Whare are foods that last the longest? if this is what you’re looking for, look no further, Some foods in this article have a shelf-life of 30 years, and some last forever. These long-lived edibles will keep you alive if economies collapse, disaster strikes, there is a family emergency, or you want to save money on bulk food storage.
#1 Wheat And Pasta
The main drawback to wheat and pasta is they require recipes, cooking, and repackaging in most cases. The main plus of these wheat products is they have a massive shelf-life, and if you package them yourself, they are inexpensive.
Following is a list of 15 wheat-based edibles with a 30 + year shelf life you can use to meet the suggested 400lbs of grain to store per person for a year’s supply. For maximum shelf-life, wheat and pasta are packaged oxygen-free using Mylar bags.
- Hard White Wheat Berries
- Hard Red Wheat Berries
- Soft White Wheat Berries
- Soft Red Wheat Berries
- Durum Wheat
- Spring Wheat
- Einkorn Wheat
- Emmer Wheat
- Spelt Wheat
- Dry Spaghetti
- Dry Macaroni
- Hardtack
- Kamut
- Khorasan Wheat
- Triticale
Learn more about storing the best wheat berries for long-term storage.
#2 Grains With The Longest Shelf Life
This is a catch-all section of grains and seeds with a 25 to 30-year shelf-life. My favorite on this list is the rolled oat because it is relatively high in protein and carbs, flexible, easy to make ready, and it was the staple food of the Scotch Highlanders and bog trotters of old.
- Rolled Oats
- Pearled Oats
- Hulled Oats
- Buckwheat
- Dent Corn
- Millet
- Popcorn
- Rye
- Barley
#3 Rice
I store mostly long-grain white rice because it is readily available where I live, but you can get a 30-year shelf-life from any polished white rice. Avoid storing brown, red, or purple rice long-term as they have oils that quickly go rancid, regardless of how you store them.
- Long-grain White Rice
- Medium-grain White Rice
- Short-grain White Rice
- Jasmine Rice
- Basmati Rice
- Arborio Rice
- Converted Rice
#4 Beans And Legumes For Long-term Storage
Most of the beans in the list below are readily available in bulk and easy to store long-term. Most of the beans in my food stockpile are black and pinto beans because I get them easily where I live.
- Adzuki
- Kidney
- Pinto
- Mung
- Split Peas
- Pigeon Peas
- Black Eyed Peas
- Great Northern Beans
- Black Beans
- Navy Beans
- Lentils
- Lima Beans
- Pink Beans
- Garbanzo Beans (chickpeas)
- Cranberry Beans
- Black Turtle Beans
- Cannellini Beans
#5 Long Lasting Condiments
Condiments give food(s) flavor and help with the psychological aspect of survival by relieving palet fatigue, making basic ingredients more interesting to eat. My family eats a lot of white rice, and for white rice, you need soy sauce, so we have a lot of it on hand. We also use a lot of vinegar on salads and as a natural cleaning product.
- Soy Sauce
- Vinegar
- Corn Starch
- Booze
- Meat and Vegetable Bouillon
- Salt (non-iodine)
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Baking Powder
- Pure Vanilla
- Freeze-dried Coffee
- Dried Tea
- Honey
- Ghee
- Powdered Drink Mixes
- Maple Syrup
- Dried Spices
Salt and sugar are excellent in a survival situation. Both enhance flavor and act as a preservative. They are outstanding in a true SHTF scenario for barter and food preservation., and they are super cheap compared to other survival foods and items like ammo.
Scott, Ready Squirrel
Read about storing fatty foods for emergencies. Ready the Ready Squirrel article, Survival Fat: 29 Foods To Store for the Apocalypse
#6 Survival Foods in #10 Cans
Larger industrial-sized cans sealed for Oxygen-free storage are one of the best containers for decades of shelf-life because they protect food against food spoilers like moisture, light, and oxygen. Following is a list of foods that last the longest in storage packed in #10 cans that will keep on the shelf for 30 years.
