Shelf Life of Spices

Hi C.,

I sell food products with a direct selling company that sells quite a few spices. Our shelf life is between 1 - 2 years but that is a guideline. What happens is that they can still be good after that but they start to lose their potency. My rule of thumb too is if it doesn't look good, then toss it.

If you get the Penzey's catalog, they have a "Tips" section that talks about that. Obviously they want you to buy spices more often, but I think it's a good basic set of guidelines. They say to buy a year's supply of herbs or ground spices and whole spices (that you grind yourself) can be stored for 2 years. They say the government guidelines are 2 and 4 years for those items.

They have more details in the catalog about storage, freezing, and and so on. Don't store spices near a heat source; avoid direct sunlight.

It depends on the spice but I usually replace mine after a year if opened. If it has not been opened, it should be fine a bit longer. They lose the flavor and potency after a while. I scour dollar stores and discount places for spices since they can cost so much.