The 10 longest lasting prepper foods of all time

Whether you’re stocking up for a long-term apocalypse-type scenario or just wanting to have a few extras in the pantry “just in case”, it can be difficult to know what’s worth spending your money on. It’s no good buying things that have a short shelf life as the cost to rotate old products for new ones won’t be possible for most people, so buying the right things in the first place will not only keep you prepared but will also save a load of money. Here are the 10 longest lasting prepper foods of all time you can possibly buy and why they should be in every prepper’s stockpile.

Honey – Forever

In its raw form, honey has a shelf life of about 1 year, but if it’s processed, which means it’s been pasteurized and filtered, it will never go bad as long as it’s kept in the right conditions. The honey will dry up and crystallize, and in this form, it will be safe to eat for a very long time so long as it’s kept dry and away from the air in a cool environment. In 2015 a team of archaeologists found a jar of honey while excavating an Egyptian tomb that was from around 1,000 BCE. The honey was in crystal form but in terms of still being considered food, it managed to retain most of its nutritional properties and didn’t pose any kind of health risk if consumed.

Dried white rice – 25 years

When properly dried and kept in containers away from the air, dried white rice can be safe to eat for 25 years. An oxygen absorber or some kind of oxygen-removing technique, like a blast of nitrogen into the container before sealing is necessary in order to remove enough air to give it this long shelf life. When a container is opened and exposed to fresh air, it will still be good to eat for a year or two, but as with any grain, the trick is to seal it in containers of the right size to remove the chance of it spoiling.

Freeze-dried food – 25 years

This is the best choice by a long shot but also considerably more expensive than any other option. Freeze drying is where the food is made into a dish as normal but then frozen to a very low temperature, usually between -30 °C and -50 °C. It is then put into a machine that creates a vacuum in the chamber the food is in, which sucks out much more moisture than if it weren’t frozen. This process removes up to 99% of the moisture and if packaged in an oxygen-free container will last for up to 25 years. The good thing about this option is that you only need to simmer in water for 10 minutes before it’s ready, and the huge amount of options can give you a wide range of almost instant meals, but for a hefty price. Because specialist machinery is needed and the process takes so long, freeze-dried food is more expensive on average than any other survival food type.

(Full meals that weight very little for what they provide, but can be expensive to stock a large amount)

Hard tack and pemmican – 25 years plus

If you’re into making your own survival foods then hard tack and pemmican are the longest-lasting things you can possibly make. Hardtack is simply just bread that has been baked more than once to remove all the moisture, and when kept away from air and moisture can last for a very long time. A single piece of hard tack is normally 400 to 500 calories and is very light due to the lack of moisture, but the downside is how hard they are. Because they are bone dry, they need to be either soaked or at least dipped in water or milk before they can be eaten, but they do make a nice thickener when crumbled into a powder and added to liquid dishes.

(Hard tack, it may not be nice to eat but it sure does last for a long time)

Pemmican can last for up to 25 years if done right but it can be tricky to get the right meat. Traditionally it was made from bison but any dark red meat from a grazing animal will work, like moose or elk, but beef is a good substitute. The meat needs to be cut into strips before being dried enough to grind into a powder, it is then mixed with rendered fat in a 50/50 ratio and formed into bars. If kept away from the air, pemmican can be safe to eat for up to 25 years if made correctly, but as with all homemade and non-professionally packaged foods, you should always be careful to adjust shelf life accordingly.

Dried pasta – 15 years

There are claims of dried pasta being able to last as long as 25 years if packaged and stored properly, but a more realistic number would be around 15 years. One of the downsides to pasta is that it seems to contain a large amount of air in each pack, especially with shapes like conchiglie or packs of spaghetti, but if space isn’t a problem then pasta is one of the best, and cheapest foods you can store.

Dried peas and beans – 10 to 15 years

Not only are they a great source of protein and other nutrients, but this is one long-lasting food you can produce yourself. It’s very cheap to grow your own vegetables and buy your own dehydration machine, which will allow you to produce as many peas and beans as you can be bothered to grow. It’s very important to get variety in your diet, and long-lasting vegetables can be tricky to come by and don’t fit well into certain dishes, but peas and beans can be put into almost anything.

Dehydrated food – 10 years

This is the best option for someone looking for quick and easy meals who doesn’t want to spend thousands on freeze-dried food. There are some claims that dehydrated food can last for up to 20 years, but this is far beyond what it would be considered safe to eat, especially if the dish contained some kind of meat. Dehydrated food is made by first creating the dish, and then putting it through a machine that removes the water much in the same way as a powerful condensation catcher. This method takes out about 90% of the moisture, giving it a long shelf life, but because the food isn’t frozen first this method also seems to remove a bit of the taste. A good choice for someone on a lower budget looking for the longest-lasting food they can afford.

MRE’s – 5 years

Stands for meal ready to eat and was designed to provide a full meal for someone on the move. As a long-term survival food, they last for 5 years from the date they were made, which may not seem like a long time in comparison to the others, but still good for the right pantry. They can be quite expensive to buy in large amounts but are the only option for a full and varied meal in a single pack. Having a box or two of MREs in your stockpile is an excellent idea as they make a good choice in case you have to leave in a hurry, but should never be eaten for a long time. Because they are designed for military use, they generally contain no fibre and high amounts of salt which could lead to problems if eaten exclusively for a long time.

(MRE’s offer the best variety, but at the cost of weight and size)

Tinned fish – 5 years

Most tinned fish have a shelf life of 3 to 4 years, but they are safe to eat well after they have passed their expiration date. Fish is a good choice as it provides high amounts of certain nutrients that may be lacking in your regular survival meals like oils and protein. Mackerel, salmon, and sardines are good choices due to their fat and oil contents, but be careful to buy fish stored in the right things. Oil is a better option than salt as you can cook with it and don’t need fresh water to soak the salt out, but whatever you do stay away from anything else. For an unknown and crazy reason, someone thought it would be a good idea to start selling fish that has been tinned in spring water, which not only ruins the taste but massively reduces its shelf life.

Tinned food – 2 to 10 years

The general rule when it comes to tinned food is the higher the salt content and the lower the oxygen and moisture levels, then the longer it will last. Tinned food is normally designed to be eaten straight out of the can and won’t have any of its water removed, which reduces its overall shelf life. As long as the can doesn’t rust or somehow gain access to the air, then it should be good to eat for a long time after its expiration date.