Oldest stored can you’ve eaten

[-]

Puhnanas0@reddit

Just this past year tried multiple items that were 10 years past date on can. Mixed results with most and could tell was old. Inside lining of the can was failing in some but couldn’t tell on the outside of can.

[-]

N7_Shep@reddit

about a dozen cans of world war 2 canned chicken sometime around 2011ish, put some Texas pet on it and sent it. none of the cans of chicken seemed to be off? i was too poor to have other choices.

[-]

Aurochbull@reddit

A few months ago, I ate 2 cans of Aldi brand chunky sirloin burger soup that were a little over 10 years old.

They were completely fine in taste and texture. I was shocked that the potatoes were even a little hard. I expected them to be a little mushy, but nope.

[-]

ThadsBerads@reddit

I am currently consuming #10 sealed canned dried goods from the late 90's. It's all fine. I'm also still going through bottles of Frank's hot sauce that had a BB date of 2014.....got a bunch of them for free with coupons.

[-]

kittycatblues@reddit

I made a can of tomatoes from 2009 into sauce in 2020. We ate it and lived to tell the tale.

Evidence: https://www.reddit.com/r/GrandmasPantry/s/l3qfvZolWb

[-]

tehdamonkey@reddit

I tested some 20 year old mountain house of various types in #10 cans and it was perfect.

[-]

Linden24@reddit

I just ate Mountain House #10 can of freeze dried chili mac from the 80’s and it was fine. The noodles didn’t plump up very well, but it tasted okay. I’m still alive, lol.

[-]

yubathetuba@reddit

In the 1950s Joques Cousteau found a bottle of Greek wine in a ship wreck from about 200BC and drank it with his crew. He said it was pretty bad but didn’t hurt him. Maybe 2000 years or so past it’s best by date. LOL.

[-]

Holiday_Albatross441@reddit

AFAIR someone found 3000-year-old cheese in Egypt a few years ago but didn't eat it because tests found nasty bacteria had grown in it.

[-]

numaxmc@reddit

Had some canned venison that was six years old last week for dinner. Still have half a case of cans from 2018. Workin through my old stock before I dip into anything newer.

[-]

8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

Is that homemade canned venison, or did you buy it somewhere?

[-]

numaxmc@reddit

I can it myself. Every year I take out any venison in the freezer that's 2-3 years old and can it all.

[-]

8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

Thanks!

[-]

No_Staff594@reddit

I’ve ate MREs last year where the skittles in them expired in 2012. Food was still pretty good

[-]

RicardoHonesto@reddit

My dad ate a can of oysters last year that expired in 2003. Raw.

[-]

GusGutfeld@reddit

Wow!

Can you tell if they've gone bad by the smell? lol

[-]

RicardoHonesto@reddit

They were fine, fresh as the day they were caught apparently...

[-]

GusGutfeld@reddit

I did look it up, and canned raw oysters are good for several years and can last many, many years past that. I was surprised.

[-]

RicardoHonesto@reddit

He survived

[-]

loveshercoffee@reddit

When food is canned, it is cooked. The cans are heated under pressure and everything inside cooks completely in order to kill any botulism spores.

[-]

drakefyre@reddit

Found an 8 year out of date can of Big K cola when we cleaned out my MILs fridge after she passed away.

I was like, sure why not? That tasted fresh and crisp. No loss of carbonization at all.

[-]

Comfortable-Race-547@reddit

16 year old can of corned beef hash, was fine

[-]

Weird-Ad3195@reddit

1942 surplus #10 can peanut butter tasted fine at 30 years

[-]

JackFuckCockBag@reddit

I think a can of collard greens about 3 years past is the longest. They tasted fine and I didn't poop on myself.

[-]

deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

[-]

preppers-ModTeam@reddit

If you had eaten only canned chicken for 12 years, it would have resulted in protein poisoning. Your message was removed for mentioning and promoting dangerous practices.