- Brown Sugar
- Honey Powder
- Lentils
- Pinto Beans
- Black Beans
- White Granulated Sugar
- White Rice
- Iodized Salt
- Rolled Oats
- Hard White Wheat
- Freeze-dried Cheese
- Elbow Macaroni
- Freeze-dried Pineapple
- Freeze-dried Blackberries
- Freeze-dried Mango
- Freeze-dried Blueberries
- Freeze-dried Raspberries
- Freeze-dried peas
- Freeze-dried Sweet Corn
- Freeze-dried Chicken
- Freeze-dried Beef
- Orange Delight Drink Mix
Survival Foods Available via Augason Farms.com
#7 Professionally Packaged Freeze Dried Foods
Freeze-dried food is excellent for short-term emergencies and bug-out bags because it is lightweight and easy to prepare with hot water. The downside, it is super expensive. At this point, I store small amounts of freeze-dried foods for special emergency circumstances like bugging out on foot.
- Mountain House
- Backpacker’s Pantry
- Saratoga Farms
- Augason Farms
- Readywise
- Legacy Food Storage
- Readywise Company
- Survive To Thrive
I ate Mountain house meals when I hiked the Vermont leg of the Appalachian Trail. They hit the spot when I was exhausted and hungry. All I had to do to prepare them was boil water on a Jetboil, pour the hot water in the bag, let it soak :10 minutes and eat.
Scott, Ready Squirrel
Should I Freeze-dry Food at Home?
If you are serious about prepping and have the money to purchase a home freeze-drier unit like a Harvest Right, I would buy one. Because of expenses, I don’t have a unit yet, but it’s on my bucket list.
If I had a home freeze-drier, I would purchase bulk meat, vegetables, and fruit when they are on sale to save money. Also, you can easily prepare food and store oxygen-free. You will know exactly what is going into your emergency food regarding preservatives and additives.
If you are lucky enough to have a homestead-producing fruit, freeze-drying is one great way to preserve it to get you through the year. This works especially well for perishable produce that comes in abundance but has a short shelf-life.
If you have a decent-sized family and use the freeze-drier regularly, you can pay it off quickly.
Foods With A 20 to 25 Year Shelf-life
Some foods you want to store for long-term emergencies don’t have a thirty-year shelf life but will still keep for decades. Of the fare on this list, one of the most sought-after in the Venezuelan collapse is non-fat powdered milk. Look at the list of other edibles you might want to stockpile.
- Tomato Powder
- Dehydrated Carrots
- Freeze-dried Apple Slices
- Dehydrated Potatoes
- Chocolate Milk Powder
- Non-fat Powdered Milk
- Black Bean Burger Meat Substitute
- Dehydrated Chicken Noodle Soup
- Corn Chowder Soup Mix
Foods That Last Forever
These foods don’t go bad, at least not in your lifetime. Edibles with an indefinite shelf-life, like salt, sugar, and vinegar, are three of my favorite survival foods because they have many uses and are inexpensive. Powdered milk is on many lists saying it lasts forever, but you’ll get a maximum 15-year shelf life if it is properly packaged.
- Sugar
- Salt
- Honey
- Vinegar
- Pure Vanilla
- Real Maple Syrup
- Corn Syrup
- Freeze-dried Coffee
- Whole Tea Leaves
- Distilled White Vinegar
- Corn Starch
- Hard Alcohol
- Soy Sauce
Packaging For Maximum Shelf-life
To get the 30-year shelf-life out of dry staples, they must be purchased in oxygen-free containers or repackaged into oxygen-free containers to kill bugs and remove the oxygen.
Oxygen reduces edible shelf life via oxidation, which decreases emergency food’s color, texture, and nutritional value.
If you are storing edibles in clear glass, such as soy sauce, keep them out of the light because light will also oxidize food.
The best D.I.Y. method of packaging dry foods for long-term storage uses food-grade buckets, Mylar bags, and Oxygen absorbers. Check out the top D.IY. Containers for long-term food storage.
Storage Environment for maximum shelf-life
Store emergency foods in a cool, dry location, up off the floor, in temperatures above freezing and below 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Avoid storing in a hot location like a garage or outdoor shed, and keep moisture to a minimum.
Drastic fluctuations in temperature are also tough on a food’s shelf life and can reduce its lifespan by years.
In addition, protect staple foods from rodents and chewing insects with Mylar bags and food-grade buckets or #10 cans. If containers are clear, protect food from light oxidation by storing it in a dark cupboard or covering the containers with a blanket.
Warning: Grains stored long-term should have the husk removed and contain less than 10% moisture to avoid anaerobic food poisoning like botulism from forming.
