Alarms Sound over World Food Supply

[chuck white]

The dollar store has had can tomatoes for a while so it does seem like a bargain.
They also had cans of 3 bean salad, which were great mixed with the Parmesan pasta. They been out for 2 months and i had to break down and buy it at wall mart for $1.19. They have bags of rice and beans which are cheaper per pound than Walmart, unless you buy really big bags.
They also have boxed milk and Soy milk. these are great because you can store them on your shelf until you need them,( fridge after opening).
We buy 10 to 20 at a time. Living out in SV makes it hard to run to the store for milk at the last minute, and reg milk goes bad before we need it.

I like the boxed milk idea...I would have to have it for my coffee.
I wonder how long vacuum packed ground coffee, like Folgers, can be stored without opening.

Well If you never open it, why store it?

[Clone]

Well If you never open it, why store it?

Because I buy the good stuff in little paper bags at Rogue Valley Coffee Roasters or at Trader Joes.

But those aren't suitable for storing.

If I were out of coffee and it's price has skyrocketed I could easily make do with some Folgers or Yuban.

Know what I mean, Jellybean?

[chuck white]

But you have to open it to use it. You ask how long can you store it without opening it.

[Clone]

But you have to open it to use it. You ask how long can you store it without opening it.

I don't know...how long?

How about: I guess I should Google the shelf life of canned coffee.

[Clone]

Beer

Unopened: 4 months.



Brown sugar

Indefinite shelf life, stored in a moistureproof container in a cool, dry place.



Chocolate (Hershey bar)

1 year from production date



Coffee, canned ground

Unopened: 2 years

Opened: 1 month refrigerated



Coffee, gourmet

Beans: 3 weeks in paper bag, longer in vacuum-seal bag (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Ground: 1 week in sealed container



Coffee, instant

Unopened: Up to 2 years

Opened: Up to 1 month



Diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)

Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.

Opened: Doesn't spoil, but taste is affected.



Dried pasta

12 months



Frozen dinners

Unopened: 12 to 18 months



Frozen vegetables

Unopened: 18 to 24 months

Opened: 1 month



Honey

Indefinite shelf life



Juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)

Unopened: 8 months from production date

Opened: 7 to 10 days



Ketchup

Unopened: 1 year (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Opened or used: 4 to 6 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)



Maple syrup, real or imitation

1 year



Maraschino cherries

Unopened: 3 to 4 years

Opened: 2 weeks at room temperature; 6 months refrigerated



Marshmallows

Unopened: 40 weeks

Opened: 3 months



Mayonnaise

Unopened: Indefinitely

Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchase by” date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)



Mustard

2 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)







Olives, jarred (green with pimento)

Unopened: 3 years

Opened: 3 months



Olive oil

2 years from manufacture date (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)



Peanuts

Unopened: 1 to 2 years unless frozen or refrigerated

Opened: 1 to 2 weeks in airtight container



Peanut butter, natural

9 months



Peanut butter, processed (Jif)

Unopened: 2 years

Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months



Pickles

Unopened: 18 months

Opened: No conclusive data. Discard if slippery or excessively soft.



Protein bars (PowerBars)

Unopened: 10 to 12 months. Check “best by” date on the package.



Rice, white

2 years from date on box or date of purchase



Salad dressing, bottled

Unopened: 12 months after “best by” date

Opened: 9 months refrigerated



Soda, regular

Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date

Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected



Steak sauce

33 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)



Tabasco

5 years, stored in a cool, dry place



Tea bags (Lipton)

Use within 2 years of opening the package



Tuna, canned

Unopened: 1 year from purchase date

Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can



Soy sauce, bottled

Unopened: 2 years

Opened: 3 months (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)



Vinegar

42 months



Wine (red, white)

Unopened: 3 years from vintage date; 20 to 100 years for fine wines

Opened: 1 week refrigerated and corked



Worcestershire sauce

Unopened: 5 to 10 years (after this time, color or flavor may be affected, but product is still generally safe to consume)

Opened: 2 years



Household Products





Air freshener, aerosol

2 years



Antifreeze, premixed

1 to 5 years



Antifreeze, concentrate

Indefinite



Batteries, alkaline

7 years



Batteries, lithium

10 years



Bleach

3 to 6 months



Dish detergent, liquid or powdered

1 year



Fire extinguisher, rechargeable

Service or replace every 6 years



Fire extinguisher, nonrechargeable

12 years



Laundry detergent, liquid or powdered

Unopened: 9 months to 1 year

Opened: 6 months



Metal polish (silver, copper, brass)

At least 3 years



Miracle Gro, liquid

Opened: 3 to 8 years



Miracle Gro, liquid, water-soluble

Indefinite



Motor oil

Unopened: 2 to 5 years

Opened: 3 months



Mr. Clean

2 years



Paint
Unopened: Up to 10 years
Opened: 2 to 5 years



Spray paint
2 to 3 years



Windex
2 years

Wood polish (Pledge)
2 years

http://www.realsimple.com/home-organizin...index.html

[chuck white]

I suspect windex will last longer than 2 years, Many of the shelf lives are made up from the manufacture and often can go much longer. I had 10 year old aspirin which was still good.
white rice stores longer than brown rice. I read some where they found 2000 year old rice that was still good.