[-]

rfathernheaven@reddit

I typically open the can and then eat what's inside it so I Don't have an opinion on this 😏

[-]

lostscause@reddit

canned pears , 7 years out of date. at old hunting cabin was fine tasted a little tinny

[-]

Own_Instance_357@reddit

Not sure if it counts since the cans are already of dehydrated food, but I'm still eating from cans that are 15+ years old

They were intended to have a shelf life of 20 years though

[-]

slaveleiagirl78@reddit

About five years after my grandmother died, we found a jar of her watermelon rind pickles. They had been home canned about 14 years earlier. We ate them because we missed her. No one got sick and they were a little mushier than normal. The flavor was about the same.

A friend of my mom's regularly eats stuff she canned years earlier. I won't eat her soups or stews because you don't know what kind of meat it is, or how old it is. I don't know of anyone getting sick from her stuff, but I am not chancing it. :)

[-]

RelationRealistic@reddit

Regardinng Karred pickles, do not watch the new TV series "It: Welcome To Derry" episode 2, less you want that memory deviled.

[-]

slaveleiagirl78@reddit

I am waiting to watch that when it is all out, so I can binge.

I love pickles, but am willing to chance it. I love horror.

[-]

Ok-Try-6798@reddit

Drank a Billy Beer that was 20 years old. It was thick, orange, and nasty but it didn’t make me sick.

[-]

Rough_Community_1439@reddit

Can of MTN dew that expired in 2013. I drank it last week and it tasted like aluminum. 0/10 wouldn't drink again.

[-]

illkeepthatinmind@reddit

And for those of you that died after eating a can that was too old, how old was it?

[-]

Helassaid@reddit

Didn’t Steve1989 eat some tinned meat from like the Napoleonic wars or something?

[-]

gt500rr@reddit

Boer war comes to mind. I remember he actually ate the beef.

[-]

PrisonerV@reddit

I'd be more worried about lead poisoning.

[-]

gt500rr@reddit

Probably why the tin was still sealed well enough to survive 🤔

[-]

PrisonerV@reddit

What's scary is that you can actually see the lead seams in the can he is eating from.

[-]

gt500rr@reddit

I handle lead (fishing sinkers) in my job bare handed and that has me a bit nervous. Ingesting it though is not ideal to say the least 😕

[-]

PrisonerV@reddit

If you aren't wearing an P100 mask, you certainly should.

[-]

Round-Advertising990@reddit

Touching it wont do anything, just dont get it in cuts, eat after it, rub your eyes.

[-]

lildaisysummers@reddit

They are already reincarnated lol

[-]

wmtr22@reddit

Hah I love this

[-]

sloaneshi@reddit

My grandpa drank a can of soup that expired in 2005 more than a decade later just to prove a point (that he could I guess lol). That's been over a decade since and we're about to celebrate his 83rd birthday, so he wasn't wrong but I am still aghast.

[-]

MoroseBarnacle@reddit

Good:

30-year-old dry-packed white sugar in a #10 can. Stored in a cool basement without temperature swings. Absolutely no difference between that and fresh sugar.

15-year-old dry-packed uncooked spaghetti noodles in a #10 can. Stored in a cool basement without temperature swings. Tasted fine, texture fine.

Bad:

Ramen. It absolutely tastes rancid a week or two before its printed expiration date. It's edible and I've not gotten sick from it, but it doesn't taste pleasant. I'm ready to toss what I have left.

Cocoa powder/hot chocolate mix. Just last week I found half a box of hot chocolate packets in the pantry that expired exactly 8 years ago. I made a cup for science. It had dried milk in the ingredients list, so I was surprised that it didn't smell or taste rancid. It smelled strongly of chocolate, but had zero chocolate taste. It tasted sweet and nothing else. So, cocoa powder will lose all flavor, apparently, if it's on the shelf long enough.

[-]

WVShaver@reddit

Not all of it. I found some old hot chocolate k-cups like you put in the single serve coffee machines and opened them up to make regular hot chocolate and it was the best I ever had.

I believe they were about 7-8 years out of date. I still have a couple left. I imagine being sealed in a little plastic cup helped a lot.

When I was drinking a lot of coffee with the K Cups I tried some that were 4-5 years out of date and they tasted OK but they were definitely a little stale.

