Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
When disaster strikes, no one knows when things will return to normal again. In some cases, things may never truly return to normal. With this being the case, it’s a good idea to stock up on foods that are meant for the long haul.
Before we begin, it’s important to note that these foods will only last 20 or more years if they are properly stored in conditions that are dry with stable temperatures and limited light exposure. You can learn more about that in our list of 10 things that will destroy your food storage.
With that said, here are 20 survival foods that can last at least 20 years.
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1. Baking Soda
Baking soda is another key baking ingredient with an indefinite shelf life. It’s most commonly used to help bake cookies, cakes, muffins, and similar desserts.
And like salt and honey, it also has many alternative uses. In fact, baking soda is one of the most versatile personal hygiene items, and can even be used as toothpaste.
2. Bouillon Cubes
Bouillon cubes have an indefinite shelf life, allowing you to add chicken and beef flavoring to your food long after the SHTF.
3. Cocoa Powder
Enjoying a cup of hot chocolate post-apocalypse will actually be a possibility thanks to the fact that cocoa powder will last 30+ years. Note that we’re talking about cocoa powder and not instant hot chocolate mix, which usually contains dairy.
4. Corn
Whether you eat it as-is, grind it into cornmeal, or store lots of popcorn kernels, corn is a great survival food and it has a shelf life of 30+ years.
5. Dehydrated Fruits and Vegetables
If you own a dehydrator (or can make a simple one yourself) you have the ability to make fruits and vegetables last 25+ years.
6. Dried Beans
A survival food staple, dried beans can last 30+ years if they are stored properly. Beans come packed with proteins and can also be stored safely without refrigeration. They can also be paired with many other meals. For example, a simple bean and rice dish can be quite delicious.
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7. Freeze-Dried Cheeses
You’ll get a little less mileage out of freeze-drying cheese, but freeze-dried cheese will still last 20+ years.
8. Freeze-Dried Fruit, Meats, & Vegetables
From fruits and vegetables to chicken and beef, you can make most foods last 25+ years if you keep them freeze dried.
9. Honey
Honey has an indefinite shelf life, allowing you to enjoy Nature’s sweetener even if the apocalypse lasts a lifetime. It also has several other uses.
10. Instant Beans
If you prefer your beans not to be dried, instant beans have a great shelf life as well, lasting 25+ years.
11. Instant Coffee
Stay energized post-disaster by stocking up on instant coffee. Stored properly, instant coffee will last 30+ years.
12. Maple Syrup
Syrup lasts indefinitely thanks to its high sugar content. Sometimes mold can grow on top, but all you have to do is scrape it off and boil the syrup to kill it all.
13. Oats
If you enjoy a nice bowl of oats for breakfast in the morning, we’ve got good news: rolled and whole oats are able last 30+ years in the right conditions.
14. Pasta
Those who appreciate Italian food will be happy to hear that pasta can last 30+ years. What you find to season it with may be more of a challenge, but the pasta itself has a great shelf life.
15. Potato Flakes
You won’t be able to enjoy fresh potatoes long after a disaster unless you grow them yourself, but potato flakes will last 30+ years.
16. Powdered Milk
Unless you have a milk cow, enjoying milk post-disaster may be a challenge. Thankfully, powdered milk can last 20 years or more, but only if it’s nonfat.
17. Salt
Making survival foods taste as good as the cuisine we are used to can be a challenge. Thankfully, salt has an indefinite shelf life, and it has many uses.
18. Sugar
You won’t ever have any problem sweetening your food and drinks as sugar has an indefinite shelf life.
19. Wheat
White flour only has a shelf life of 10 years. Wheat, however, has a shelf life of 20 years, allowing you to make your own flour long after your pre-processed flower has gone bad.
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20. White Rice
A large portion of the world gets by on a diet that is heavily dependent on white rice. After a disaster, the number of people sustaining themselves with white rice may increase even more since white rice has a shelf life of 30+ years.
Take note that you should avoid storing brown rice for SHTF purposes as it has a shelf life of only a few months even when stored in optimal conditions. This is a shame as brown rice is much more nutritious than white rice, but storing it for too long is a bad idea.
Making Your Food Last
It’s worth reiterating that all of these foods will only last as long as stated if they are stored properly. Even foods with an indefinite shelf life can go bad in days given the wrong conditions. That’s why ensuring suitable conditions for your food storage should be just as much a priority as storing enough of it.