[Clone]

I suspect windex will last longer than 2 years, Many of the shelf lives are made up from the manufacture and often can go much longer. I had 10 year old aspirin which was still good.
white rice stores longer than brown rice. I read some where they found 2000 year old rice that was still good.

I like the wine one: 20 to 100 years
I think Tiamat is onto something with the freezing rice thang.
I really do prefer brown rice but I can see how the white lasts longer.
Besides, you can't tell the rice from the grubs that way, right?

The Windex thang is crazy...what could go bad in a bottle of Windex?????

[Tiamat]

K, now, if I had a stockpile I'd end up with a problem with unused foods. If I had a stockpile like this, there are things I wouldn't touch for years. In fact I just had to do a clean out because I had so much outdated food. Because I just don't use that stuff. So half the stuff they say is good to stockpile, I'd never use, because I wouldn't use it. I do use canned tomatoes though. I'm still working on a year old jar of peanut butter and fish sauce. Can only do what I can do.




If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

[Clone]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

[blondemom]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

[Chris]

My stockpile consists solely of Twinkies;

Shelf Life; infinite.

[bbqboy]

change it up with some ding dongs.
The chocolate kind, not our wingnut posters.

[Tiamat]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

[Tiamat]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

I keep thinking, yeah, I'd like to get chickens, but then I remember, after a while, layers stop laying and now you just got a pet. Or a meal. Are you gonna kill old cluck for a Sunday Chicken Dinner. At the Armageddon I might. But I'd probably mess it all up.

[blondemom]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

ok I understand now, first in first out.

If you buy meat in bulk after you break it down date it, use the stuff with the earliest date first. Canned goods date it and use the stuff that you bought first . Kind if like when you go to the grocery store and check the dates on items. There are some wonderful things on line about storing foods. Yes some are faith based but it is a good guideline.

I am not sure how many people you have to shop for, but like I said I have noticed prices going up all ready. So I try to get extra things, and that includes things that are counted as treats.

[Tiamat]

If I were to stock up as a hedge against high need it would have to be foods I used. So, what canned foods would I actually use? Tuna. Canned Beans. Canned tomatoes. Canned milk. The pasta, rice, and legumes and grains like oatmeal. Coffee and Tea? Not too much...maybe an extra or two of each, otherwise they stale. Oil, lard, crisco are all good stable fats though, and you want them. But I rarely bake, so any storing of flours would be a big iffy. White lasts indefinitely though, as will rice. But all the cans of soups, the packages of mixes and pasta meals? Not so much. I never use canned fruits or other veggies other than mentioned, so, since I wouldn't want them, I'd never rotate them. I mean if times was hard, I'd certainly learn to make peach cobbler, and apple pie, and pear crumble from canned fruits, but I'd have to wait for the disaster before I'd ever open them up.


Lesson learned? For me??? Stock what you eat now, now at Armageddon.

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

ok I understand now, first in first out.

If you buy meat in bulk after you break it down date it, use the stuff with the earliest date first. Canned goods date it and use the stuff that you bought first . Kind if like when you go to the grocery store and check the dates on items. There are some wonderful things on line about storing foods. Yes some are faith based but it is a good guideline.

I am not sure how many people you have to shop for, but like I said I have noticed prices going up all ready. So I try to get extra things, and that includes things that are counted as treats.

Well, that finishes me. I think you still missed my point, Blondemom. How do you store when you don't buy that kind of stuff?? I rarely buy meat at all. So, can't rotate that. One small package of chicken thighs lasts me a couple of weeks. Limited amount of canned foods since I don't eat them, so not much rotation there. Oh, well. I'll live on the canned tomatoes and evaporated milk when the Armageddon comes since those are the only things I buy that are canned. I do buy grains and legumes, but still, just me using them, so they last a LONG time. Hard to rotate. Remember the rice scare about two years ago?