[-]

SAMPLE_TEXT6643@reddit

I had a can of progresso chicken noodle and it was 3 years out of date. Everything in it was super mushy and not very good but, it didn't make me sick either.

[-]

TrainXing@reddit

Same. About 3 years out of date is my limit. Never gotten sock either. Quality jusy diminishes.

[-]

The_Dinky_Earnshaw@reddit

I did a 3.5y Chunky soup and didn't notice anything that seemed different.

My last taste test was 4yo (in the deep freeze) guac and it was perfect after the ice crystals thawed and I stirred it up.

[-]

TrainXing@reddit

Yeah frozen is practically forever if it doesn't get freezer burn.

[-]

ponycorn_pet@reddit

I'm sorry you've never gotten sock, a life spent barefoot sounds rough

[-]

TrainXing@reddit

😂😂😂 Sick!! Lol

[-]

itamau87@reddit

Not canned, was a British MRE expired ( best before ) in 2020. Ate it last week. Farted a lot after, but is normal.

[-]

MoonBones4Doge@reddit

used to eat out of date stuff all the time at my nans, she had a habbit of keeping loads of tins in the cupboard for years. Once had a packet of niknaks that were 4 years out of date. tasted fine. no idea how she managed it as she used to go shopping every week. must have kept the good stuff for herself lol

[-]

jerry_03@reddit

Expired can of soup.

I think mre Steve on YouTube at a can of hard tack from ww1 era (~110 years ago)

[-]

TheDreadPirateJeff@reddit

I saw that. Though in fairness hard tack will keep forever on its own too lol.

[-]

TheDreadPirateJeff@reddit

In the late 80s you could still get Korean an WWII vintage MREs. Many times I’d go camping and dine on 40 year old tuna and cookies.

I also can my own stuff and frequently use canned veggies and meats that are well over 20 years old too.

[-]

4wheelsRolling@reddit

3 years and it tasted great. (Tomatoes)

[-]

linc_xiii@reddit

I'm having a hard time finding it now (a lot more in the news surrounding their services, and I'm lazy about looking further), but the Oregon Food Bank once got a can of soup donated that had been from the Great Depression. This was maybe a decade or so ago. They couldn't give it out to someone because of the safety concerns, but a volunteer opened it up and ate it, to satiate our curiosity. I believe the guy said it tasted a little off, but it was edible.

[-]

Itchy_noses@reddit

1988 in 2018. Canned salmon, caught by my grandfather and commercially canned. Delicious!

[-]

Zerofawqs-given@reddit

Had some heat & serve white rice….already steamed before it was packaged….2 years past “best by date”….whelp….I ate & survived that! Some of my canned stuff I is 2023….not worried about it at all

[-]

ChinaShopBull@reddit

I opened a three-years expired can of sweetened condensed milk the other day, and it tasted weird enough that I tossed it.

[-]

givemeyourrocks@reddit

I opened a can of that milk that I bought in 2020 when the SHTF. It was brown and had rust bits or something in it. A couple of the other can had sprung leaks. Had a mess to clean up and dispose of. Green beans I’ve eaten 3 years past the date. Not as good as fresher ones but still edible.

[-]

surfaholic15@reddit

As a side note here, i ran into a packet of velveeta sauce 2 years past date.

Slightly brown tinge, and had a distinct maple taste. Quite fascinating. It kind of reminded me of the taste of expired sweetened condensed milk i remember from childhood.

[-]

YellowCabbageCollard@reddit

Yes. I have opened expired condensed milk recently and it looked really really off. I normally wouldn't worry but it looked just wrong. Brown instead of white. I tried searching online and it seems like it really doesn't stay good or the same quality very long past the expiration dates.

[-]

ChinaShopBull@reddit

Yeah, darker than usual, and there were little black flecks around the can joint. Yuck.

[-]

Malumeze86@reddit

Yeah, I had one of those a few days ago.

Definitely not a thing to keep for too long.

Same with canned fruit and tomatoes.

[-]

SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

Oh yeah, I opened some condensed milk to make thai tea (which the dried tea is 10 years old btw but still tastes great). That condensed milk though looked like caramel sauce (we have cans of dulce de leche that I buy often, so I had to do a double take), it was way too brown. I tossed it, didn’t even make it to testing how it tasted.