The most important rule to follow in regards to food storage is to store your food at normal room temperature in a dry location and out of direct sunlight. Select an area that receives suitable air ventilation, is temperature-controlled to ensure it remains cool, and is also completely free of pests.
Examples of potential locations that meet these criteria include root cellars, bedrooms, pantries, and closets. Examples of locations that do not meet these criteria include most basements, attics, garages, outdoor sheds, bathrooms, and utility rooms. Never store your food outdoors. Here is a list of potential food storage locations.
Even if you do store your food in a location that meets the above criteria, you still need to be very careful how you go about it. Simply placing your food in its original, store-bought packaging may not be the wisest move.
Instead, purchase Mylar bags of varying sizes, plastic food grade buckets also of varying sizes, and desiccant packs. Pour your food into the Mylar bags, making sure that there is only one type of food per bag, and seal the bag using applied heat (such as from a clothing iron).
Take a sharpie and on the outside of the Mylar bag, write down the name of the food and the specific date that you stored it. Proceed to place the Mylar bags in the food grade bucket. Throw one or two desiccant packs into the bucket, then close the bucket tightly. Store the bucket in a room that meets the criteria we discussed above.
In summary:
- Choose a well-ventilated and dry room at normal room temperature and away from direct sunlight.
- Put your food in Mylar bags.
- Seal the Mylar bags with heat treatment.
- Write down the date the food was stored on the outside of the bag.
- Place the Mylar bags in food-grade buckets.
- Place desiccant packs into the buckets to keep moisture out.
- Tightly close the bucket.
This strategy for food storage will go a long way to ensuring that it can last for many years while free of moisture, humidity, pests, and other factors that can cause it to go bad.
As long as you take the right precautions, these 20 foods will last 20 years or more, allowing you to ride out almost any disaster without going hungry.
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I do not throw away food until I know it is bad. A burst can, a bubbling jar get tossed (I keep the jar). The rest gets opened and carefully tested. If it tests okay it gets used. If not it is either tossed, or goes into a controlled, specially handled composting container.
Looks are one thing, but do not always tell the tale. Smell is a better indicator, however, there are some things that might be in the food that can be inhaled besides the particulates and gasses that the nose picked up and processes. Such as some of the fungi and some others that are not the regular vegetables, fruits, and meats contaminates that are basically solid and are not a risk to take a slight whiff of to get a sense of any changes. You do not want spores of any kind in the nostrils or stomach.
Taste testing has to be approached with great caution. Most things that will give you food poisoning that brings on vomiting and diareaha are survivable if, as it was stated, the body is allowed to purge them while plenty of liquid is consumed to assist in that and to keep the body rehydrated and electrolites replenished.
However, there are some that a single small bite, like getting a bit of the food on the tip of a small spoon to taste, can be deadly. So, it can still be a crap shoot. Taste the food, and if it does not taste right, toss it. If it does taste right, hold it in safe storage conditions long enough to see if the taste tester gets sick. If not, then I would use the food. Hopefully, there will be a simple, inexpensive or home DIY test that can check for botulism and similar deadly stored food dangers.
Just my opinion.
I agree with you post, great job, my husband is always telling me to through out out dayed stuff. I never lisin, When I was going up we coulgn,t afford to through things out. I learned from my grandparents to test thing to see if there save to eat. I,m still here so I guess I,ve learned well. Stock up because it,s not if, but it s when. the shit hits the fan.
A while ago I made salmon patties, and was short one can, so I found a can of Mackerel that expired in 2009. I opened it, smelled it, tasted it (twice to be sure) and mixed with the newer salmon. I did not tell anyone until the next day and showed them the expiration date, they could not believe they were still alive. Don’t ever throw out good foods because of some dumb date.
My mother who is an “expert” has told me that what I have managed to squirrel away is all out of date, and to thrown it out.
(Shows how much she knows.) I’m not going to. I am listening to what other people are saying.
I have decided upon much prayer and reflection to let mum and dad do their thing and I will be the only prepper in the house.
My brothers and sister and assorted relatives have been warned but they have ignored me, well more fool them.
