A stock you never use slowly goes out of date. Rotating means eating your emergency food as part of normal meals, and replacing it as you go. Nothing is wasted, and the stock stays fresh.
Use-by and best before
- Use-by is about safety. Don't eat food after its use-by date, even if it looks and smells fine (Food Standards Scotland). You can freeze some foods before their use-by date.
- Best before is about quality. After that date the food is still safe, but flavour or texture may not be as good. This applies only if it was stored as the label says.
- The "sniff test" is only for best-before food, not use-by food (FSA blog).
Most stockpile food (tins, dried pasta, rice, lentils, flour) carries a best-before date. That is why it keeps so well.
First in, first out
- Put new shopping at the back and move older items to the front.
- Write the date on anything without a clear one (home-filled water, decanted rice or flour).
- Cook from the stock: a weekly lentil soup or bean chilli uses up the oldest tins.
- Replace what you use on your next shop.
Check every six months
Be Ready suggests checking your emergency supplies every six months. Pick two dates you will remember, such as when the clocks change. Then:
- move anything close to its date into the kitchen to use soon;
- refill home-stored water (see emergency water);
- check batteries, torches and the power bank.
Throw it out if...
- A tin, jar or bottle is bulging or damaged. The NHS lists this as a way to lower the risk of botulism.
- A tin is badly dented on the seam, rusty or leaking (common sense rather than official guidance: if in doubt, throw it out).
- Dry food has damp, mould or insects.
Storage
- Keep food cool, dry and dark, in sealed tubs if you have mice or damp.
- Avoid hot lofts and garages for food and water; check them more often in summer.
OrCore Prep keeps a dated list of your stock, highlights items expiring within 30 days, and shows what to use first.