The most important thing when prepping is to have a good supply of the basics like- food, water, shelter, and security. Everything that will keep you alive. But it is not an easy task to find foods for long-term storage.
Foods with Longest Shelf Life
It’s not only the preppers who ask themselves the question- what foods last the longest, but the military, emergency workers, and other communities too. It is pretty simple to store your water, but for foods, it is really important to know all the choices you have in stock, with the longest shelf life of at least 5 to 10 years.
You need to carefully consider your dietary choices since you wouldn’t want to live off of beans for an entire year when there are other meals that are readily available at your neighborhood store or supermarket.
If properly kept alongside your canned goods or emergency food supplies, there are several food alternatives that might endure for a very long duration of 5 to 10 years or even longer.
So without further ado, read about foods with long shelf life in terms of long-term storage.
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TAJ Premium 1121 Indian Basmati Rice
Due to its aroma, flavor, and taste, Basmati is a grain delight relished all around the globe. Harvested in the foothills of the Himalayas, it has 2 years of shelf life if stored properly in a cool and dry place.
Basmati Rice has unique characteristics that you wouldn’t find in any other rice. It looks beautiful with delicate pale golden grains that turn white. It is a non-sticky long, and thin grain that swells lengthwise when cooked and becomes fluffy, complemented with a pleasant fragrance.
The package is superb and will keep the rice in good condition over an extended time. It has a considerable role in its shelf life and freshness. You will be delighted to stock up on this rice and add it to your diet.
Rolled oats
Oats can be used in all sorts of oatmeals and snacks. They are a very filling food source, although they are not that easy to cook as other food types. Oats can last up to 30 years if stored, likewise as beans, not to mention that they are really cheap.
There are limitless possibilities for their preparation – baking them into muffins, boiling them, grinding them into flour, or making them into oat milk. You can even sprout them if you want to.
They possess many health benefits because they are rich in antioxidants and contain a powerful soluble fiber, Beta-Glucan. Also, they protect LDL cholesterol from damage and lower cholesterol levels.
Augason Farms Freeze Dried Shredded Colby Cheese
This is more than just an extra can of food in your storehouse. No matter where you are freeze, dried cheese is easy to add in your favorite meals or emergency dehydrated foods. It is really delightful freeze-dried food that melts like standard cheese.
Really easy to prepare – just add water. It is a certified gluten-free product packaged in accordance with the standards of the Gluten-Free Certification Organization.
Based on food storage conditions, this product will last up to 20 or 30 years unopened in a cool, dry, and dark place.
You can enjoy Augason Farm’s products as everyday meals or long-term food storage products. Freeze Dried Shredded Colby Cheese falls among the foods with the longest shelf life.
Wise Company Emergency Food Supply, Freeze Dried Meat Variety
This kit comes with an assortment of 60 freeze-dried meat that you can enjoy as an emergency food supply, everyday eatings, or as a high-protein snack wherever you are.
Each container has 15 Metallyte pouches of freeze-dried meat that can be easily prepared without cooking and decreasing food’s shelf life. You just need to add water, and it would be ready within 15 minutes.
This variety bucket offers 60 servings of seasoned beef and poultry entrees, all packed separately in pouches that you can take along on hiking or camping trips.
Wise company emergency foods are designed to withstand 15 years of shelf life-preserving its taste and freshness.
Kitchen & Love Artichoke & Roasted Peppers Quinoa Quick Meal 6-Pack
This product has a low-glycemic index and unique characteristics since it is vegan, non-GMO, nut-free, gluten-free, no artificial flavor, or colors, and no sugar added.
There is no need for preparation, cooking, water, or refrigeration because it is fully cooked and ready-to-eat. With an included spoon, just stir and go.
This product is highly packed with nutrients and antioxidants. It contains complete protein with all nine essential amino acids and more than ten different vitamins and minerals. It is also a source of complex carbohydrates.
Mainly it includes cooked quinoa, roasted red and yellow peppers, artichoke, onion, lemon juice, sunflower oil, garlic, black pepper, parsley, non-dairy lactic acid, citric acid, and salt. This is a high-quality product with many contents.
Anna and Sarah Mini Fruit Trail Mix in Resealable Bag
This is a healthy fruit snack with flavors from all around the globe. All the nuts and dried fruits are made in nature.
Boost your energy with an excellent assortment of diced pineapple, cranberries, raisins, golden raisins, diced papaya, dried apricots, diced dates, and dried apples.
The mini snack mix comes in a resealable bag that stops oxygen absorption for long-term foods and considerably extends the shelf-life of almost anything that you are looking to store. It is packed in a facility that handles tree nuts.
To ensure long shelf life, store them in a cool and dry, tightly sealed or heavy-duty bag so that you can keep them fresh and tasty.
Augason Farms Quick Rolled Oats Emergency Food Storage
Rolled oats are perfect for baking or hot breakfast cereal. This whole-grain food will help you reduce cholesterol. It is loaded with vitamins and minerals.
