# Expiration dates on canned food **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335 "2005-12-13T00:09:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/1 "2005-12-13T00:09:48Z")
Do the “best by” dates on canned food actually mean anything, or they included only because some law or industry rule requires them? I have this can of corn that’s “best by 2011”. Would it actually go bad if I left it in my cupboard for the next six years? ---
**Author:** ![SandyHook](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dec6dc/32.png) [@SandyHook](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SandyHook)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/2 "2005-12-13T01:56:36Z")
A couple of days after Thanksgiving Ms Hook asked me how I felt. “Okay,” I told here and asked why she asked. It seems that once a year I eat cranberry sauce. You know, that jellied purple stuff that comes in a can. The can she opened that year had a date on it of 2001. It was fine (well, as fine as that kind of cranberry sauce can be.) I’m thinking there’s a lot of leeway on most of that ‘best by date’ stuff. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/3 "2005-12-13T03:31:04Z")
> [@ITR champion](#): > > Would it actually go bad if I left it in my cupboard for the next six years? It is BEST to mark the date of purchase on any and all canned goods AND rotate whatever stock you have on hand. Move older supplies to the from and the newer to the rear so that none are subjected to being on hand too long. I had an ancient can of soda on the shelf as a souvenir. It eventually developed a very tiny pinhole leak in the side and slowly empetied itself down to the leak. Made a sticky mess on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/4 "2005-12-13T03:33:24Z")
I’m still puzzled by the expiration date on a bottle of water. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/5 "2005-12-13T04:26:13Z")
Bottled water can go stagnant, especially if it’s exposed to natual light which stimulates the growth of bacteria inside. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/6 "2005-12-13T06:15:21Z")
I do know that when we did our annual emergency kit inspection a can of stew that my husband had from the early '80s failed. It rusted, but from the inside. It looked fine last year when we checked. All the canned foods are in ziplocks, the kit is in a water tight bin and the whole thing is in an aluminum shed. Of course, the stew was about 20 years past its expiration date. I guess the dating is relative. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expiration-dates-on-canned-food/335335/7 "2005-12-13T16:04:24Z")
I would say in some cases they do have merit. I learned this hthe hard way after eating some expired canned ravioli which left me in a very uncomfotable state for about 3 days. I still can’t touch the stuff.