# Ball pectin shelf life?



## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

Hi All, I have approx 15 boxes of Ball brand pectin that is about 3 years old. Does anyone know if this has a shelf life?


----------



## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

You should find a "Best if Used By" date on the box. Shelf life depends on how it was stored. As it ages and is exposed to humidity the jelling quality declines. There is no safety issues with using it, just a possible quality issue. Personally I have used 2 and 3 year old pectin with no problems but I store my boxes in vacuum sealed plastic bags.


----------



## Charleen (May 12, 2002)

yes, it's dated 3 years ago and although it's probably still good, I was wondering about the quality of the finished product. I had originally posted ~15 boxes, but another 10 have been found. Gosh, I hate to waste all this. Maybe I'll experiment and use 1.5 - 2 boxes per batch of jam.

Thanks for the tip about vacuum sealing the boxes. Good idea.


----------

