Shelf-Stable Foods: How Long Pantry Staples Keep

Shelf-stable food runs two clocks: a long one while the package is sealed, and a much shorter one that starts the moment you open it. Canned goods show the pattern plainly — 2–5 years in the pantry for low-acid cans like meat and beans, 12–18 months for high-acid ones like fruit and pickles, then days in the fridge once opened. Oils, nuts, and seeds behave differently again: they go rancid rather than spoil, so the test is a sniff for something stale and painty, not a date. Below is every pantry staple USDA’s FoodKeeper covers — including a few, like ultra-pasteurized milk, that the category files here but the fridge actually keeps.