[-]

Mayberrymom@reddit

I have some of the Kraft jarred cheese that I bought around 2001 because I thought the jars would be the right size for my kids to have juice in (5 and 7 years old at the time). The "kids" are now 30 and 32 and I still have one jar that is unopened. I opened one a couple of years ago and it was fine. I KNOW exactly how old these are because the store sticker is still on the jar, and they went out of business 22 years ago!

[-]

joka2696@reddit

Finest Super Market?

[-]

Mayberrymom@reddit

Nope, Longs Drug Store

[-]

The_Latverian@reddit

13 year old Puritan mild chili

Perfectly good 🤷‍♂️

[-]

mbrasher1@reddit

Weird, but relevant. In college in 1989, a building was bring knocked down on Science Hill in New Haven, so 3 friends and I broke in. We found a bomb shelter from 1963 (built after Cuban Missile Crisis) in the basement. 26 yo tins were inside. "Carbohydrate supplement" and another tin (glucose supplement?). 55 gallon barrels of water. We brought one of each food tin home to try. I ate 26 yo saltine crackers and hard candy. Saltine crackers were stale. Candy was actually good.

[-]

Permtacular@reddit

Powdered milk from 1972. I recently ate some canned beef that I had canned 8 years prior.

[-]

Nearby_Ad5200@reddit

2.5 year old whole tomatoes and kidney beans. The tomatoes had a little can/metal taste to them. The beans were just more mushy than usual. A few stuck to the bottom of the can. Taste was okay at best.

[-]

surfaholic15@reddit

Other than tomatoes and pineapples or other high acid items, no issues. The taste changes a lot on high acid foods. Oldest can ever, probably 5 or 6 years past date.

But that was decades ago, and not one of MY cans, since i stay on top of things. One of many i got free while helping clear out a hoarder house.

[-]

OneleggedPeter@reddit

I've had tomatoes, pineapple and pears all eat through the cans and start leaking, not only making a mess, but also destroying other items around them.

[-]

surfaholic15@reddit

Oh yeah, they can. I have naver had one that far out of date. After the one time a had one about 6 months out (pineapple) that tasted so bad, i madesurethey wereall eaten in date.

[-]

infinitum3d@reddit

I’ve had canned tomatoes leak. Apparently the acid burns through the can.

[-]

fuzzby@reddit

I used to collect Coca Cola cans and the same thing would happen.

[-]

surfaholic15@reddit

I never had any go that far, but by golly the taste gets awful fast.

[-]

BlairMountainGunClub@reddit

WWII era C-Ration cans. It was spaghetti and a potato stew. Was kinda good honestly. And I'm still alive! Didn't get me nearly as sick as eating a freeze dried cheesecake meal once did.

[-]

nitroused911@reddit

I ate a C-ration Can that had a muffin in it. Tasted okay.

[-]

hruebsj3i6nunwp29@reddit

Nice Hiss.

[-]

archos1gnis@reddit

But it made you a little sick?

[-]

jdnls87@reddit

Had a 2yo can of peaches once. The syrup was darker, but the peaches themselves were still good. They're sweet and have no off tastes.

[-]

poppyseed84@reddit

Canned corn from the 80s. Ate it a few years ago. No weird taste, no probs.

[-]

steph199456@reddit

Canned tuna in water the other day, Best Buy date was 2022. Texture was a little mushy but the flavor was fine and no ill effects

[-]

NoctysHiraeth@reddit

Not TECHNICALLY canned food but 1980s Tang powder

[-]

weebairndougLAS@reddit

Feeling a lot better about the canned tomato sauce 6 months post Best Buy date. Don’t want to toss but afraid to eat it at the same time

[-]

RevolutionarySea4754@reddit

That's not honestly not that bad. I've eatten over a year and was fine. I'd eat it if you want to.

[-]

weebairndougLAS@reddit

Thanks! Logically I know this but if I am making a meal for my kid with it I just get a little anxious. I have a few so I’ve been using them when I have been cooking for just me….just in case!

