Here are 10 supermarket foods that have a super long shelf life. The best part is that these items are super affordable and you can start picking them up at your supermarket today. See? Prepping can be simple!

10 supermarket foods that have a super long shelf life

Food:	Shelf Life:
Honey	Indefinitely
Salt	Indefinitely
Rice	Indefinitely
Granulated sugar	30 Years
Beans	30 Years
Pasta	30 Years
Rolled Oats	30 Years
Popcorn	30 Years
Powdered Milk	20 Years
Potato Flakes	15 Years

1- Honey

Though it may crystallize with time, raw honey will keep almost indefinitely. In fact, archaeologists in Georgia unearthed the world’s oldest honey in a 5,500 year old Egyptian tomb. Honey contains a high acid level and is less than 18 percent water. This environment makes it undesirable and most bacteria and microbes cannot grow or reproduce in honey.

Honey has more uses beyond being a nice sweetener. It often helps allergy sufferers and can be used to treat wounds and burns. If it does crystallize, simply place the container in some warm water and the crystals will disappear. Ideally, honey should be stored below 80 degrees with a humidity level less than 70%.

I love to use manuka honey to make skin products / salve.

2- Salt

If it is properly stored, salt can last indefinitely. It can add flavor to your food, including the popcorn we listed above and it is perfect for preserving meat. You can create an electrolyte drink by mixing salt, sugar, and water. Additionally, salt works well as a cleaning agent and can clean many surfaces.

This mineral is one of the most useful to have on hand. The best way to store salt is in a clean and dry two-liter soda bottle. You can put salt in a 5 gallon bucket, but it will weigh around 50 pounds and this would be heavy to carry if you need to move it.

3- Rice

You will want to skip brown rice because it has a high oil content that will eventually cause it to go rancid. Luckily, most types of rice will last nearly forever when properly stored. In fact, archaeologists found the oldest farmed rice in Korea. 15,000 years old and it is still edible. Can you imagine that? The key to storing rice forever is to keep bugs out of it.

You can buy specialty buckets for storing rice, but if you’re thrifty like me then head to your local hardware store and buy some 5-gallon buckets with tightly fitting lids. Each bucket will fit around 32 pounds of rice. Take the rice out of the bags and put it into mylar bags. It is a good idea to add an oxygen absorber then seal the bag with a hot iron before putting it into the bucket. Put the tight lids on the buckets and store them at least 3 inches off the ground (pallets work well for this) in a cool, dark place.

The Ultimate Survival Food: Rice in Mylar 101 | Canadian Prepper

4- Granulated Sugar

You can still feed your sweet tooth while you are running from zombies, hiding from radiation, and escaping a hurricane! Granulated sugar will last at least 30 years when properly stored and IF you can keep it from turning into a rock. At that point, it can morph into a weapon. As soon as you purchase your sugar, you need to immediately take it out of the thin paper sack that it comes in.

Store your sugar in glass canning jars and make sure that you tightly screw on the lids. As long as the lids are secure, your sugar will be protected from moisture in the glass jars. If you want to diversify your sugar sources: confectioner’s sugar will last for about 18 months and brown sugar about a year before they both harden.

How We Store Sugar For Our Prepper Pantry ~ Easy Long Term Storage!

5- Beans

Beans are an outstanding protein source and they can be prepared in a variety of ways. You can easily stock up on your favorite variety of beans at the grocery store or grow your own. In an emergency, you can even grind beans to make your own flour.

While beans will store for more than 30 years, their vitamin giving qualities will start to fade after about 5 years. Luckily, they will still fill you up and provide protein so they are worth stocking up on.

Dry Canning Beans And Rice For Long Term Storage (How To)

6- Pasta

You can make endless delicious dishes with pasta. The problem with pasta is that it can quickly become contaminated with bugs. It has the potential to last for up to 30 years (10 years for whole wheat pasta), but in its original packaging, you would be lucky to get 3 years. Instead, use the same mylar bags + 5 gallon bucket storage technique that we used for the rice. That way, you can be sure that your pasta will be preserved and ready to provide some much -needed energy in an emergency. Try to store your pasta in a location that stays under 70 degrees.

7- Rolled Oats

In an emergency, probably won’t have much time for food prep because campfires may give away your location to and call unwanted attention to your hideout. Rolled oats + oxygen absorbers, stored in mylar bags in 5- gallon buckets could be the perfect solution. You will want to store your oats in the darkest place possible. When stored in the dark, rolled oats are more likely to last up to 30 years. Additionally, you can grind your oats into flour if you like.

Oats: A Sensational Survival Storage Food

8- Popcorn

If stored in ideal conditions (away from moisture and light), popcorn can last up to 30 years. The kernels have a very hard shell which makes them impervious to pests and vermin. Archaeologists even discovered ancient popcorn that is over 5,500 years old and still safe to eat.

Don’t buy the popcorn with butter or flavorings because it doesn’t store well. If your popcorn doesn’t come in a good long term storage container, you can store it in a clean milk jug or 2-liter plastic soda bottle. Did you know that you can grind popcorn into flour?

How to Store Popcorn Long Term Food Storage

9- Powdered Milk

The amount of vitamin A and Vitamin D in powdered milk will begin to decrease by 20% per year after 5 years, but you can store powdered milk for over 20 years so it is worth adding to your pantry. Do not put it in plastic bags because it will take on the plastic flavor. Instead, store it in glass jars.

Milk For Long Term Food Storage

10- Potato Flakes

Dried potato flakes are an excellent food source for the modern-day prepper. Potato flakes need to be stored in sealed mylar bags with oxygen absorbers. Storing them in this way means they will last 10 to 15 years.

Potato Flakes: Super Scrumptious Survival Food Storage Staple

Remember to pack multivitamins!

Make sure that you include multivitamins in your emergency supply stash! Unfortunately, this is often overlooked. If you ever have to depend on emergency food for a prolonged period of time, you may have gaps in your nutrition. You should do your best to store foods that have nutritional value, but this can be challenging especially since many of those foods expire.

The easiest way to fill in those nutritional gaps is to include a daily multivitamin. Avoid gummy vitamins or gel caps because they expire sooner than tablets. It is usually safe to consume vitamins beyond their expiration date, but their potency may be reduced.

Conclusion

These 10 foods are affordable, last for at least 10 years, and are available at your local supermarket. If you’re looking to create and nice little stockpile, these are the foods that I would start with. Which prepping foods are your favorite? What are your tips and tricks? Comment below to share!

See you soon!