How long is it safe to keep canned food, and how much would be recommended for emergencies?

Question

I know there are survivalists and "doomsday preppers" out there, and others who have experience in this area. I'm not a doomsday prepper myself, but I'm becoming increasingly and rapidly concerned, given the instability of my country (U.S.) and the likelihood of war coming to our actual soil.

Please, no political comments or trolling. I'm not here for that, and this could also pertain to simply surviving through a large-scale natural disaster as well. I just want to know, how long does canned food last on the shelf to be safe to eat? Vegetables, fruit, soup, chili, etc. Is boxed soup less likely to last long? Should they be kept in a cool environment (such as my unheated garage, which doesn't freeze due to the furnace being in it), or is room temperature better, like in my food pantry?

How long does bottled water last, also? I'm thinking like the larger jugs of drinking water. How about canned and dry cat food?

Finally, any estimate on how much food, drinking water, and medical supplies I should store at a time for 1 single adult and 2 adult cats? While some berry foraging in summer could be expected, and there is some availability of game and fish (my family hunts and fishes, though I personally don't), there wouldn't be a lot of "free" resources, and there would be competition for it if a large-scale disaster or rationing were to happen.

Them · Accepted Answer

For real survival, think SPAM.  It saved a lot of lives in WW 2!  It will keep for 3 to 5 years.  It's high salt, high fat, high protein.  So it's exactly what you need for survival.  Stuff like canned vegetables don't really have much food value in them and take up lots of room - so you have to watch out for those.  They'd be nice to have in a survival situation though.

One of the most probable disasters we face is some foreign power knocking out our power grid which could then be down for a year or more.  (Ted Koppel - "Lights Out").   And without power, everything will grind to a halt.  Spam is something which doesn't need to be refrigerated after it's opened.  It saved so many lives on the South Sea Islands in WW 2 that it's still a BIG favorite of the people.  When they sell Spam in the store in the Philippines they have to put a limit on it, or people will just go in and buy it all.

Best place to get Spam is Costco...  that would maybe be your best buy.

Remember - if real trouble starts - there's nothing wrong with fasting.  You can fast for weeks at a time if need be - but it would be nice to have a mouthful of Spam from time to time!

The MOST important thing for survival is water....  and water would be quickly contaminated by sewage or whatever........  So think about getting water filtering equipment - maybe like a backpacker would carry.   Any water you drink MUST be pure or you risk being sick while you're in danger of dying of starvation.  Not a good idea.

Survival might be impossible....... that's just something we all face.  But the very least preparation you make could very well save your life or your family's life.

With TrumpTreason in office, we stand a good chance that he'll blunder us into an atomic war........  so good luck to us!

? · Answer

The vast majority of canned foods will last for a couple of decades.  Hormel has openly stated that as long as their cans are in good condition their food is safe to eat.  Beware any cans that are bulging or leaking.  These are most often cans containing fruit or a heavy tomato base product.  The acids can eat through the seal given enough time.

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How long is it safe to keep canned food, and how much would be recommended for emergencies?

2 Answers