[-]

Frosti11icus@reddit

Acidic stuff will be fine longer but it might taste worst cause it’s eventually going to wear through the lining.

[-]

MantaurStampede@reddit

Its not an expiration date

[-]

Nyx2026@reddit

My dad ate a can of old chili a few years ago and he almost died. He was sick for weeks.

[-]

Red000Shift@reddit

Not canned food but I drank a red bull from 2007 in 2014. Wasn't.......terrible.

[-]

JRHLowdown3@reddit

You mean wet pack grocery store cans or actual LTS cans??

[-]

NordicAristocrat@reddit

I did a 15 year oil flaked tuna can, tasted like sour ass and shit for 25 days after.

[-]

Eredani@reddit

The one that sticks out in my mind was a can of condensed milk from 2017 that I opened in 2024. Not good... like really not good.

I have concerns about very old canned milk products and high acidity products (fruit, tomatoes, etc.) but everything else has been fine... so far.

[-]

cas201@reddit

Just gotta get powdered or freeze dried everything

[-]

Ok_Pollution9335@reddit

I agree this is what I do as well

[-]

Malumeze86@reddit

Tell that to my leaky #10 pound can of tomato powder that barely made it to the five year mark.

[-]

Eredani@reddit

Canned food is fantastic. Just not certain kinds.

Dry goods (rice, beans, pasta) are probably even better.

I have a freeze drier and its awesome but probably too expensive for most people.

[-]

MalaEnNova@reddit

My gramma canned her last applesauce in 1998. She died in 2010. We found it when cleaning the house it. We ate it while cry laughing. It was delicious.

[-]

MrHoopersDead@reddit

Currently enjoying beans and soup that I purchased in 1999. Tastes just like it should.

[-]

iswearimalady@reddit

My dad ate a can of chili that had expired 13 years prior. He said it was good, and he didn't die so I guess it's fine 🤷‍♀️

[-]

Maleficent_Mix_8739@reddit

Growing up on a farm and “canning” the rule was to look for swelling and rust…..if neither are present you move on to the sniff test and if that checks out you’re probably good to go. I’ve eaten ranch style beans and wolf brand chili up to 5 years out and they were fine. On the flip side, I’ve opened canned peaches that were one year out but the inside of the can had rust in the seams…..tossed that one in the worm bin.

[-]

mike-42-1999@reddit

I'm eating 2001 MREs , and I canned Porkchop 5 years ago, opened and ate last weekend. Still alive

[-]

GreyRobb@reddit

In 2021 I ate a Mountain House dehydrated backpack meal that had expired in 2006.

It was good.

[-]

QueenProvvy@reddit

Campbells condensed tomato soup, campbells condensed cream of mushroom soup, 2020 and 2021 bbd. Only difference was that they were a but thicker. Still tasted fine.

My friend found a bagel behind his microwave that had fallen back there 5 years prior when his roommate at that time must have lost it....no mold, kinda hard, but he ate it on a dare lol. Toasted it and bon appetite. Scary to think about what must be in com.ercial baked goods lol

[-]

6894@reddit

I made pumpkin pie with canned pumpkin from 2017 a couple months ago. It was fine, smelled fine, texture was okay. uneventful really.

[-]

No_Day5399@reddit

Can of bushes baked beans. 2016 ate in 2024

[-]

susanrez@reddit

From the USDA website regarding canned goods:

With an exception of infant formula (described below), if the date passes during home storage, a product should still be safe and wholesome if handled properly until the time spoilage is evident. Spoiled foods will develop an off odor, flavor or texture due to naturally occurring spoilage bacteria. If a food has developed such spoilage characteristics, it should not be eaten.

https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-product-dating

[-]

endlesssearch482@reddit

I had 15 year old chicken ala king MREs. Had one bite and spit it out. It wasn’t bacterially bad, but the fats had clearly oxidized and it tasted awful.

[-]

brunello1997@reddit

The dreaded chicken ala king meal. That always sucked!

[-]

LowBarometer@reddit

Not canned, but I'm eating some peanut butter right now that's five years past the "best by" date. I can taste a slight hint of rancid, but it still tastes delicious.

