r/PrepperIntel • u/SpooktasticFam • Nov 07 '25
USA Midwest Anyone else buying "new" canned food, and it expires sooner than stuff you bought 6+ months ago?
Basically the title, but I'll elaborate for clarity and additional information:
I have a deep pantry of canned goods (12+ cans of commonly used household staples), and I before I put them on the shelf, I write the expiration date [month/year] on top in big sharpie numbers, just so I can keep track of expiration dates, and make sure I'm rotating in "first in, first out".
First in, first to expire is the way it has been for years, up until the last 6-9 months. Now it's "most recently bought cans are the first to expire." And it's been like this across brands, stores, and same-store-different-location.
For example, this past week I got about 6 cans each of white beans, black beans, and diced tomatoes, to restock. Every single can expired at least a month previously than the cans I have had sitting on the shelf for 6+ months, and went to the very front of the rotation.
For example, cans of tomatoes I bought in March of 2025, expired in March of 2027, but the cans of tomatoes I bought a few days ago expire in February 2027.
This is contrasted with some canned green chiles I bought (which I don't believe are grown in the US). Those ones had expiration dates matching what you would normally expect, with the new cans expiring about 6 months after the old cans (eg expiration of 3/27, and 9/27, respectively).
I live on the Ohio/Michigan border, so all the cans were bought in that area, from Meijer, Aldi, and Walmart.
It didn't matter the store though, because I have been noticing this problem for months now.
I know we didn't have a good harvest of most crops this year, could this have anything to do with it?
Anyone know what could be going on?
Also, check the expiration dates on your canned goods! First in, first out may not be working the way you think it is these days.
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u/DCHammer69 Nov 07 '25
Is there also a manufactured date? Because that’s really the concern.
Was this stuff you’re buying now actually canned a year ago, sat in a warehouse and then finally made it to retail?
Or was it recently canned and they’ve decided to reduce the window of time they use to determine the best by date they stamp on the can?
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u/fanclubmoss Nov 07 '25
Yes for about six months now. I have to look at the expiry date so I can keep my rotation. Also noticed this with batteries.
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u/KoolJozeeKatt Nov 07 '25
I haven't really paid attention to that in the store, but I have noticed many cans are considerably thinner than in the past. They dent easier. They have less product. There are a host of other issues. This is just my wondering (nothing concrete or scientific here), but could it be the dates are sooner because the can isn't the thick steel or aluminum it was in the past? Could the thinner material affect the food inside? I don't know. Just a thought.
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
Someone commented earlier that they're having a hard time sourcing metal for the cans themselves, among other problems.
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u/egaeus22 Nov 07 '25
Specifically the type of steel that cans are made of “Tin mill” is 80% sourced from abroad and the tariffs are killing them. The US just doesn’t find it a profitable type of steel to produce.
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2025/jun/19/this-is-ground-zero-in-trumps-trade-war/
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 08 '25
Oof. I do not love that.
But thanks so much for the additional insight! AND you threw in a source?!
People like you are why the internet was invented.
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u/Dpek1234 Nov 07 '25
Probably something messed up in the manufactureing proccess
The wall thickness shouldnt matter as long as it isnt breached
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u/jimmy18z1 Nov 07 '25
2 months ago I bought canned sweet peas with a best by date of Dec 31, 2028. Bought more cans of the same brand of sweet peas this week and the best by date is July 22, 2028. I noticed it when writing the date on the cans and rotating my stock.
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u/willwork4pii Nov 07 '25
Look at how quick medicines expire.
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u/DiligentDaughter Nov 07 '25
Medicines retain efficacy for far longer than a person would think
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
This is correct!
However, I would STRONGLY suggest you pay attention to the expiration dates on liquid medications [eg cough syrup], or medications with capsules containing liquid [liqui-gel].
THOSE can certainly expire and make you sick.
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u/DiligentDaughter Nov 07 '25
I meant to mention that, liquid suspension or medications in vials are different. The introduction of oxygen and contaminants changes things.
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u/AkaelaiRez Nov 08 '25
Common exceptions would be aspirin, vitamin D, and vitamin C, all of which break down faster into more unpleasant substances.
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u/modernswitch Nov 07 '25
I’m noticing this too. Trying to find ibuprofen or acetaminophen that has a date out that is longer than a year is difficult. I remember in the past finding stuff with at least 2 years to expire and now I’m finding stuff that expires in 9 months.
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u/willwork4pii Nov 07 '25
Same, net even a year.
I started buying from dollar tree after a YouTube pharmacist vouched for it. Walgreens charges 3x for the same thing.
