Of course, all foods last for a shorter period of time if they are not stored properly. But, like many other food and drink products, it has a best before date or a use by date which is simply the last date by which a manufacturer will vouch for a product's quality, not its safety. Because of this distinction, you may safely eat your foods for limited amounts of time after the best by date or use by date has expired.

How to tell if Cornmeal is bad, rotten or spoiled?

Practicing proper hygiene and food safety techniques will help prevent foodborne illness.

Although not a perfect test, your senses are usually the most reliable instruments to tell if your cornmeal have expired and gone bad. Dry cornmeal lasts for about a year, the smell will change as it begins to go bad. Do not eat it if it develops an odor or tastes different than usual.

There are, of course, certain health risks associated with spoiled foods so always remember to practice food safety and enjoy your foods before their shelf life has expired!

How to store Cornmeal to extend its shelf life?

Cornmeal should be stored in an airtight container in a cool dark place since they are perishable. The freezer is an ideal place to store cornmeal for a longer shelf life. A consistent temperature is best for cornmeal. When items go through temperature changes of cool to warm and vice versa, the moisture in the air tends to condensate inside the packages. This moisture allows mold to grow and your cornmeal could spoil.

If you have a cornmeal mixture specific to making cornbread then it should contain baking powder and/or baking soda. This component will go bad before the actual cornmeal. See our soda and powder pages for more information.

Some benefits of proper food storage include eating healthier, cutting food costs and helping the environment by avoiding waste.

How long is Cornmeal good for when prepared in a dish?

How long does cornmeal last? That depends. How long does milk last? In general, foods can only last as long as the quickest expiring ingredient that they are mixed with.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Cornmeal lasts, our content incorporates research from multiple resources, including the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Food & Drug Administration. In addition, we scoured the web for informative articles and reports related to food safety, food storage and the shelf life of Cornmeal.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Cornmeal shelf life information on Eat By Date is generally reliable, please remember that individual cases will vary and that our advice should only be taken as an opinion and not a replacement for your health care professional. Please eat responsibly!