Wondering what canned foods last the longest? We’ll give you the definitive list of the best canned foods to stockpile for survival in this article.
I’ve been stocking up on long-term survival food for years and have tested dozens of survival foods to find the best options for my own prepper pantry. This article is an accumulation of what I’ve learned about canned foods to help you prepare for a food shortage.
I’ll go over what canned foods last the longest based on science and experience, as well as the exact canned foods I recommend everyone store for an emergency.
Table of Contents
What Canned Foods Last the Longest?
The canned foods that last the longest are those low in acid, like meats and veggies. Many fruits are very high in acid, which damages the can and causes leakage. You’ll notice that high-acid canned goods tend to bulge much faster than other types of canned foods.
I’ve experienced this firsthand. Once upon a time, I was storing canned pineapple in my long-term food storage. One day, I heard a loud ruckus from my pantry and realized that one of the cans of pineapple had exploded. There was partially fermented pineapple juice EVERYWHERE.
Moral of the story:
Don’t plan on storing acidic canned foods very long.
10 Best Canned Foods to Stockpile for an Emergency
Want to know exactly what foods to stock up on at the grocery store? Here are my favorite canned foods that I actually store.
This list is based on canned items that can be stored long-term and used in a range of recipes. Most of these canned goods make an appearance in one of our survival recipes, which is a good place to start if you want an idea of how these foods can be used.
- Black Beans: You can use black beans in practically anything. It’s an easy protein source that lasts a long time.
- SPAM: Spam is designed to be used from a can, so you won’t run into the weird texture problems that can plague other types of canned meats. It’s actually quite good!
- Chicken: Canned chicken works great in soups. I use it for chicken and dumplings all the time.
- Mixed Vegetables: Mixed veggies are a great addition to soups or just to add some extra nutrition to a meal.
- Tuna: Canned tuna or salmon is extremely nutritious and lasts a long time. Get the kind canned in oil for extra fats.
- Evaporated Milk: It might not last as long as other canned options, but milk is required for so many different recipes.
- Cabbage: Canned cabbage can last for years. You can add it to roasts or soups.
- Carrots: Carrots are used in tons of different soups and can be easily spruced up to be eaten as a side. I use them in chicken and dumplings, Brunswick stew, and lentil soup.
- Ham: Not all meats taste good after being canned, but ham is one of the exceptions. It’s a good alternative to SPAM.
- Corn: Corn lasts an extremely long time without taste or texture changes. The National Food Processors Association once analyzed a can of 40-year-old corn and found that it was completely safe to eat and almost as nutritional as fresh corn (it was just a bit low in vitamin C).
I’d recommend starting with these canned foods first. You can make tons of recipes out of them and be set for several weeks on these 10 foods alone.
Store Foods You Like to Eat
All that said, don’t buy foods you won’t eat. If you don’t like SPAM, don’t buy it (try ham instead). If you can’t stand peas, buy a veggie mix that doesn’t include it. People tend to get pickier in survival situations, not less so (especially children). So don’t assume you or anyone else will eat something “when they get hungry enough.”
I recommend looking at recipes you usually make and substitute fresh ingredients for canned ones. That’s exactly what I did when writing my survival chicken and dumplings recipe, and it’s now something that my family makes regularly.
Of course, this works best for soups and similar types of food. Canned chicken will never replace whole, grilled chicken, but you won’t be able to tell the difference in soup.
Practice cooking with your canned foods regularly. This isn’t just so you’ll know how to cook with them. It also helps you and the rest of your family get used to eating them.
Trying out new recipes (especially with children) in the middle of an emergency just ads to the anxiety of the situation. Knowing what you have and what you will cook with it creates one less thing to worry about.
