Oatmeal From '70s Still Tastes OK

This is an interesting article I think has relevance to the question of storing food in the event of a Pandemic.

Oatmeal From '70s Still Tastes OK

Next time you feel compelled to clean out the pantry, don't feel bad about putting it off.

A lot of the old food that's gone beyond the manufacturer's expiration date could still be edible for years or decades longer.

Such are the findings of food science researchers who recently subjected a panel of human tasters to samples of really old food. They discovered that artifacts like 20-year-old dried milk and 28-year-old rolled oats were still perfectly edible and sometimes even tasted OK.

"You'd think that shelf life would be much shorter," said Oscar Pike, one of the professors of food science at Brigham Young University who conducted the study. "But that's not the case."

Food scientists have long maintained that certain foodstuffs, like salt, granulated crystal sugar and wheat kernels, can be stored indefinitely at room temperature or below. But Pike said he was uncertain whether a more processed grain, such as a rolled oat, would also stand the test of time.

To find out, researchers prepared oatmeal from 16 samples of regular and quick-cooking rolled oats that had been stored up to 28 years in sealed containers. A panel of tasters rated the oats on aroma, texture, flavor, aftertaste and overall acceptability. Scientists also analyzed the samples' nutritional quality.

The conclusion? Tasters rated the quality of the old oats from 4.8 to 6.7 on an ascending scale from 1 to 9. Three-fourths considered them acceptable in an emergency.

Makers of long-lasting food products aren't surprised that people weren't keen on the taste of 1970s oatmeal.

"Palatability will decline before edibility vanishes," said Gary Hansen, owner of Pleasant Hill Grain, which sells food packages for emergency stockpiling.

Properly stored food, Hansen noted, can be edible longer than one might infer from manufacturers' expiration dates, which typically indicate when a product starts to taste worse or lose some nutritional value.

More...

This is actually reassuring ....

When I began considering what food I would store in preparation for a possible self imposed preventative quarantine, the task became more difficult than I expected. This article helps answer the safety questions I had. It appears that any purchases made today, could still be used 2 or 3 years later with little concern. That's good to know.



[edit on 16-11-2005 by loam]

Thanks for posting that. It is nice to know and I will be adding oatmeal to my food staorage - though it is growing slowing than I want it too.

When I read the above, it reminded me of my grandmothers house. She died last month at age 97, but throughout my years, I loved her house. She went through the depression and as a result she stocked up on everything.

Her home was very cluttered, you could not see a single place where the walls met the floor. Stackes of this and piles of that - not messy, just cluttered. You wouldn't even run out of toilet paper in her home in emergencies. She stored, canned and dried foods. The attic and the stairs to the attic were full of food.

She always said to get into the habit of storing food and supplies and I always thought she was crazy.

Well, her words play a role in my life now. The last couple of years I have learned survival, canning, drying and storage. I haven't the amount I want, but starting in the spring, I will be growing a very large garden. By the end of next summer I will have many jars of canned foods, dehydrated goods and more survival equipment.

...and now I will be adding oatmeal. Thanks, great post. Most fail to realise the importance of this type of thing.

Might I recommend to anyone wanting to stock up on oats McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. It's the real deal, organic, (non-GMO), much more nutritious and really tastier.

It would be my choice for stocking up on staples especially if supplies were ever tight, to get the most nutritional value, plus it actually comes in cans so it would keep even better without having to worry about pest infestation.

As I grew up on that one, I can't even tolerate any other type (over processed rolled oats are garbage in comparison) and it's available in most grocery stores.

Originally posted by Relentless
Might I recommend to anyone wanting to stock up on oats McCann's Steel Cut Irish Oatmeal. It's the real deal, organic, (non-GMO), much more nutritious and really tastier.

It would be my choice for stocking up on staples especially if supplies were ever tight, to get the most nutritional value, plus it actually comes in cans so it would keep even better without having to worry about pest infestation.

As I grew up on that one, I can't even tolerate any other type (over processed rolled oats are garbage in comparison) and it's available in most grocery stores.

And if you don't want to have to stand over the pot and stir these -- fill a thermos with hot water and let it sit for a bit - then when the water comes to a boil pour out the old water from the thermos - add your oatmeal and new boiling water - give it a shake or stir and let it sit for about an hour. I am still working on getting the consistency right for me (I like drier oatmeal) but this makes my mornings much easier. Especially since I take a pill when I get up and can't eat for an hour after taking that pill. And I am so not a morning person - I can manage doing this.