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1/24/2026 3:24:26 PM EDT
since it's colder & soup time, i'm going thru a "jump box" kit i used to carry in my truck when hunting; coffee, soup, gas stove, ect.

some of the soup is +2 years beyond what the can sez "best by", but they still
look just like when i bought them.

Ate one a few weeks ago, smelled & tasted ok, and just had another one today.

what's the hive's cutoff for using this stuff?
i'd rather throw out a $2.00 can of stuff than suffer the aftermath.
1/24/2026 9:09:30 PM EDT
[#1]
I wouldn't hesitate to eat it, just cook it thoroughly.
1/24/2026 9:35:40 PM EDT
[#2]
My best so far was 10+year expired green beans. No issues what so ever!
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!!!
1/25/2026 7:57:01 AM EDT
[#3]
When I 1st joined arf.....10yr old tuna...bring it on bitches..


20+yrs later...

Let me check that date hmmmmm...

i dont want my final jig in the belly of a squid.
1/25/2026 9:14:49 AM EDT
[#4]
As long as it’s not canned tomato products entirely then canned stuff goes way beyond the best by date.
Canned tomatoes and like wise is very acidic and eats away at the can and where it seals at. So use caution with those products.
But the little bit of tomato in beef or vegetable soups shouldn’t be a problem.
1/25/2026 11:33:42 AM EDT
[#5]
I often use things well past the printed "use by" or "expiration date.  I make a judgement call on the condition of the packaging, smell, and taste if necessary.  We often buy things like BBQ sauces or marinades from the close out bins at grocery stores and use them as we get to them.  For cans of food as long as it's not bulged, smells and tastes ok I will run it.

Same with all our food pretty much, though I don't stack regular canned stuff as deep as I once did.  I branched off to some MTN House #10 cans several years ago and just let those live on a shelf in a closet without concern.
Originally Posted By ar-jedi:

SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!!
1/25/2026 2:40:30 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote History
Originally Posted By thederrick106:
I often use things well past the printed "use by" or "expiration date.  I make a judgement call on the condition of the packaging, smell, and taste if necessary.  We often buy things like BBQ sauces or marinades from the close out bins at grocery stores and use them as we get to them.  For cans of food as long as it's not bulged, smells and tastes ok I will run it.

Same with all our food pretty much, though I don't stack regular canned stuff as deep as I once did.  I branched off to some MTN House #10 cans several years ago and just let those live on a shelf in a closet without concern.
View Quote

We are the same in a way.
1 to 3 yrs after...open...check...eat...
It's mostly a stigma for me from getting sick a few times.

The one that was comical was the hormel roast beef ( canned in Argentina of all places).
In date..let's use it for stew meat.
Clamp on the can opener.

Psssssstttttttt squirter...lol..rancid beef juice all over the place....threw it in the sink and tossed a pan over it fast as I could.
Lol.



i dont want my final jig in the belly of a squid.
1/26/2026 6:11:29 AM EDT
[#7]
I was recently rearranging my shelves of canned goods and found a can of chicken soup that was ten years past its best buy date.
Didnt care to waste it so I heated it up as an experiment and ate it.
No ill effects that I could tell
*post contains personal opinion only and should not be considered information released in an official capacity*

0110001101101100011010010110001101101011
1/26/2026 9:50:50 AM EDT
[Last Edit: dsquared_5][Edited] [#8]


Tasted fine.

Attached File
2/7/2026 6:46:38 PM EDT
[Last Edit: LeonardC][Edited] [#9]
Most things up to 2 years after use by date.  Always look, smell, taste test.

We had a bunch of plastic bottle chunky apple sauce with cinnamon that I really liked.  Just over the 2 year mark (2023 date) and the texture, color, and taste had gone way downhill.

Spam seems to have enough salt to stay good for a very long time.  Same with tuna/albacore from Costco.

Stews, etc. start having texture problems just after the 2 year mark.  2023 going bad and 2024 date still OK.

Canned fruit cocktail had a "tinny" taste with a 2023 date.

If any question it gets thrown out.

We're trying to be more aware of USING what we have stashed and keep things in cycle.

2/8/2026 12:28:39 PM EDT
[#10]
in most cases,  you nose knows.  Open it, take a whiff.  If the can was not damaged or bulging and does not spew crap out at you,  it should be good to go.
6/12/2026 9:49:19 PM EDT
[#11]
This morning, we disposed of some 15 year expired tomato soup with a can cannon in the mountains. Adios!
6/13/2026 7:16:14 AM EDT
[#12]
There's no "hard" cutoff guideline.  The answer is " it depends" ..

Mike, non-acid food, stored on a shelf iny pantry, where it's relatively cool and dark and temperature stable?  I'm good with 2-3 years

Same food, stored in the trunk of your car, where temps swing wildly and extremely?  I'm tossing it on the expiration date

Acid foods, especially pineapple?  That's not going beyond expiration:  it'll eat right thru the can.

Pull tab tops?  Those don't last as long as can opener required tips

And some foods just don't age well.  Chick peas just go slimy.  Nope.

Other foods are totally safe but begin to suffer with regards to taste over time. My home made strawberry jam is FANTASTIC when it's weeks old.  After about the six months mark it starts to darken, looses the fresh , fragrant flavor, and changes.  Totally safe at 12 months or 24, but the older it gets, the more it declines


All of it, including the manufacturers "expiration date" or "best before" date are wild assed guesses

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