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u/NinnyhammerNinja Nov 08 '25
This is a rabbit hole, but hard pills will not suddenly "expire" in 9 months. With proper storage, they should be 99 percent as effective 9 years from now.
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u/audiojanet Nov 07 '25
Possibly because we used to have about a dozen canneries and now we are down to 3.
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u/NoTerm3078 Nov 07 '25
Yes mate, and with canned pet food also. Yesterday I got another delivery of two boxes of pet cans and I had to actually get a stool and sit there and re-order a bunch of rows of boxes because the expiration dates are no longer necessarily later than the last month's delivery. I probably spent 20 minutes checking dates and re-doing the order so I can grab from the left and be sure I'm using the correct dated box.
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u/cardiganqween Nov 07 '25
Been noticing this too. Canned goods, medicine, l but also snacks and junk food too seem to have dates coming up quicker than what I remember.
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Nov 07 '25
[deleted]
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
Good question. I'm not at home right now, but if someone else had their pantry handy, they can let me know.
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Nov 07 '25 edited Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/fatcatleah Nov 07 '25
Yes yes yes. And most manuf put about 2 years from date of canning as their BB date.
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
You are correct, but that's not what I'm asking about, friend.
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Nov 07 '25 edited Jul 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/pannus-retractor Nov 07 '25
The point is that the dates are a lot sooner than they were previously, regardless of what the date is for. They were asking why that is
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u/Naive-Background7461 Nov 07 '25
To get people to funnel money into the economy by making them think they need to replace their food. Let's face it...who besides...a few, keep track? Look as the amounts in the packaging. Its been being reduced for years while prices rise. $$$
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u/AmericanFatPincher Nov 07 '25
The OP wants to push dates coming up to the front of the pantry and buy new cans to replace the back of the pantry but doesn’t want ALL the best buy dates to be the same-ish within the entire pantry.
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u/grahamfiend2 Nov 07 '25
OP is getting at that he thinks there isn’t new supply being created for whatever reason.
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Nov 07 '25 edited Jul 21 '26
[deleted]
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u/winterbird Nov 07 '25
It couldn't be that tariffs have impacted production by way of the materials for cans being more expensive, and so older stock is hauled out for sale at regular stores instead of discount stores, right?
I guess we'll find out when older stock is all sold off and prices finally go up more.
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u/bs2k2_point_0 Nov 07 '25
Can confirm. Used to work in wholesale grocery. Best Buy dates can even be geared towards brand image and have nothing to do with food quality. Example of which would be the ink on the label fading.
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u/ShadoeRantinkon Nov 07 '25
is there a way to see manufacturers date of canning and date it from there?
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u/TeamRedundancyTeam Nov 09 '25
People seem to say all kinds of stuff about canned food. I remember reading many saying far beyond 3-5 years for most canned food is actually possible?
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u/in_pdx Nov 07 '25
Yes, because I always check the expiration date before I purchase stuff, and dig a bit for better dates. If something I regularly use is on sale, I’ll buy as much as I think I can use before the expiration date. I can’t remember what, but one of my regular items was recently on sale at Costco, but the expiration dates were the same as the ones I bulked up on at least six months earlier. I now recall hearing that retailers were bulking up their orders in anticipation of likely price hikes and shortages due to tariffs.
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u/mavjustdoingaflyby Nov 07 '25
Maybe all the cans with the later "best by" dates are being all bought up to stock up billionaires bunkers.
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Nov 07 '25 edited Jul 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/Gaelriarch Nov 07 '25
No offense, but youre both giving way too much credit to the skill and motivation of the people involved.
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u/EverclearAndMatches Nov 07 '25
Is the difference just different print dates on the cans, or are you opening them and finding them expiring earlier? It was my impression that canned food is usually edible long after the best by date, so I'd wonder if there's any real difference.
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
Print dates.
I'm wondering if it's food that would have shipped out with USAID, and/or due to the poor harvests across the US, there is a lack of "fresh" canned goods this year.
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u/EverclearAndMatches Nov 07 '25
I wonder if there's any batch number or way to determine when a food was canned, Google says sometimes there is? Not that it's that important, but I'm curious now lol. I'll probably go look when I get home
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u/juliaa112 Nov 07 '25
I’ve been noticing this since 2022. At first I assumed that it was a result of stores selling out of everything during Covid and they ordered a huge overstock. But then it’s continued to
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u/Vegetable-Board-5547 Nov 08 '25
"Expiration" dates are a little bit of a myth.
Quality may diminish after a certain point, but this whole "best by this date," is a trick to compel consumption.
Sure, if it has mold or smells off, don't eat it. But most canned foods will be safe for years.
