Food Shelf Life
This page contains information on why and how to store food while living off the grid, also you will find useful tips on how to satisfy most of your food needs without having to rely on the city for vegetables and grains. Storing food off the grid is very essential if you want to declare your independence and be fully or mostly self suffecient.
Shelf life of different foods
If you go the extra mile and decide to store food such as vegetables and grains, you will greatly reduce your dependence on the outside world (stores, supermarkets ...) because that's just one thing you will not worry about if something goes wrong with our food supplies. Here is a list of some essential foods and how long they can be stored. Please be mindful that the way you store the food can affect the shelf life below. For example storing it in a dry vs humid place...
| Baking powder | 18 months |
| Baking soda | 2 years |
| Beans/peas | 1 year |
| Biscuit, muffin mix | 9 months |
| Bouillon cube | 1-2 years |
| Bread crumbs, dry | 6 months |
| Cake, prepared | 3 days |
| Cake mixes | 1 year |
| Canned foods, sealed | over 2 years |
| Catsup, hot sauce sealed | 1 year |
| Opened and refrigerated | 1 month |
| Cereal, sealed | 1 year |
| Cereal, opened and refrigerated | 1 month |
| Cheese, grated parmasan sealed | 10 months |
| Cheese, grated parmasan refrigerated | 2 months |
| Chocolate, unsweetened | 18 months |
| Chocolate, semi-sweet | 18 months |
| Chocolate syrup, sealed | 2 years |
| Chocolate syrup, opened and refrigerated | 6 months |
| Cocoa | indefinitely |
| Cocoa mix | 8 months |
| Coconut, shredded or canned sealed | 1 year |
| Coconut, shredded or canned opened and refrigerated | 6 months |
| Coffee, cans or bags sealed | 2 years |
| Coffee, cans or bags opened | 2 weeks |
| Coffee, instant sealed | 1-2 years |
| Coffee, instant opened | 1-2 months |
| Coffee creamers, dry sealed | 9 months |
| Coffee creamers, dry opened | 6 months |
| Cookies, homemade | 2-3 weeks |
| Cookies, packaged | 2 months |
| Corn syrup | up to 3 years (refrigerate to extend shelf life) |
| Cornmeal | 1 year |
| Corn starch | 18 months |
| Crackers | 3 months |
| Fish, canned | 3-5 years |
| Flour, white or wheat | 6-8 months |
| Frosting, canned sealed | 3 months |
| Frosting, mix sealed | 8 months |
| Fruit, dried or dehydrated | 6 months |
| Fruit, fresh | 3-5 days (longer in refrigerator) |
| Fruit juice, canned | 9 months |
| Fruit juice, drink boxes | 9 months |
| Gelatin | 18 months |
| Grits | 1 year |
| Honey | 1 year |
| Hot roll mix | 18 months |
| Jellies / jam, sealed | 1 year |
| Jellies / jam, opened and refrigerated | 2 months |
| Marshmallows | 2-3 months |
| Mayonnaise, sealed | 4-6 months |
| Mayonnaise, opened and refrigerated | 2 months |
| Milk, condensed sealed | 1 year |
| Milk, evaporated sealed | 1 year |
| Milk, nonfat dry | 6 months |
| Milk, shelf stable sealed | 2-3 months |
| Molasses, sealed | 2 years |
| Molasses, opened and refrigerated | 6 months |
| Mustard, sealed | 2 years |
| Mustard, opened and refrigerated | 8 months |
| Nuts, in shell sealed | 4-6 months |
| Nuts, vacuum canned | 1-3 years |
| Nuts, vacuum canned opened | 3 months |
| Onions, fresh | 2 weeks |
| Pancake syrup, sealed | 18 months |
| Pancake syrup, opened and refrigerated | 4 months |
| Pasta, dry (spaghetti, macaroni, etc) | 2 years |
| Pasta, dry egg noodles | 6 months |
| Peanut butter, sealed | 9 months |
| Peanut butter, opened (natural pb must be refrigerated) | 3 months |
| Pie crust mix | 8 months |
| Pies and pastries | 3 days |
| Popcorn, unpopped | 2 years |
| Potatoes, instant mix | 6-12 months |
| Potatoes, fresh | 2-4 weeks |
| Powdered drink mix | 2 years |
| Pudding mix | 1 year |
| Rice, white | 2 years |
| Rice, brown wild | 1 year |
| Rice, flavored or herb | 6 months |
| Salad dressing, sealed | 1 year |
| Salad dressing, opened and refrigerated | 3 months |
| Salad dressing, made from mix | 2 weeks |
| Shortening (solid) | 8 months |
| Sauces and gravy mixes | 1 year |
| Soft drinks / sodas / caffeinated beverages | 6 months |
| Soup mix, dry | 1 year |
| Soy sauce, sealed | 3 years |
| Soy sauce, opened and resealed | 9 months |
| Spices and herbs | 6 months - 2 years |
| Sugar, brown | 4 months |
| Sugar, powdered / castor / confectioners / fine | 18 months |
| Sugar, granulated | 2 years |
| Sweet potatoes, fresh | 1-2 weeks |
| Artificial sweetener | 2 years |
| Tea, bags | 18 months |
| Tea, instant | 3 years |
| Tea, loose | 2 years |
| Toaster pastries | 2-3 months |
| Vanilla (and other extracts), sealed | 2 years |
| Vanilla (and other extracts), opened | 1 year |
| Vegetable oils, sealed | 6 months |
| Vegetable oils, opened | 1-3 months |
| Vinegar, sealed | 2 years |
| Vinegar, opened | 1 year |
More information: We hope this page was helpful and provided you with some information about food shelf life, you can also check our other page Raising Animals. Or for more information check out our main page for more survival scenarios here Survival Guide, knowledge is light, and knowledge can enhance your life. good luck!
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