20 Key Prepper Foods That Never Expire

If you have been thinking of starting your prepping journey, wether it is to fight the inflation and cost of living crisis or you are prepping for something else, which is OK. We are all different and have our own ideas and beliefs, so please dont make anyone tell you what to prep for! If you want to prep for the end of the World, then prep for it, the main thing is that you are taking those steps to protect you and your family.

I have been prepping, myself for a while and have done extensive research on food, food preservation and food storage so here are my top 20 items that can last forever with proper storage. Dont get me wrong though, if you wont eat those items, then no point in stocking them, only stock the items you and you family will eat! So here it goes...

1. Tea

Lets start with tea which can last indefinitely. All you have to do when you buy a big box of tea is just repackage it in a vacuum pack, put the oxygen absorber in there, and it will last indefinitely. I can tell you for sure, that even storing the tea in the original packaging will last well past best before date ( i have used tea myself that i have found at the back of my capboard that was 5 years past date, yet im still here writing about it ) Vacuum sealing makes sure, that you preserve that freshness,that little bit longer.

2. Baking soda Baking soda or Sodium Bacarbonate is absolutely irreplaceable, it has many uses and it does last forever. It might start to get a little bit cakey and clumpy, but there is absolutely no issue, you can break it up and still use it. Stocking up on baking soda is a great idea as you can also make a baking powder, which in respect, does not have an indefinite shelf life 3. Hard liquor Whiskey, Vodka, Congac, basically any hard liquor that you can get will last indefinitely. There I say it, apart from us enjoying it as it is, it has a lot to offer in many other ways, especially when SHTF hits and not to forget, some of the drinks will get better with age.

4. Beans and Peas I have, in my stockpile: split lentils, yellow lentils, green lentils, yellow split peas, pinto beans, white beans and all the others beans inbetween . Beans might be the best food to stockpile long term and absolute must for any prepper, even if you just choose a single variety. Beans will last forever, providing we stock them propely air tight with oxgen absorbers

5. Rice You probably already know this but rice is a food that doesn't expire. Important reminde: it has to be white rice and not brown rice, brown rice is essentially white rice that still has outer husk, yes it is more beneficial for our health but that husk, certainly doesnt help the shelf life. To make sure your rice last indefinitely and doesnt get rice wevels, it either must be frozen for couple of days to kill the eggs or many people bake it in the oven for 30 minutes. Saying that, even if you dont repackage your rice, it is still ok to eat for 2/3 years without any issues. Putting rice in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber will technically control the bugs, howeve, I like to be extra carefull, especially if im putting rice away for long term.

6. Grains I keep pearl barley as my choice but any sort of grain, whole grain, will last indefinitely if it is vacuum-sealed with oxygen absorbers. Dont forget, with many whole grains, you can make flour, providing you have the means of grinding it. 7. Vinegar In my stock I have the normal distilled malt vinegar and apple cider vinega's. Vinegar lasts forever so long as it has not been opened and it sits in a cool dark place.

Apple cider vinegar has far more health benefits than a normal vinega, however both could be used in preserivng your produce. 8. Spices 99% of spices will keep indefinitely as long as you just store them in airtight containers. I Have a vast ammount of herbs and spices, you may want to check out my YouTube video where i have show my selection. Peppercorns are a good starting point and keeps far better than crushed black peper. Both will be ok indeffinitely but may just loose a bit of strength. Any herbs or spices you choose, you will be gratefull for in SHTF situation, lets be honest, none of us wants to eat bland rice. 9. Pasta, Pasta, Pasta..! You can simply keep pasta in the cupboard and not worry too much about the dates. I have done this myself when I bought a huge lot in a sale, It sat in my cupboard for about 8 years, without being repackaged in a vacuum bag. Howeve, if you are prepping and storing longer term, then mylar bags with oxgen absorbers is a must.

10. Oats Whole oats or rolled outs vacuumed with the oxygen absorbes, oats will last forever. Without repackaging 1/2 years is ok

11. Salt

Salt is a must for any prepper, for many reasons. You can have any salt, pink salt, sea salt or iodine salt, truly any salt will last forever. You do not really have to do anything with it just keep it in an airtight container with no need to repackage that.

12. Soy sauce Great flavour bomb for your preppers pantry and unopened wil last indefinitely. 13. Cocoa powder If you want to keep cocoa powder in your pantry long term, all you have to do is take it out of the packet, repackage and seal it, job done! 14. Maple syrup Great item to have as a natural substitute for sugar. However It has to be 100% pure maple syrup, so be sure to buy a reputable brand. 15. Honey Just like maple syrup, so long as it is organic and pure honey without any additives, it will last you for ages and as we know, it has many medicinal benefits as well as tasting yummy. 16. Coffee Im a self confessed coffee snob and only drink fresh ground coffee and I stock a lot of coffee beans. Many people say, because of fat content, in the coffee beans they spoil quickly, well, it could not be further from the truth! Yet again I have drunk coffee from the beans that were few years past the date and they were absolutely fine. Most coffee beans come in a decent, strong mylar type bag that protects your beans from the elements, so you are safe. However if you choose to store coffee for the SHTF situation and want to store for a very long time then freeze dried coffee is the way forward and yes, as a prepper I still have some stored for the long term, just incase.

17. Milk powder Wether its cappuchino powder or average milk powder, they do need to be repackaged for ultimate storage. Milk has a fat content that will make it go rancid if not repackaged. 18. Corn I have some corn vacuum-sealed in my long term preppers pantry and I regret not buying loads more because the prices have now gone up a lot. You can grind this into flour or you can make popcorn, and it will last you indefinitely.

19. Sugar You do not need to do anything with sugar, it will just last forever anyway. It might get a little bit hard if it sits there for a while, but that's not a problem, you can just break it up. I choose to store mine with a cling wrap around it just so no sugar comes out of the package and creates a mess in your storage area.

20. MRE foods These are all prepared packages of food that already have a heat source built it. If you can afford them, these are great to keep for emergencies. Keep them in a cool place, though they already have very long dates on them, like tins thay will last many years past that, providing they have been stored in a cool place

So here we are. I hope this article would put your mind at rest, if you were thinking of prepping but worried about dates, now you can start your prepping journey.