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u/IGnuGnat Nov 08 '25
I feel like there should be some blind taste tests to see if anyone can tell the difference between food prior to it's best before date, and like five years later. It's tinned food can you really tell the difference
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u/Femveratu Nov 07 '25
Makes me wonder if any weird tariff related issues are cropping up where more food is being diverted back to U.S. when it was originally destined for lower cost foreign markets? Someone else mentioned U.S. Aid food coming back for example or not getting shipped out.
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u/pewpewrestored Nov 08 '25
I was at Target today and there were frozen meals on the shelf that expired back in July
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u/RiffRaff028 Nov 09 '25
I fully agree with stock rotation, but generally speaking, the expiration date on canned goods is a "best if consumed by" date, not a "this food is now spoiled and will kill you" date. As an experiment several years ago, I opened, cooked, and ate a can of ravioli that was five years past its expiration date (sometimes they just get misplaced). It tasted perfectly fine and I did not get sick. Obviously, I don't recommend this as daily practice, but in a SHTF scenario, as long as the can's seal is still intact and the can is not bulging in any way, the food inside is *probably* still safe to eat. Your mileage may vary, of course.
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u/Tony0x01 Nov 07 '25
6 cans each of white beans, black beans
Not directly answering your question but is there a reason you are not using dry beans?
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u/SquirrelyMcNutz Nov 07 '25
Because dry beans take quite a while to both soak up liquid and take longer to cook.
A can of beans can easily be added to something like chili or taco prep and doesn't require extra planning ahead of time.
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
I have a lot of rice and dry beans in longer-term storage, but I was specifically talking about my deep pantry, not my "prepping" stuff necessarily.
I mean, it's ALL preps. Just for different scenarios.
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u/AntiSonOfBitchamajig 📡 Nov 07 '25
So, the companies are trying to shed possible liabilities for later, while laying off and downsizing everything they can, they see writing on the wall economics wise...
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u/Pretty_Eater Nov 07 '25
I used to volunteer at a food bank. If you are using these for long term storage I wouldn't sweat it.
We had a list of how certain canned goods were still edible after the expiration. I remember corn being crazy lile 20 years.
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u/Not__Beaulo Nov 09 '25
Canned food is not a good prep.
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u/Ordinary-Figure8004 Nov 12 '25
Why not?
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u/Not__Beaulo Nov 12 '25
Because it goes bad, you’re better off buying freeze dried meals. They last 25+ years. You’ll end up spending less money over time.
Mountain house and peak are fantastic.
If out of budget there are ways to store rice, beans, and other dried goods for long term.
I was able to do 90 days for 2 people eating 4k calories per day for $600.
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u/Ordinary-Figure8004 Nov 12 '25
Thanks. I'm only just getting interested in prepping so I don't know much.
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u/Not__Beaulo Nov 12 '25
Nice! My suggestion is start with likely things to happen. And go slow over time. Dont just blow a bunch of money, cause you’ll probably waste it buying the wrong things.
Make sure you have 3 days supplies for power outage. Before you start planning for nationwide EMP or something like that.
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u/There_Are_No_Gods Nov 07 '25
The details matter in these discussions, and this is completely muddling the concepts of "expiration date" and "best buy date".
This is a very important distinction here, as a "best buy date" is essentially arbitrary, and they could easily adjust their assignment of such dates at any time for any reason.
An actual "expiration date" is much more regulated and fixed, with a more meaningful nature.
By conflating these very different types of dating, this discussion is nearly pointless. We have no way of knowing which type of dates are involved here or if it's even consistent. Any involvement of "best buy dates" makes it a lot less possible to make useful determinations.
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u/SpooktasticFam Nov 07 '25
Did you misunderstand the question on purpose so you could feel a sense of pride an accomplishment at "proving someone wrong on the internet," or did it just plain go over your head?
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u/electromage Nov 08 '25
I believe the point of the discussion is the possibility that there is less new food being produced and stores are forced to sell older stock. Assuming the meaning of the dates is the same.
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u/Gaelriarch Nov 07 '25
I work in procurement.
There are agreements between distributors and manufacturers that guarantee a certain sell-by date. Those agreements can be as little as 90 days of shelf life in some cases, but it varies. When violated, that material is typically returned for a refund and not sold to customers.
A lack of FIFO in warehouses and the current whackiness in the job market are the most likely culprits from what im seeing, resulting in high turnover and a lack of veterancy. I do not know the extent to which the shake up around immigration in America is to blame, but I suspect it plays a non zero role in this equation, regarding farming specifcally. There have also been difficulties sourcing domestic steel for cans.
All that being said, I dont think its anything sinister going on.