How to Tell When Canned Food Has Gone Bad
Checking the can for damage and the food inside is the best way to tell if canned food is still safe to eat. Here are some signs a can of food probably shouldn’t be eaten:
- Bulging can
- Damaged can
- Leaking can
- Mold growth
- Rising air bubbles
- Off-color
- Off-smell
Canned foods can absolutely go bad and make you sick. Botulism is an illness caused by bacteria that can grow inside a sealed can. It is a very serious issue and will likely become a bigger problem in a survival situation, since food will be scarce. According to the CDC:
“Botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves. Botulism causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death.”
In an emergency, the last thing you want to do is become sick. Luckily, checking to see if canned food has gone bad is similar to checking if any food has gone bad. If it smells or looks weird, you probably shouldn’t eat it. If the can seems like it’s fermented, you shouldn’t eat it.
To be extra safe, we recommend cooking anything you eat out of a can that has been sitting for a while. Boiling will kill just about any bacteria that might have snuck in (Make sue you have an Emergency Stove!).
Of course, cooking isn’t going to revive your fermented tomatoes. So, this only works with food items that seem fine to your eyes and nose.
Canned Foods Expiration Dates Explained
There are tons of different dates you might find on a can: the best-by date, canning date, sell-by date, and the use-by date. The type of date your can has doesn’t really matter much.
Because:
The date on a can isn’t necessarily the date that it isn’t good to eat. Food is often edible far after the date has passed.
According to the USDA:
“Most shelf-stable foods are safe indefinitely. In fact, canned goods will last for years, as long as the can itself is in good condition.”
The date on a can is based on nutritional completeness, not safety. The vitamins in a food will begin to break down far before the food goes bad (usually the antioxidants, like vitamin C). This is what the dates on the can are based on.
Companies are often required to store samples of their foods for up to two years after their expiration date for quality assurance reasons. Because of this, some companies may put a sooner expiration date on their cans just so they don’t have to store as much!
There have been many studies on the longevity of canned foods. The National Food Processors Association once tested over 100-year-old cans from the shipwreck Bertrand and found that they were completely safe to eat (even after being underwater for 100 years).
The Washington State University even found that:
“The canning process keeps it safe. If a product is correctly processed, it should remain safe until opened or the seal is broken. The U.S. Army has found that canned meats, vegetables and jam were in “excellent states of preservation” after 46 years.”
Simply put, your eyes and nose are a better judge of food safety than the expiration date on a can. As a general rule of thumb, it’s widely considered that low-acid canned foods will remain safe for at least five years, though most will last much longer than that.
That is less than freeze-dried emergency foods, but canned foods are often much more budget-friendly (and you can find them at your local grocery store).
How to Store Canned Foods Long Term
Canned foods should be stored in a cool, dark, dry place that stays between 50–70°F.
Basements can be a good option if they are dry. A large dehumidifier is a great addition to any canned storage space, but it can be especially useful for a basement!
You don’t want to store canned foods in a shed or other outdoor building. The temperature fluctuates too much, and the humidity can reach very high levels. If you’re strapped for space, consider storing cans in under-bed storage containers or getting a closet organizer for this purpose.
No matter where you store your canned foods, use FIFO (First in, first out). Simply put, this means stocking up on plenty of canned items and then using the oldest can first. Once you’ve used it, buy another. This prevents anything from going bad and keeps your food storage full.
I recommend making at least one meal from your non-perishable pantry at least once every two weeks.
I also like to store my cans upside down. Dirt and dust tends to accumulate on top, so by storing them upside down the top of the can stays clean. This way before I open it I don’t have to worry as much about cleaning it off.
You can store canned foods right alongside other types of non-perishable foods, like emergency food kits. They don’t need any special storage.
Learn More
Building your canned food storage is pretty simple.
Next time you go to the store, just buy an extra can or two. Within a few months, you’ll have a sizable emergency food supply.
Don’t stop there, though. There are plenty of other survival foods to stockpile that you can find at your local grocery store, too.
Preferably, you should continue stocking up on non-perishable foods until you’ve built a 3-month food supply. Then, you can move on to more intensive long-term DIY food storage.
For more on the possibility of a food shortage, see our alarming Is a Food Shortage Coming article.
