Preps starting to expire

LC,

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This is what I'm holding off on is powdered milk. I phoned Loblaws today and they said its good for 18 months "from" the day it is made. The last 4 numbers on the bag will tell you the expiry date, for example
160G means 160 days into the year, and the G stands for 2007. The alphabet stands for the year, A is 2000, B is 2001...ect
But I'm feeling uncomfortable with everything I'm reading about bird flu, and considering to start buying some powdered milk as its very expensive here in Canada $18.99 a bag. Has to be stored in a cool dry place with no sun.

  Hobby

 I just bought a 2.5 kg of powdered milk and number is 135 I

that should read as 135 days in 2009? right?

I ordered powdered milk in galvanized lined #10 cans from different suppliers for long term storage and it may outlive me. But here is a chart from Provident Living that may help answer your questions. I would think this would apply to milk you buy at the store and store yourself. Also, Walton Feeds has a lot of information on nutritional food values. Good luck

Approximate Shelf Life of Foods Stored in Airtight Containers at Room Temperature        Provident living
Product    Shelf Life    Storage Tips
Adzuki Beans    8 Years    
Alfalfa Seed    8 Years    Sprouts best when 2-3 years old
Apple Flakes, Dried    5 Years    
Apples, Dried    5 Years    
Bananas, Dried    5 Years    
Barley    8 Years    
Beans, Refried    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Black Turtle Beans    8 Years    
Blackeye Beans    8 Years    
Broccoli    8 Years    
Buckwheat    12 Years    
Butter Powder    5 Years    
Cabbage    10 Years    
Carrots    10 Years    
Celery    10 Years    
Cheese Powder    15 Years    
Cocoa Powder    15 Years    
Corn, Whole    12 Years    
Cornmeal    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Durum Wheat    10 Years    
Egg Powder    5 Years    Stores 15 years in freezer
Flax Seed    10 Years    
Flour, Unbleached    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Flour, White    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Flour, Whole Wheat    3 Years    Use within 3 months of opening container
Fruit Galaxy    5 Years    
Garbanzo Beans    8 Years    
Garden Seeds    4 Years    Refrigerate for best results
Germade Cereal    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Gluten    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Granola    5 Years    
Great Northern Beans    8 Years    
Honey, Pure Pasteurized    Indefinite    Will crystallize over time
Honey, Pure Raw    5 Years    May ferment over time
Kamut    12 Years    
Kidney Beans    8 Years    
Lentils    8 Years    
Lima Beans    8 Years    
Macaroni    10 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Margarine Powder    10 Years    
Millet    10 Years    
Mixes, Dry    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Morning Moo    5 Years    
Mung Beans    8 Years    
Nonfat Dry Milk    5 Years    
Noodles    10 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Oat Groats    8 Years    
Oats, Quick Rolled    1-2 Years    
Oats, Regular Rolled    5 Years    
Onions    10 Years    Gradually turn brown over time
Pasta, White    10 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Pasta, Whole Wheat    8 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Peaches, Dried    5 Years    
Peanut Butter Powder    4 Years    Refrigerate for longer shelf life
Peppers    10 Years    
Pink Beans    8 Years    
Pinto Beans    8 Years    
Potatoes    7 Years    Gradually turn brown over time
Quinoa    8 Years    
Raisins, Dried    5 Years    
Raisins, Moist    3 Years    
Red Wheat, Hard    15 Years    
Ribbon Noodles    10 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Rice, Brown    1 Year    Will store up to 5 years in freezer
Rice, White    10 Years    
Rolled Oats    7 Years    Store in airtight container after opening
Rye    8 Years    
Salt    Indefinite    Will clump in moist environment
Shortening Powder    10 Years    
Small Red Beans    8 Years    
Small White Navy Beans    8 Years    
Soft Wheat    10 Years    
Soybeans    8 Years    
Spaghetti    10 Years    Add a handful of salt to reduce moisture
Spelt    12 Years    
Sprouting Seeds    4 Years    
Sugar    Indefinite    Will clump in moist environment
Triticale    12 Years    
TVP    20 Years    
Wheat Flakes    5 Years    
Wheat, Cracked    5 Years    Use within 1 year of opening container
Whey Powder    15 Years    Gradually turns brown but is still usable
White Wheat, Hard    15 Years    
Yeast    2 Years    Stores 7-10 years in the freezer

PS If your honey turns to sugar just place it in warm water to change it back. Hope it helps.

You are very welcome.

anything on frozen foods? like chicken, pork ribs, pork chops, hamburger meat.

shelf life is problematic , my preps consist mostly of reg.store bought foods.and i use what i refer to as "block rotation" ...preps are sorted by general shelf life then when there close to expire i will rotate a whole shelf to the general use pantry....this keeps my life simple. back around 2000 i did a massive stock up, and just let it sit..lol i got stuck with a lot of expensive expired critter food...so we rotate about 2 weeks to a month worth of food at a time

    I recently tried an idea that was posted on here.
Place a color sticker on you foods for the year it expires. o each year has its own color. I also wrote the month it exp on the sticker. So at a glance then you can see which you need to use first.

http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=7&id=587

 

I just opened and ate a can of pineapple that was expired 2 years ago and it was fine. It is true that the FDA requires manufacturers to put exp. dates on everything --including drugs but the product may expire months or even tears after. Again, it depends on what it is and the smell when it is opened.

   .

About a year or so ago one of my son's said he read a story where a 50 year old can of Campell's Chicken Soup was found in an old storm cellar. They tested it and guess what. It was still good. I expect it was somewhat rusty because think of the conditions it was in for all those years. Don't throw away your food. Give a starving person a can of food and they won't look for an expiration date.
Good luck.

Does anyone have any idea's on storing fresh veggies without putting them in the sand, I can't do that.

I recently used two cans of condensed milk from the pantry which was dated 1998 for making cookies, it was just fine and the cookies were even better.