The Most Important Dates In Your Future

There could be some very important dates coming up in our future.  Dates like, the day the Dollar Collapses, the day the Illuminati take over the world, the day Obama declares Martial Law, the day that WWIII starts, the day the EMP takes out the grid, the day the Aliens drop in to wipe us out…

Any and all of those dates will surely be life-changing days for all of us, and are among some of  the reasons why Preppers do what they do, but even those dates may not be the most important dates in our future.

The most important dates in our future may well be….Expiration Dates.

It would be an awful thing to have worked so hard to prepare for catastrophe, and realize that once the S*** Hits The Fan, that half of your food supply has already expired and is questionably safe to eat.  If you prep without routinely checking the expiration dates on your supplies, you run the risk of being no better off than someone that hasn’t prepared at all.

Keep an inventory, update it often, and check expiration dates and rotate your supplies at least once every 3 months.  Stay on top of it, don’t just buy a bunch of food and let it grow cobwebs in your basement.

How long is food safe after it expires?  It depends.  Some dates will be a “Best By” date, meaning that the food will retain most of its taste and nutrition up to that date, but may still be safe to eat long after that date expires.

A “Use By” date is a bit more serious, in that the manufacturer is stating that the food should be safe up to that date, but recommends that it be discarded once the date expires.  Keep in mind that there may be “cushion of safety” for a lot of foods, meaning that they may still be safe after the expiration date has passed, but that the manufacturer will no longer be held accountable if it makes someone sick.

One of the best practices will always be to check the food before you eat it.  Does it look funny, or not quite right?  If so, throw it out.  Does it smell funny?  Throw it out.  Does it taste funny?  Throw it out.  It is always better to err on the side of safety, rather than get sick from food that has gone over.  Especially in a SHTF situation where there may be no doctors or hospitals available and no help will come if you get a serious case of food poisoning.

You can drastically reduce the chances of eating bad food by checking the expiration dates now.  Be vigilant,  be observant, and don’t let your food grow cobwebs.

This is just a friendly reminder for all the preppers out there.  If you want those supplies to take care of you when the time comes, YOU need to take care of THEM while you wait for the aliens and zombies to knock down your door.

Original article can be viewed at SHTF Survival Prepper.