I've eaten canned soup that was 8 years beyond "best by" date. The problem with things like soup is that the flavor is odd. It's not bad, just odd. In the soup, the potatoes taste identical to the peas, which taste the same as the meat. All the flavors are identical, even though the textures are different.

[-]

TechnologySolid4698@reddit

Rancid oils are full of free-radicals. Its best to avoid them if you can, even though the effects are not immediately noticeable or explicitly traceable back to a jar of PB.

[-]

mikebellman@reddit

Rancid just makes you very nauseous and incapacitated for a while. It’s usually not BAD bad, but if you don’t have to risk it, turn that rancid peanut butter into bait for fishing or trapping.

[-]

infinitum3d@reddit

I have several jars of PB that are a couple months past best buy and they’re fine.

But I’ve also had a jar 18 months after Best by that was rancid.

Store brand (Kroger) tends to last longer than Jif IMHO

[-]

HarpyCelaeno@reddit

FWIW the food pantry I volunteer at says just about everything canned is good 3 years after expiring (except acidic items like tomato based or pineapple.)

[-]

DiezDedos@reddit

Let’s get this out onto a tray

Nice!

[-]

lefty_juggler@reddit

Back in the day I ate some emergency rations crackers I found in a giant tin can stored in a fallout shelter way under a college building. They were probably several decades old, maybe 30 years? They crumbled when touched into a sawdust-like powder. Zero flavor, so no not actually bad.

[-]

KBradl@reddit

Just ate some canneli beans bb jun 2023 and they tasted normal.

Oldest was a 2019 green beans in 2022 and they tasted mushy and salty just like fresh canned green beans.

[-]

Sweaty-Feedback-1482@reddit

I love this post and unfortunately I have experience here that I can add. In college, one of my roommates parents retired and sold their sold. He came home from helping them pack with a full pantry worth of food. We plowed through most of it in no time. I was broke as shit so I had to make do with whatever I could get my hands on and in this case that was a can of Campbell's alphabet soup. I heated it up then dumped a bunch of hot sauce on it. Once the initial heat wore off I started getting notes of musty earthy tones. A few bites later that taste developed into overpowering mildew. I fished the can out of the trash to find an expiration of 1992... which might've been a mighty fine vintage for the early 90s. The year, however, was 2002.

I was fine... no ill effects other than a mildew taste that hung around longer than I'd cared for it to.

[-]

joelnicity@reddit

I have used canned vegetables that were only a few months past. I try to rotate through things so that it’s not an issue but I also wouldn’t have a problem if they were a few years past the date

[-]

MtnRubi@reddit

30 year old SpaghettiOs. Found them in mom’s pantry, tried them on a bet. They were fine.

[-]

Revent10@reddit

found a can of chicken noodle soup from 1994 in my grandma's cupboard back in 2014. was mushy as shit and tasted like sadness, but I didnt get sick

[-]

hoardac@reddit

Had a can of spam that was 4 years past and I did not shit my pants.

[-]

formyburn101010@reddit

Fried of mine worked in a pantry kitchen. They said that "dates don't matter". I'm sure that had its limits, but take that for what you will.

[-]

zaraguato@reddit

12 year old (15 years after production date) canned beans, tasted great, no difference.

[-]

spleencheesemonkey@reddit

I have a tin of Hello Kitty spaghetti hoops that I’m saving for a rainy day. Use by date of December 2012.

[-]

samvvellllll@reddit

Hello kitty has exploded since then you should probably hold onto this as a collectors item imho

[-]

Malumeze86@reddit

Could probably sell it for enough cash to purchase a few cans of fresh spaghetti hoops.

[-]

CarefulPersimmon9672@reddit

25 year old Girl Scout cookies. Thin mints. In the original packaging. Not a can. They were quite good, no mold or anything.

I ate every single one.

[-]

isaiah55v11@reddit

At least 2 years. I have eaten loads of things that have been expired and they are fine. However even in a not expired tin, I have seen corrosion along the edges and those go in the trash immediately

[-]

SimpleVegetable5715@reddit

I have some coconut milk that is three years out of date, it’s perfectly fine. I am using some in lentil soup tonight. I guess the oldest one I’ve eaten was black beans 6 years past the date. It was also fine. What I don’t like are tomatoes, because they pick up more of that metallic taste from the can.

