Shelf Life, Stockpile Rotation, and the Truth About Expiration Dates

Here's a great post from Krazy Coupon Lady:

One of the most important Extreme Couponing tips that a beginner needs to learn is how to know how much to stockpile AND how to properly rotate what you have in order to avoid waste (because throwing away anything, even if we paid only pennies for it, is so not cool)! My rotation strategy is pretty basic: when I purchase 10 new boxes of cereal, I place them behind the other boxes on the shelf in my garage: same goes for everything else from pasta sauce to toothpaste. Then, at least 4 times a year, I go through everything I have to make an inventory. I don’t write it all down, but I’ve found it helps me to take a mental inventory. Anything that’s in my stockpile that’s going to expire in the net 3 months gets brought inside or marked for donation.

The more you coupon, the easier it will become to know how much to buy at a time. You’ll learn how often body wash is free or peanut butter is $1.00 or less, and that will help you gauge how much to buy when you find a great price. In addition to knowing how often an item can be found for a certain price, it’s also vital to have a basic knowledge of a product’s shelf life. In order to help, we created a list of what we thought were the Top 100 shelf-stable products and listed them, with their corresponding shelf lives, below.

Salty Snacks

Chips, corn tortilla 3 months
Chips, potato 2 months
Crackers 3 months
Nuts, shelled 4 months
Popcorn, kernels 18-24 months
Popcorn, packaged/ microwave 12 months
Pretzels 3 months
Snack mix 3- 6 months

PB & J

Jams/ Jellies/ Preserves 12 months
Peanut Butter Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months.
Nutella 8 months

Fruit

Applesauce 12-18 months
Fruit, canned 12 months
Fruit, dehydrated 8- 12 months
Raisins 6-12 months

Vegetables

Beans, canned 24 months
Beans, dried 12 months
Beans, refried 24 months
Lentils, dried 12 months
Olives 12 months
Pickles 18 months
Pumpkin, canned 24 months
Tomatoes, whole or diced 12- 18 months
Tomato sauce 12-18 months
Vegetables, canned 24 months

Pasta

Pasta, dry 24-36 months
Pasta sauce, tomato based 18- 24 months
Pasta, white 12-18 months

Soup

Bouillon 24 months
Broth, canned 12 months
Chili, canned 18-24 months +
Dry soup mix 12 months
Soup, canned 24 months

Baking

Baking powder 18 months
Baking soda 24 months
Cake/ Brownie mix 12 months
Chocolate chips, semisweet 18 months
Coconut, shredded 12 months
Cornmeal 12 months
Cornstarch 18 months +
Corn syrup 24 months +
Flour, all purpose 8-12 months
Flour, whole wheat 6 months
Frosting 3-8 months
Gelatin 18 months
Honey indefinitely
Marshmallows 3-4 months
Milk, condensed 12 months
Milk, evaporated 12 months
Milk, non-fat dry 6 months
Molasses 24 months
Oil, canola/ vegetable 18-24 months
Oil, olive unopened/opened: 2 years from manufacture date. (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
Pudding mix 12 months
Salt Indefinitely
Shortening 18 months
Sugar, brown 4-6 months
Sugar, powdered 18 months
Sugar, white granulated 24 months +
Vanilla extract 24 months
Yeast, active dry Exp date on pkg

Breakfast

Cereal 12 months
Fruit snacks 9 months
Granola bars 6-8 months
Oats, old fashioned or quick 12 months
Pancake mix 6-9 months
Pop Tarts 3-6 months
Syrup, pancake 12 months

Prepared Sides & Rices

Bread crumbs, dried 6 months
Rice, brown 6 months
Rice, minute 18 months
Rice or pasta, herb/ seasoned 6 months
Rice, white 24 months+
Instant potatoes 12 months
Stuffing mix 6-12 months

Condiments and Toppings

Ketchup 12 months (unopened). Opened: 4 to 6 months. (After these times, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
Mayonnaise unopened: Indefinitely. Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchased by” date. (After this time, color or flavoring may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
Mustard 24 months
Parmesan cheese, grated 10-12 months
Salad dressing unopened: 12 months after “best buy” date. Opened: 9 months refrigerated.
Salsa 12-18 months
Soy sauce 24 months (unopened). Opened: 3 months.
Steak sauce 24 months
Syrup, chocolate 12 months

Syrup, maple 12 months
Vinegar unopened/opened: 42 months

Drinks

Creamer powder 18-24 months
Drink mix, powdered 18-24 months
Hot cocoa mix 8 months
Juice, bottled 12 months
Soda pop 3-9 months (Regular, 9 months from "best by date", Diet, 3 months from "best by" date)
Sport drinks 9 months
Tea, bags 18 months
Water, bottled 12-24 months

Baby

Infant Formula Exp date on can
Jarred baby food 12- 24 months
Rice cereal 12 months

Meat

Chicken, canned 12-36 months
Tuna, canned 24-48 months

Shelf lives listed are for unopened products stored in a cool, dry environment and are commercially canned, bottled, or packaged. Dates are approximate and may vary by brand. Always look at the product’s Best By or Use By date and discard any food that exhibits a change in odor, color, or taste. Once products are opened, shelf life decreases substantially.

