried and
true method, a book.
The following is a list of books that I have found to have useful
information. It is by no means an exhaustive list on the subject. If
you have books you would like to suggest, please feel free to e-mail me
with the particulars. If you can please include the same kind of
information about the book in question as you see below, particularly
the ISBN #, if it has one.
A. BOOKS:
BUILD YOUR ARK! Book 1: Food Self-Sufficiency; Geri Guidetti;
1996; ISBN# 0-938928-01-5; Published by the author; The Ark
Institute, P.O. Box 364, Monkton, MD 21111; E-mail to
arkinst@concentric.net
COOKIN' WITH HOME STORAGE By Vicki Tate; 1993; ISBN# none;
Published by the author; Address: 302 East 200 Nort, Manti, Utah,
84642; Tel # (801) 835-8283
HOME FOOD SYSTEMS Edited by Roger B. Yepsen, Jr.; 1981;
ISBN# 0-87857-325-9; Rodale Press.
KEEPING FOOD FRESH Janet Bailey; 1985; ISBN# 0-385-27675-3;
Doubleday & Co.
KEEPING THE HARVEST Chioffi and Mead; 1991; ISBN# 0-88266-650-9;
Storey Communications.
MAKING FOOD STORAGE FUN, FAST & EASY LauraAnne J. Logar; 1993; No
ISBN; Published by the author; Address: LauraAnne J. Logar, 17140
Oak Leaf Dr, Morgan Hill, Ca 95037-6621
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