Canned Food

One of the questions I get most often is how long does canned food last?

I would love a simple answer like, 6 years, 3 months, 1 week, 2 days, and 17 hours, but it isn't that straight forward I'm afraid. "Best by" dates or "use-by" are often stamped on cans but honestly there is little relevance to those numbers. Canned food will last for dozens of years if stored in moderate temperatures (around 70° F or below). Be sure to inspect the cans looking for bulging or denting and if the can is malformed DO NOT EAT IT! Otherwise you can expect that the quality of the product will change over time such as color or texture but the food should be safe to eat long beyond the "Best by" date.

Many canned food manufacturers have a unique coding system they use to mark their product. Some manufacturers list day, month and year of production, while other companies reference only the year. These codes are usually imprinted on the top or bottom of the can. Other numbers may appear and reference the specific plant manufacturing or product information and are not very useful to consumers. If you are interested or want to understand the "secret can codes" I have included some tips.

Some products are coded with a one digit year and then the day of that year such as 0201 would represent July 20, 2010. 0 = 2010 and the 210th day is July 20th.

Others use one digit for year and then a number or letter for the month. Numbers 1 through 9 represent January through September, and letters O for October, N for November and D for December. Or, just using letters, A=Jan. and L=Dec.

Now that you are truly confused, let me simply say, when in doubt, call the phone number on the product and ask.
For long term storage, I like to use my trusty Sharpie pen and write on the top of the can when I bought it.