Here is some more information on expiration dates from HotCouponWorld:

Is It Still Good?

Make-up

nail polish. Unopened/Opened: 1 year from manufacture date.
nail polish remover. Unopened/Opened: Lasts indefinitely.
perfume. Unopened/Opened: 1 to 2 years.
lipstick. Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
mascara. Unopened: 2 years. Opened: 3 to 4 months.
foundation, oil-based. Unopened/Opened: 2 years from date of manufacture.
foundation, water-based. Unopened/Opened: 3 years from date of manufacture.

Cleaning supplies

windex. Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
metal polish. Unopened/Opened: at least 3 years.
wood polish (Pledge). Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
powdered laundry detergent. Unopened: 9 months to a 1 year. Opened: At least 6 months.
liquid laundry detergent. Unopened: 9 months to 1 year. Opened: 6 months.
bleach. Unopened/Opened: 3 to 6 months.

Expiration date terminology
These terms all apply to unopened products.

• Best if used by and use-by date: With emphasis on the best qualifier in this term, it means the product should retain maximum freshness, flavor and texture if used by this date. It is not a purchase-by or safety date. Beyond this date, the product begins to deteriorate, although it may still be edible.

•Expiration date: If you haven't used the product by this date, toss it out. Other dating terms are used as a basic guideline, but this one means what it says.

• Sell-by or pull-by date: This date is used by manufacturers to tell grocers when to remove their product from the shelves, but there is generally still some leeway for home usage. For example, milk often has a sell-by date, but the milk will usually still be good for at least a week beyond that date if properly refrigerated.

• Guaranteed fresh: This date is often used for perishable baked goods. Beyond this date, freshness is no longer guaranteed although it may still be edible.

• Pack date: This is the date the item was packed, most-used on canned and boxed goods. It is usually in the form of an encrypted code not easy to decipher. It may be coded by month (M), day (D), and year (Y), such as YYMMDD or MMDDYY. Or it may be coded using Julian (JJJ) numbers, where January 1 would be 001 and December 31 would be 365. In even more convoluted coding, letters A through M (omitting the letter I) are often assigned to the months, with A being January and M being December, plus a numeric day, either preceded or followed by the numeric year.


A Look at Food Product Dating and Expiration Dates

Why date food products? Quality, NOT safety. Dates on product packages recommend when to purchase or use for best quality. They are not safety dates.

Is food product dating required by law? No, it's voluntary. Except for infant formula and some baby food, product dating is not required by Federal regulations. However, if a calendar date is used, it must express both the month and day, immediately adjacent to the words "sell by" or "use by". Some states, such as Wisconsin, require dating of products such as milk.

Can foods be sold after the product date? Yes. Since product dating is voluntary by federal regulations, a retailer may legally sell foods beyond the date on the package as long as the product is wholesome. It is also legal for a retailer to change a date on wholesome fresh meat that has been cut up and wrapped in the meat department of the supermarket. However, it's not legal to alter, change or cover up a date on a product packaged under federal inspection. However, if a product has an expired date and the food remains wholesome, the product may continue to be offered for sale but the expired date must remain visible to the consumer.

What types of foods are dated? Open dating (use of a calendar date) is found primarily on perishable foods such as meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products. Closed dating (use of a code) might appear on shelf-stable products such as cans and boxes of cereal.

There are several types of dates that might appear on food products:

Sell-By dates appear on highly perishable products such as milk, meat and bread. These dates tell the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product well before the sell-by date to have sufficient time to use it at best quality.

Best Before, Better if Used Before and Best if Used By tell how long the product will retain its best flavor and quality. You'll find these dates on baked goods, cereals, snacks and some canned foods. The food is safe to eat after the date, but it might be stale or changed in taste or texture.

The Expiration, Use By or Use Before date is the last date recommended for the use of the product while at peak quality. You'll find this type of dating on eggs, yogurt and other products requiring refrigeration.

Closed or coded dates are packing numbers for use by the manufacturer to rotate the stock as well as to locate their products in the event of a recall. Look for these dates on canned goods and staples.

Is it safe to use products after the expiration date? A food that has been properly stored at home should be wholesome and of good quality for a reasonable period of time after the purchase date. A reasonable period of time may extend from

1-5 days for fresh meats;
3-7 days for perishable processed products such as milk;
3-5 weeks(!) for eggs.

If a food has developed an off odor, flavor or appearance caused by growth of spoilage bacteria, then discard it. Mishandled food should be discarded, even before the expiration date.

How long can consumers store products and still use them at top quality?
Follow these tips for the best quality:

Purchase the product well before the expiration date.
If the food is perishable, take it home immediately after purchase and refrigerate promptly. Freeze it if you can't use it within the recommended time. Once a perishable product is frozen, it doesn't matter if the date expires because foods kept frozen are safe indefinitely.