[-]

ZookeepergameOk2759@reddit

Some bully beef from Arnhem,came across a whole mess of it on a pilgrimage to Oostebeek,figured I’d fry it up and make a basic stew and see where the cards landed

[-]

wtfredditacct@reddit

I've had mre's that are ~25yo. They end up bland and kinda gross. They're all a little different depending on what it is (meat gets tough, noodles get mushier). Still edible, with questionable nutritional value to start, I feel like they're mostly just salt at that point 😂

[-]

ar0ha@reddit

7 year old Spam, still was good as new.

[-]

joshd523@reddit

My grandpa’s last jar of canned gravy, we opened it about 8 years after he died, so it would’ve been around 10 years old

[-]

nevsfam@reddit

No swelling, no rust, it's good. Born on dates are a ploy to sell you more food

[-]

EverVigilant1@reddit

Coffee, #10 can: 4 years past best-by date. Just lost some flavor richness, but wasn't bad.

Progresso low sodium soup: 2 years past best by date. Everything in the soup tasted the same, like another commenter said. It wasn't bad. It was bland and not very flavorful.

[-]

jermsman18@reddit

5 year past due almond butter. It was perfect.

[-]

Captain_Cameltoe@reddit

Not sure about canned food but I once tried chewing a 35 year old stick of baseball card chewing gum. I think it had started separating into its individual chemical components. I nearly puked.

[-]

in4theshow@reddit

My dad had C-rations from when he was in the Vietnam war ~1966 and I ate some all of them in the early 80s.

[-]

joka2696@reddit

My best was four year old corn. It was fine, like I just bought it.

[-]

Black_Death_12@reddit

Apparently over the past few years I've found more sales of canned corn than I have actually eaten canned corn.
Was going through everything this weekend, and found some best by 2023. Those will now be at the top of my list to eat soon, lol

[-]

icemonsoon@reddit

chicken soup 1 year past and it did give me stomach ache

[-]

Achnback@reddit

I have pretty good inventory control, the oldest canned goods I have eaten are Del Monte Green Beans and Giant sweet corn. Both are 3 years past and taste just fine. I have Salsa working on 2 years past, no issues other than it got hotter.

[-]

That_Play7634@reddit

Campbell's soup stored in garage attic for \~11 years, -10F to 110F annual temp swings with hundreds of freeze thaw cycles. Smelled fine, taste a little bland, texture a bit spongey.

Campbell's soup forgotten in my old van for 5 years, 2 out of 8 cans had popped open, tasted fine.

Smoked oysters in oil about 10 years old, tasted like new. I would have thought the oil would have been a problem but I guess not.

Bush's baked beans sitting outside on the ground for 3 years. Can was rusty on the outside but inside was intact. Tasted normal.

Also had a 10-year-old bulk can of green beans just sitting in the closet suddenly spring a leak. Due to the smell, I did not attempt to eat any. I would have thought green beans would be more shelf stable.

[-]

fatcatleah@reddit

The Federal govt doesn't require best if used by or exp dates on ANYTHING but infant formula. Dates were originally meant to help the grocers rotate stock. Most manufacturers arbitrarily pick a date two years out from when the product was canned.

Dates on canned goods have no meaning. You, the consumer, can chose when you would like to eat the product.

[-]

psilome@reddit

I had a WW II era K ration can of pork, in the 90's. So approx 50 years old. Tasted a large chunk of it. It was light gray, waxy, and had a gritty and pasty texture. Had the taste of stale, slightly rancid oil. No real meat taste. You could eat it for the food value but wouldn't enjoy it.

[-]

in_pdx@reddit

I recently ate the last of the albacore tuna from Costco I purchased in early 2020. It tasted perfect in spite of being expired for years

[-]

fatcatleah@reddit

12 years. It was a can of Cranberry jelly. I purposely kept it to see when the can would deteriorate.

[-]

8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

For canned goods, the oldest I opened was 4 years past expiration. It was fine.