[blondemom]

Makes sense to me!
In the winter, we do occasionally eat canned green beans and very occasionally canned corn because hubby loves it
But I'm with you, Ms. Tia...canned tomatoes and some canned beans, although dried ones are good too. I always make chili from dried beans. Anyway, with our severe lack of space, rice, beans, oatmeal and some milk would have to get us through. Perhaps some extra containers of dried spices to make the rice and beans more palatable. Coffee? Yes...I should buy some for storage.
We should have chickens...eggs are a wonderful thing.

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

ok I understand now, first in first out.

If you buy meat in bulk after you break it down date it, use the stuff with the earliest date first. Canned goods date it and use the stuff that you bought first . Kind if like when you go to the grocery store and check the dates on items. There are some wonderful things on line about storing foods. Yes some are faith based but it is a good guideline.

I am not sure how many people you have to shop for, but like I said I have noticed prices going up all ready. So I try to get extra things, and that includes things that are counted as treats.

Well, that finishes me. I think you still missed my point, Blondemom. How do you store when you don't buy that kind of stuff?? I rarely buy meat at all. So, can't rotate that. One small package of chicken thighs lasts me a couple of weeks. Limited amount of canned foods since I don't eat them, so not much rotation there. Oh, well. I'll live on the canned tomatoes and evaporated milk when the Armageddon comes since those are the only things I buy that are canned. I do buy grains and legumes, but still, just me using them, so they last a LONG time. Hard to rotate. Remember the rice scare about two years ago?

So I know you eat fresh, but if you cannot get it what will you do. Even if you buy frozen you have to still rotate what you buy.

[PonderThis]

[quote='Clone' pid='223521' dateline='1344842062']
get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

I tried this suggestion but when I turned it upside down the cover fell off and all the stored food fell out on the floor too. I must be doing something wrong with the rotation.

[Tiamat]

Store what you eat.

Store stuff under the bed, get plastic crates and then cover it and you have a great end table. Just make sure you rotate it.

Now this is going to sound funny, do not forget the TP and the personal items you might need. yes those items are going up also in price. Over a month a ago I noticed prices going up

And to keep the bugs out of the flour and corn meal, freeze it.

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

ok I understand now, first in first out.

If you buy meat in bulk after you break it down date it, use the stuff with the earliest date first. Canned goods date it and use the stuff that you bought first . Kind if like when you go to the grocery store and check the dates on items. There are some wonderful things on line about storing foods. Yes some are faith based but it is a good guideline.

I am not sure how many people you have to shop for, but like I said I have noticed prices going up all ready. So I try to get extra things, and that includes things that are counted as treats.

Well, that finishes me. I think you still missed my point, Blondemom. How do you store when you don't buy that kind of stuff?? I rarely buy meat at all. So, can't rotate that. One small package of chicken thighs lasts me a couple of weeks. Limited amount of canned foods since I don't eat them, so not much rotation there. Oh, well. I'll live on the canned tomatoes and evaporated milk when the Armageddon comes since those are the only things I buy that are canned. I do buy grains and legumes, but still, just me using them, so they last a LONG time. Hard to rotate. Remember the rice scare about two years ago?

So I know you eat fresh, but if you cannot get it what will you do. Even if you buy frozen you have to still rotate what you buy.

So, better to buy canned foods and give them away when their year comes round? Yeah, I can't afford that. I was just asking, what do you stockpile when you don't use canned foods? Rice and beans and beans and rice.

[orygunluvr]

That's my point, Blondemom....what if you don't use a lot of stored foods? Then what do you store? How do you rotate it?

ok I understand now, first in first out.

If you buy meat in bulk after you break it down date it, use the stuff with the earliest date first. Canned goods date it and use the stuff that you bought first . Kind if like when you go to the grocery store and check the dates on items. There are some wonderful things on line about storing foods. Yes some are faith based but it is a good guideline.

I am not sure how many people you have to shop for, but like I said I have noticed prices going up all ready. So I try to get extra things, and that includes things that are counted as treats.

Well, that finishes me. I think you still missed my point, Blondemom. How do you store when you don't buy that kind of stuff?? I rarely buy meat at all. So, can't rotate that. One small package of chicken thighs lasts me a couple of weeks. Limited amount of canned foods since I don't eat them, so not much rotation there. Oh, well. I'll live on the canned tomatoes and evaporated milk when the Armageddon comes since those are the only things I buy that are canned. I do buy grains and legumes, but still, just me using them, so they last a LONG time. Hard to rotate. Remember the rice scare about two years ago?

So I know you eat fresh, but if you cannot get it what will you do. Even if you buy frozen you have to still rotate what you buy.

So, better to buy canned foods and give them away when their year comes round? Yeah, I can't afford that. I was just asking, what do you stockpile when you don't use canned foods? Rice and beans and beans and rice.

Top Ramen. The spice pack is the bad part, the noodles are just egg noodles.