Shelf Life of Canned Goods

Canned foods account for about 12% of the total grocery sales, in the United States. Around 1500 different food items are preserved through the process of canning. Canning is done in order to obtain a particular food item around the year. This is particularly true in case of certain fruits and vegetables, which are available only in a particular season. Thus, canning allows the consumers to enjoy the food item of their choice in any season. Moreover, loading your refrigerator with canned foods, saves unnecessary trips to the supermarket.

Shelf Life of Canned Goods

If you want to determine the shelf life of canned items, then you will have to look for its acid content. Low acid foods have a greater shelf life than those with higher acids in them. The shelf life of various canned goods, according to the type of food items canned, is as follows:

Fish and Meat
Fish and meat are low acid foods, hence, can be stored for a long time. Canned fish and meat can be stored in the pantry in unopened condition for about 2 to 5 years. However, once the can is opened, it should be stored in the refrigerator and the food must be consumed within 3 to 5 days. To avail the optimum quality and flavor, it is recommended that you consume canned fish and meat within a year of food packaging.

Fruits
Fruits are high in acid content, hence it is imperative that you should not store them for more than 12 months. Often the recommended shelf life for fruits and vegetables is 18 to 24 months, but by the time they undergo the shipping procedure and reach end consumers, their shelf life reduces to 12 to 18 months. Fruits and fruit juices that have surpassed their shelf life should not be consumed to avoid the cases of food poisoning.

Vegetables
Some vegetables like tomatoes are highly acidic in nature, hence cannot be stored for more than 1 year. Its quality starts deteriorating after a year and makes it unfit for human consumption. However, other vegetables like peas, corn, spinach, pumpkin, carrots etc, which have low acid content can be safely stored for 2 to 5 years.

Jams and Jellies
Jams and jellies in canned form should not be stored for more than a year. The exact shelf life would depend upon the fruits used in jams and jelly. However, after 1 year these food items lose their color and flavor to some extent. The discoloration may not affect their taste, but it definitely renders them unappealing.

Milk and Other Dairy Products
The shelf life of canned milk depends upon its fat content. Interestingly, the more the fat content, the longer is the shelf life of milk. Thus, the shelf life of canned milk varies between 9 to 15 months, depending upon its fat content. Other dairy products such as cheese, butter etc. can be stored unopened for about 1 year in the refrigerator. Whether opened or unopened, you should never store dairy products outside the refrigerator.

The shelf life of canned goods can be enhanced, if you store them in cool, dry place such as the refrigerator. Shelf life of home canned goods is also more or less the same as commercially canned foods, provided you preserve them in a proper way. Any cans with dents, rust etc. should be straightaway discarded without bothering to check its expiry date. Also, it is recommended that you consume canned goods within a year of packaging, irrespective of the type of food canned because, these foods tend to lose out on their nutrients after 9 to 12 months of packaging.