For other stuff: I opened a 10-year-old Datrex bar and it tasted just like new. I ate an MRE back in 2022 that was packed in 2008. It was fine...well, it was as good as a new MRE is. :)

[-]

Anonymo123@reddit

eating soup now that is 5 years old. i didnt rotate my stock as quickly as I should have.

rice in Mylar i just opened up a 20 yr old bag with zero problems.

[-]

Traditional-Leader54@reddit

Just had a can of beaked beans 3 years past date and there was a slight metallic taste but I still ate half the can. Same with crushed tomatoes.

[-]

rosstafarien@reddit

I've got some canned dry milk (Nido brand) that's about 10 years past the date on the side. I opened a can a month ago. It doesn't mix as well as it used to, but no off colors or flavors.

[-]

xaidin@reddit

Ate corn that's 11 years. All good. It's a matter of acid. Tomatoes probably bad 3 years past date.

[-]

Educational_Crab9808@reddit

I’ve had a can of Stagg Chili that was 10yrs past the best before date. Stored in steady temperature. Can was in good shape with no rust or dents. Can was not bulging nor did it hiss upon opening. Smell test and visual check was good. For comparison had a new can of stagg chili and found the old chili was a bit muted in taste but not overly so. I did not get ill.

[-]

IrishSetterPuppy@reddit

I ate some old Civil Defense Survival Biscuts from a tin from the 60s. Had to have them with water but they were fine.

[-]

whopops@reddit

I ate a vacuum sealed bag of beans from 1976.

Very mushy very tasteless 2/10.

Check the can can has no damage and you can hear the vacuum break when you open it. Check for strange discoloration and smells give it a taste if it taste any kinds of sour or "off" spit it out. 99.999999999999% of the time you are going to be able to tell if the food is bad you're body is extremely good at identifying the taste and smell of gone off foods.

[-]

YankeeDog2525@reddit

There was a time when packaged food did not come with an expiration date.

[-]

infinitum3d@reddit

It still doesn’t come with an expiration date.

[-]

Traditional-Leader54@reddit

Some put EXP before the date even though we know it’s really a best by date.

[-]

lousuewho2@reddit

I had several cans of corn that were forgotten in my garage. So I treated myself like a lab rat and I ate some of it. The ones that were 5 years past their expiration seemed fine. The ones that were 8 years past had lost a lot of flavor, but they were edible, just tasted like the tin can. The ones 10 years past had a strong metallic taste. I ate a couple of bites to see what would happen, and I didn’t notice any ill effects. But man that tasted bad. I’d have to be awfully hungry to eat something like that again.

[-]

Clinthor86@reddit

There are people on youtube that eat canned stuff and mres that are decades old and talk about how it tastes.

[-]

FletchWazzle@reddit

During a trying time with my hoarder mother before her passing, I scavenged the house for food. I ate many a several year outdated food item. The cereal and chips I found were the most stale, the flavor profiles transformed in to an unrecognizable to its intended taste.

[-]

Sleddoggamer@reddit

Progresso chicken noodle soup. 8 years old and was still almost exactly as it was supposed to be, just a little sour

Had the same soup go so bad I couldn't use it at all 4 months before the best buy date. It depends on storage conditions, and sometimes what kills it is conditions you can't control as they happened before you got bought the can

[-]

RevolutionarySea4754@reddit

I had a can of powdered milk. I was 8 years past but I was poor.... I felt fine and used it to make bread. I was perfectly fine.

I've also eatten a soup about 6 years past and was also fine.

[-]

infinitum3d@reddit

I had a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese that was 5 years past best by, and it was fine. Granted, it was kept cool and dark and dry for those years.

[-]

xHangfirex@reddit

In 1994 or so I ate a can of c-rats canned ham. It was dated 1968 I believe. It was good.

[-]

Rando1ph@reddit

Those cans have a plastic liner so they get icky as that degrades. From what I've read as long as it's sealed, it'll never make you sick. But it'll taste bad and all that plastic will leach into the food over time, especially if it gets hot.

I'd be curious how things packaged in glass compares in longevity?

[-]