My art teacher also showed me her dehydrator, and she explained how to use one. I’m a city kid, now living in the country and I have a hell of a lot to learn.
Has anyone heard of a mouse plague yet.? There is one in New South Wales and it is making its way slowly towards Victoria.
I’m in South West Victoria in Hamilton, no mice yet, but that will change.
I agree! Especially since this worldwide Covid-19 pandemic truly is an apocalyptic war like the H1N1 Spanish Flu (misnamed) was in 1918-1920. That’s 3 years! Or almost that! We have only lived a bit more than 1 year through it. And we can expect–despite the vaccine rollout– to live like this (couch potatoes) for at least another half year if we all do our part and mask up, wash our hands, and respect physical distancing. And support our businesses, especially food businesses, especially local eateries instead of franchises.
So far, I’ve been able to get my foods and daily living items (like kitty litter and kitty food beyond my own food needs).
A good way to learn how to preserve foods and what you can store is to research American Indians.
They did it for 1,000’s of years.
Not looking forward to an unsure future, and I’m thinking if you find yourself living in the woods, what kind of life is that going to be like, where do you hide your stuff? What about the nasty people? It’s a lot to think about, and only so much one can carry, I think it’s best to travel with a group, power in numbers, well good luck to all of us.
I’m with you, Renee!
Always rotate. Rotate. Rotate. If it doesn’t smell good or taste good it will be a chore to get anyone in the family to eat it. The expiration dates are mostly for liability and taste, but still, if in doubt………
Each Christmas I give away any food I didn’t need during the year. I feel good about it and a food bank is grateful. Don’t give them cans with expiration dates. It’s rude and scares them. Be kind.
Easter is another time I rotate and give away. I’m doing a good thing and replinishing.
Have you ever considered that Republicans are the HOSTILE Congress members? Over 400 bills are sitting on the Senate majority leader’s desk collecting dust. He doesn’t want them voted on because Democrats wrote them
Your comments have nothing to do with food storage and should not be voiced in this page! Please keep your comments focused on the subject of discussion, which is food storage and long term storage. Thank you.
Well said
Agreed
Most of the democrat bills the republicans don’t agree with?
Take a hike commie. Your statement has nothng to do with survival.
Nitrogen Gas! Buy sealable totes or bins. Install a Shraeder Valve (easily done with a drill and bit), after storing your beans or what ever, purge the container with Nitrogen to replace the Room Air. Getting rid of the atmospheric Oxygen increases the storage life X 2. No O2, No oxidation. Dried Beans stored in Nitrogen will last twice as long, as long as the container remains sealed.
Just drop in a couple of oxygen absorbers into the container. Much simpler a process and less costly.
Here’s a link to oxygen absorbers
2000CC Oxygen Absorbers for Food storage, 20 PCS (20x PCS of 1) O2 Absorbers Food Grade for Mylar Bags, Canning, Preserved, Freeze Dryer, and Dehydrated Foods – Long Term Storage amazon.com/dp/B09XXBM2ZM/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_KS30XCTBKRWKAGSMCKAT?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I only have 1 word. ROTATE. I have always thought we were really good at food storage. We love beans and ham. Bought some Great Northern beans about 30ish years ago. Decided to try the beans (since beans keep forever). The beans were NOT good. Oh yeah if you were hungry you could have eaten them but we threw them out. Buying more beans and will rotate better. Also check dates on canned food. Had to get rid of a few cans of tuna. I still fully believe in food storage but ROTATE. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.
Why did you get rid of “a few cans of tuna?” I’ve ‘lost’ cans of tuna in my pantry that were still good years later but I don’t remember if they were packed in oil or water. For long-lasting, I expect oil would be better. I have Spam save, although I would never eat it except for survival, cans of chicken breast, etc. because you must have protein. Peanut butter has protein and will last. I put dried beans, lentils, rice and the like in ammo cans so bugs can’t get to grains, which they will! I also have a stash of water although I live on a river, if Yellowstone blows, I’m history anyway (and the ash that would fall in the river will make it not potable, but for other purposes, I could filter or boil river water.
Oil can go rancid over time if not stored properly. If a can shows an outward-curving top or bottom, it is infected with enteric (intestinal) pathogens such as salmonella or other food-poisoning bacteria. These will give you diarrhea and vomiting and can make you dehydrated.
