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Non perishable food items: what to stock and how long it keeps

By the Plain Prepper editors. Updated 2026-10-15.

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Quick answer

Non perishable food items are foods that keep at room temperature: canned goods, dry beans, rice, pasta, peanut butter, crackers, cereal, nuts, dried fruit and shelf-stable milk. Ready.gov suggests ready-to-eat canned foods, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal, peanut butter, dried fruit and canned juices for emergencies. USDA's FoodKeeper lists white rice and dry pasta at 2 years in the pantry and dried beans at 1 to 2 years, for best quality.

Pantry times from USDA FoodKeeper

Food	Pantry, from purchase	After opening
White or wild rice	2 years	1 year
Brown rice	1 year	1 year
Dry pasta (no egg)	2 years	1 year
Dried beans	1 to 2 years	1 year
Dried lentils, split peas	1 year	1 year
Peanut butter, commercial	6 to 24 months	3 months
Crackers	8 months	1 month
Ready-to-eat cereal	6 to 12 months	3 months
Nuts in jars or cans	1 year	9 months
Powdered milk	3 to 5 years	3 months
Shelf-stable milk	6 to 12 months	Not listed
Honey	2 years	Not listed
Canned tuna	3 years	Not listed
Low-acid canned goods	2 to 5 years	Not recommended in the pantry

FoodSafety.gov says FoodKeeper is meant to help you keep food at its best freshness and quality. Data read from USDA's FoodKeeper file in October 2026.

Ready.gov's emergency food list

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables, plus a can opener
• Protein or fruit bars
• Dry cereal or granola
• Peanut butter
• Dried fruit
• Canned juices
• Non-perishable pasteurized milk
• High-energy foods
• Food for infants
• Comfort or stress foods

Ready.gov says to store at least a several-day supply, choose foods your family will eat, and remember special dietary needs. See our canned food guide for can safety and openers.

No-cook, low-water choices

• Eat as is: Ready.gov says commercially canned food may be eaten from the can without warming.
• Bars and crackers: Datrex lists its emergency food bars as ready to eat and non thirst provoking.
• Foods that need water: rice, pasta and dry beans need water and fuel; Mother Earth Products says to simmer its quick-cook black beans in 3 parts water for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Faster legumes: its quick-cook lentils take 3 parts boiling water to 2 parts lentils and stand 10 to 15 minutes.
• Cooking safely: Ready.gov says charcoal grills and camp stoves are for outdoor use only; see our camp stove guide.

Storing and rotating a non-perishable supply

1. Write the purchase date on every package, since FoodKeeper times run from purchase.
2. Use oldest first and replace what you eat.
3. Cover and store well: Ready.gov says to keep food in covered containers, and Mother Earth Products advises a cool, dark place for its dried foods.
4. Repack bulk dry goods such as rice and beans; see our Mylar bags guide.
5. Watch opened items: FoodKeeper drops crackers to 1 month and peanut butter to 3 months after opening.

Food safety during an outage

• Fridge clock: Ready.gov says an unopened refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours.
• Two-hour rule: discard perishable food such as meat, fish, eggs or leftovers that has been above 40°F for two hours or more.
• Damaged cans: do not eat from cans that are swollen, dented or corroded, Ready.gov says.
• Flood water: throw away any food that touched it.
• When in doubt: Ready.gov's rule is to throw it out.

Planning calories for a few days

• Count calories, not cans: read labels and add up what each person will eat per day.
• Ration bars: Datrex packs come in 1,000, 2,400 and 3,600 calorie sizes made of 200 calorie bars, so a 3,600 calorie pack holds 18 bars, or 1,200 calories a day over three days.
• Dried legumes: Mother Earth Products lists 100 calories and 6 g protein per ounce of its black beans and 110 calories and 7 g protein per ounce of lentils.
• Special diets and infants: plan these separately, as Ready.gov notes.
• Water: pair food with stored water; see our emergency water storage guide.

What to look for when you buy

Questions people ask

What are the best non perishable food items for emergencies?

Ready.gov suggests ready-to-eat canned foods, protein or fruit bars, dry cereal, peanut butter, dried fruit, canned juices and shelf-stable milk.

How long does rice last in the pantry?

USDA FoodKeeper lists white rice at 2 years and brown rice at 1 year from purchase.

How long does peanut butter last?

FoodKeeper lists 6 to 24 months unopened and 3 months after opening in the pantry.

What non perishable foods need no cooking?

Commercially canned foods, bars, crackers, cereal, peanut butter, nuts and dried fruit.

Sources

• FoodKeeper data, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
• FoodKeeper App, FoodSafety.gov
• Food, Ready.gov
• Emergency Food Rations, Datrex
• Dehydrated Black Beans, Mother Earth Products
• Dehydrated Lentils, Mother Earth Products

Sources checked 2026-10-15.