Quick rolled oats are an excellent choice for food storage. They take only minutes to prepare oatmeal and are perfect for everyday use. For more creative ideas, add them to bread, pancakes, muffins, or cookies.
Based on storage conditions and ingredients, the quality and taste of their shelf life can last up to 20 -30 years. Some food such as eggs, creamy soups, and bread mixes, have a long time of shelf life, up to 5- 10 years.
For best results, store in a cold and dry place since extreme temperatures will deteriorate its quality and shelf life.
Bucatini pasta straws
Pasta is a carbohydrate item that can be mixed with anything else to make a cold or hot pasta. Bucatini means pasta with a little hole. It is usually served with buttery sauces.
The ingredients include 100% durum wheat, which is high in protein and pure spring water from the waters of the surrounding Majella National Park. Its bronze dyes and the time it takes to dry slowly produce a rough texture, which you will be able to feel.
This texture allows the sauce to cling to it, unlike the regular industrial pasta, where sauce just slides off because there is nothing to stick to.
Most of the commercially packaged freeze-dried pasta that you see in your local supermarket last indefinitely- from 8 to 30 years of long shelf life.
Always check the packs as they may vary quite widely in their expiry dates, especially some of the Italian pasta.
List of food with a long shelf life
The list of survival foods with the longest shelf lives that you have read so far is just a portion of a much broader list. Varying foods have different expiry dates; some may be good for five to thirty years.
Here is our extensive list of long-lasting foods that are available at practically any supermarket and grocery store: powdered milk, sea salt, green beans, baking soda, popcorn kernels, honey, pork jerky, and many other foods for survival.
- Dried beans
If packaged correctly in an air-tight container with moisture prevention that protects from spoilage, it can last up to 30 years.
For an everyday eating dried beans might get a bit boring, but you can achieve really interesting mixtures if you add some rice and a few different spices. You will be able to create different types of recipes out of your doomsday stockpile.
For better preservation of dried beans, our recommendation is to use air-tight sealable food storage containers and mylar bags to extend the shelf-life and prevent oxygen and humidity absorption for long-term foods.
- White rice
Rice is one of the most important foods and is a must-have in your stockpile. It is easy to get from any supermarket and even easier to store for long shelf life.
If you are looking for the longest shelf life food, then you have to know that rice can easily last up to 30 years if properly stored in food bags or containers and at proper room temperature.
- Twinkies
This is not the typical survivalist food to store, but why not add a little bit of sweetness to the prepper’s pantry, even if it is sugar and fat-packed dessert. It’s been proven that twinkies can easily outlast a nuclear fallout.
An experiment was performed by a science teacher in 2012 to see how long would the twinkies last. He experimented eating 30 years old dessert.
The outcome was auspicious as he found the bread tasted a little stale, but they were completely fine.
- Baking soda
This product can last indefinitely. Even though it can last for a long time and can be easily found in all grocery stores, you may need to reconsider stocking it with items that require a lot of cooking.
Although this food product may last indefinitely, ask yourself if you want to be preparing doughy foods until the end of the world. In the end, it doesn’t take up much room, so having it around your meal wouldn’t be a terrible idea at all.
- Pemmican
Invented by the Native Americans, this survivalist treat is made from lean meat of local wild animals. It is mixed with flavoring berries, dried over a fire, and pressed into biscuit-sized snacks.
Pemmican is a nutritious food that provides a high source of protein with a good flavor and long shelf life. Preppers have to know that this nutrition will boost your energy in the most extreme situations. It is a must-have storage food.
- MREs (Meals Ready To Eat)
Originally made for soldiers and survivalists, MREs are necessarily the basics of long-lasting food.
They are a source of high energy and carry 24 or 72 hours worth of nutrients. MREs are really compact – great to throw in the bug out bag or any survival kit, and they last a long time.
Including a lot of different stuff in a pack that can be mixed or eaten on their own, you can use them in short-term scenarios such as disasters.
Most survival kits will have an MRE supposing you need to rely on an emergency food source for a while longer.
- Powdered milk
Powdered milk and even powdered protein can be cooked or used in drinks. These supplements, especially the protein powder, are a must-have for the pantry because they provide nutrients you might usually not get.
You may need to know there are specific tips to extend the shelf life of your foods. When it comes to powdered milk, you should use a moisture absorber. If stored properly, it will last for more than 20 years.
Wrap-up
When storing any prepper foods, there are some food preservation methods you should know.
Following these simple tips, your survival food will last months or even years longer than it usually would.
This is the main goal for any prepper, and here we have some ideas for you on how to extend the shelf life of your foods. One of the most secure ways to ensure your foods are nicely sealed is to check if they develop mold over time using mylar bags and oxygen absorber.
The fact is, it is crucial to make sure you limit the factors that affect foods such as light, room temperature, moisture content, heat, and you may even consider keeping your foods away from rats if necessary.
Having mylar bags in your food containers will reinforce the protection of your foods.
It is easy to get lost, going through all this information when you are entering the world of prepping survivors. But if you have the knowledge and a clear plan to start with, the process of building an adequate supply of foods will become quite a fun activity.