But remember that flour, like a lot of other baking products, usually has a best before date and not a use by date or expiration date. Because of this distinction, you may safely use it for your baking needs after the best before date has lapsed.

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

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

It is easiest to tell if whole wheat flour has gone bad because it will develop a rancid smell. Since whole wheat flour is made using the entire grain, it retains some essential oils from the grain and these will degrade over time and develop a rancid smell.

The most common reason that flour spoils is if weevils (teeny, tiny bugs) inhabit and then lay eggs in the bag. Some say you can freeze the bag for 48 hours to kill the weavils, but it is safer to take the flour bag straight outside to the the trash. You should then sanitize the entire pantry because chances are the weevils traveled to or from something else in the pantry.

If your flour has gone bad, check our substitution page for an alternate substance.

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 Flour to extend its shelf life?

The best way to store flour is in its original container in the pantry, but also inside of a plastic bag or airtight container. All varieties last for a longer period of time if they are stored in a cool, dry environment. It should also be kept in a vapor proof container because the powder easily absorbs nearby odors and chemicals from anything around. When the bag is opened, it can be poured into another air tight container. Or, the original bag can be placed inside of a plastic bag for extra protection. The shelf life of whole grain flour can be extended by several months by storing it in the fridge or freezer, but this is not recommended for white flour as the expiration depends upon it remaining completely dry.

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

Interesting facts about Flour:

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

How long does flour last? That depends. How long do eggs last? In general, it will be one of the last expiring ingredients in most recipes but it expires along with the fastest expiring ingredient in the dish.

What are our shelf life resources?

In determining how long Flour 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 Flour.

*An important note about expiration dates...

Although the Flour 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!