How long does freeze-dried food "last"?

[GreatDane]

I bought #10 cans of freeze dried chicken, beef, peas, corn and carrots to use in making dinners for my thru this spring. I have some pretty specific dietary needs, so I am concerned about being able to get the food I want/need on the trail. Anyway, I intended to portion them out for individual dinners, put the ingredients for each dinner in a zip lock bag, and store them in the freezer until they are mailed (via USPS priority mail) to me on the trail. But the cans say the contents should be used within a week of opening. Does this mean that the freeze dried ingredients will spoil before they are even mailed? Hard to believe anything that desiccated could actually spoil, but maybe they would absorb too much moisture from the other ingredients?

[MuddyWaters]

Even bottles of water have expiration dates on them of about 1 year.

And the water is a few billion years old.

[Toolshed]

If I recall, the can states "For best reults use within...." there may be some degradation in quality, but freeze-dried won;t go bad. I have opened and used packets that expired in 2001, 2002 & 2003 in 2010-2011 (I stocked up in 2000 but never used them up) and they were fine. Some of the cubed FD meats became powder but no big deal.

I would imagine, though if you opened them they will collect some moisture which will speed up degradation of quality (even in a resealed environment) and I would plan to use them within 6-12 months.
FWIW, I routinely used dehydrated food 2-4 years after I have dried it, though I always kept it refrigerated to retard mold. It's a Different method than FD, and doesn't dry as thoroughly, but as long as the food is kept free of any moisture and kept cold, it is fine.

[hikerboy57]

I bought #10 cans of freeze dried chicken, beef, peas, corn and carrots to use in making dinners for my thru this spring. I have some pretty specific dietary needs, so I am concerned about being able to get the food I want/need on the trail. Anyway, I intended to portion them out for individual dinners, put the ingredients for each dinner in a zip lock bag, and store them in the freezer until they are mailed (via USPS priority mail) to me on the trail. But the cans say the contents should be used within a week of opening. Does this mean that the freeze dried ingredients will spoil before they are even mailed? Hard to believe anything that desiccated could actually spoil, but maybe they would absorb too much moisture from the other ingredients?

desiccated or not, once the seal is broken and its been exposed to air, bacteria can begin its work.otherwise whats the point of storing them in the freezer?chances are you'd be okay if its just exposed for a week or two while in transit.
chances are....?

[GreatDane]

Thanks for the info Toolshed, that makes me feel much better. hikerboy57 - Here in super humid and sticky Florida, the freezer is the driest place I could think of to store them. Plus I figured that the cold would help retard any spoilage (e.g. bacteria growth) between now, when I pack the dinners, and months from now when they get mailed to me. Plus, I wasn't planning on keeping the air conditioning in the house (which helps dry out the air) set as low while I'm gone as I would normally have it. I'm not too concerned about the transit time if the food is ok when mailed.

[WingedMonkey]

Are you sure some of the vegetables aren't dehydrated instead of freeze-dried?

Even stuff I dehydrate myself I bag or jar and put in the freezer, if I'm not using withing six months.

You are right, Florida humidity will zap them quickly.

[peakbagger]

Funny, I have used the same bags of freeze dried veggies for two or three years. If its the end of the season I use a vacuum sealer and seal any open bags.

[SouthMark]

FYI: There are only two foods that the FDA requires to carry an expiration date, baby food and baby formula. All others are manufacture determined and from a marketing stand point help sell more food because consumers throw it away if it is beyond the date and then purchase more. Dating food is about quality not safety.

[atraildreamer]

I bought #10 cans of freeze dried chicken, beef, peas, corn and carrots to use in making dinners for my thru this spring. I have some pretty specific dietary needs, so I am concerned about being able to get the food I want/need on the trail. Anyway, I intended to portion them out for individual dinners, put the ingredients for each dinner in a zip lock bag, and store them in the freezer until they are mailed (via USPS priority mail) to me on the trail. But the cans say the contents should be used within a week of opening. Does this mean that the freeze dried ingredients will spoil before they are even mailed? Hard to believe anything that desiccated could actually spoil, but maybe they would absorb too much moisture from the other ingredients? To get the best results, you should combine the ingredients in a vacuum sealed bag with an oxygen absorber, then freeze. According to many websites, (Google is your friend! :), unopened #10 can of freeze dried food will last a long time, years even, if unopened and stored at the right temperature. Once opened, deterioration will set in due to exposure to moisture and spoilage due to mold, etc. Protect your investment in the freeze dried foods. You can get a vacuum sealer and bags at WallyWorld, K-Mart, Sears, etc. inexpensively. Th oxygen absorbers can be found on-line.

[Dogwood]

Has the OP contacted freeze dried food manufacturers or those who carry sell this type of food?

[QiWiz]

I repackage freeze dried veggies and meats all the time, but rather than putting into a ziplock, I use an inexpensive vacuum "seal a meal" food saver. This removes most of the air (oxygen is bad for them) and encloses them in a more impermeable bag than a ziplock. I then store the repackaged freeze dried meats and vegs in the freezer until heading out on trail. I have sent these to myself in resupply boxes up to a month before picking them up and they appeared to be none the worse for wear and tasted just fine. I really don't know the maximum time these would be OK at room temp, but probably longer than a month and less than a year. YMMV.

[GreatDane]

Thank you everyone for the info. Sounds like vacuum sealing is the way to go.

[Del Q]

Until you get it wet

[Del Q]

Seriously, I think that in 50 years there would still be some food value............of anything, something warm to eat for dinner.

[GreatDane]

Well, I've been vacuum sealing like a mad woman, and have finished almost all of my dinners for my thru. I am really pleased with the results, and just wanted to thank you all again for the advice. :)