Well, to answer my own question… “They” have this thing called the internet, and most businesses are hooked up to it, and even have something called a “web site”. I went to Mountain Houses “web site”, and found this answer:
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<h4>What is the shelf life of your foods?</h4>
Our meals in our Adventure Meal™ pouches, kits and cans all have a freeze-dried, emergency food industry-leading guaranteed shelf life and Taste Guarantee of 30 years from the date of manufacture. The only exceptions are our MCWs, novelty items, and Simple Sensations. MCWs have a 3-year shelf life from date of manufacture, novelty items like our ice cream have a 2-year shelf life, and Simple Sensations have a 30-month shelf life.
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<h4>What happens after the shelf life has passed?</h4>
The food doesn’t “go bad” after the shelf life, but the quality will start to diminish. You may notice a slight change in flavor or texture, but we’ve eaten food from both our Adventure Meal™ pouches and Just in Case…® cans that were over 30 years old and were still tasty!
‘Tis a good thing I didn’t just toss ’em.
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