If you get salmonella poisoning, allow vomiting and diarrhea to happen: these are the ways the body purges itself of the bacteria. Just be sure to keep hydrated.
But don’t invite food poisoning.
I agree with all the staples above.
If you are looking to eat some of your old canned goods, open them up, give it the visual and smell test. Then taste it a bit to see if it is off. It is absurd to throw a can away because of some ARTIFICIAL DATE STAMPED ON THE CAN. They do that mostly to fool the naive and get them to throw it away and BUY MORE.
Bacteria, even food poisoning, will not smell bad. Yeast, fungi, and molds smell. And if it’s on cheese, the mycelia (fungus “roots”) grow down an inch or so, so when you cut off the edges, cut off an inch to avoid food poisoning.
If a can has curved ends, toss them. This indicates food poisoning.
Okay. You are putting away survivor food items. Where? I did a test run with cans. I assume it was the deer that stumped the cans opened and not the beavers. Totally ruin the run and some of it was buried. Glass…they don’t like glass. Glass…moisture…so I lined newspaper on the inside and sheets of toilet paper and rice to absorb and a few years to produce data. In the meantime, the deer, or a bear, ran off with the peach tree. Can’t find the rhubarb. Drat that beaver. Next run, I painted a dryer pipe green and wrapped the outside of a mulberry tree…glued and tied branches to it. Tied the pipe to the roots…it’s still there…just pass on by fellas. Threw different types of rice into the river. Snuck in trout but we had the creek turned into a river dug out for three to five miles 60 years ago…now it’s a short run river. We placed small minnow type fish in it back then. It was time for the trout and rice. And, hither and thither, rhubarb, Tim Horton’s coffee beans, cranberries. The mulberry is a great idea as the Canadian winters are long and the fruit is short. Grew walnuts that sprouted and other small growing fruit tree berries, flower seeds that produce teas. Threw around peanuts…no show. Loads of apple and cherry tree seeds…it was quite tiresome for a 70 year old but I like the idea that someone may get lost in the bush, follow the river and may find something to eat off in the future. Shorter story…don’t forget to place moisture absorbers in some cans and do a test on cans versus glass.
Try adding red wiggler worms and nightcrawlers. Red wigglers turn detritus and soil into black gold mulch full of crop-enhancing nutrients. They can make you crops bear larger fruits and veggies, and they both can aerate the soil.
Red wigglers are hermaphroditic, and a pair can produce a pod a day. Each pod has 1 to 30 babies. I’ve kept them on a small scale, and it was amazing to see how many pods they created.
And red wigglers eat their weight in waste every day. And if you have them outside, you can feed them anything, even meat waste. (Meat waste is stinky, so don’t keep it in the house/shelter.)
I swear by red wigglers, and I learned a lot from unclejimswormfarm.com
Can you tell me where you got your data on Bullion cubes. Everything I am finding says 2-3 years. I would love to know the brand and packaging required for indefinite shelf life.
I can tell you from personal experience that I have used bullion cubes that I have had for over 20 years stuck away in god forsaken places till I needed things badly and found them. They were rock hard but dissolved with a little stirring and tasted just as good as the day I bought them. Still kicking too so no damage there. DON’T LISTEN TO BOGUS EXPIRATION DATES. They are there primarily for getting dupes to throw it away and buy more.
Exactly right. As long as they are stored in a moisture proof container they will be good for decades. Moisture is the enemy of most food stores. Keep it dry and cool and it will last for a long time.
I found a can of spam in the back of my cupboard that was at least 7 years past the due date. so I opened it and smelled it and it smelled good. so I cooked it and ate it. Delicious!!!!
Well I’m not a old prepper,But to me these ideas are and were taught to me from my parents and grandparents.I learned how to do a lot of these things from both side of my elders.For I’m 1/2 breed or as they now say mete,well that tell the rest of story…lol.It is nice to refresh the memories of the elders for I too can past them on to kids that WANT TO learn and not wanting to bring a get to blaster or crappy cell phones.I don’t have time for that garbage.I just tell them we will survive without a lot of things if you want to learn how to.Cause today I’m here & tomorrow I’m gone into history.
great post. i’m an old prepper but i enjoy reading new articles. i went back to your site and re-read articles to refresh my memory. lots of good info here. thanks.