Morton Salt Expiration Guide

While salt itself has no expiration date, salt products that contain iodine or seasonings that contain other ingredients such as spices, colors and flavors can deteriorate over time. 

For an optimal experience with our salt and seasoning products, we recommend the following guidelines:

Product Recommended Used By Date Why?
Plain Table Salt, Coarse Sea Salt, Fine Sea Salt, Sea Salt, Grinders, Kosher Salt 5 Years Contains anti-caking additives – however clumping may occur as this ingredient can lose effectiveness over time
Salt Substitute 5 Years Contains additives that may lose effectiveness over time
Natural All Purpose Sea Salt, Canning & Pickling Salt, Himalayan Pink Salt 3 Years Does not contain anti-caking additive and may become caked over time
Iodized Table Salt, Iodized Sea Salt, Lite Salt & Iodized Salt Shakers 5 Years Iodine can dissipate over time
Nature’s Seasons, Garlic Sea Salt 3 Years For optimal flavor
Season-All 2 Years For optimal color and flavor
Tender Quick 3 Years For optimal performance of meat cure ingredients
Black Peppercorn Grinder & Black Pepper Shaker 3 Years For optimal color and flavor

How to know how old your Morton salt is

All Morton culinary salts include a manufacture code which can be found on the bottom or the side of the package. The manufacture code is the date on which the product was manufactured. Once you find the code, you only need to focus on the five digits in the middle.

To understand the code on the bottom of your container, first locate that ten-character sequence on your product. An example of the code might read something like RI21005011:

  21 = the last two digits of the year of manufacture (2021)
005 = the 5th day of the year (January 5th – Morton uses a Julian date)

This code tells us the product was manufactured January 5, 2021

Once you understand when your product was manufactured, use the guidelines above to understand the optimal timing to use your product. 

Julian Date Calendar for Year 2021

Morton Product Storage

We suggest that you store your Morton salt in a cool, dry place, away from where you do your cooking. When this isn’t an option, we suggest storing it in an airtight container. Salt and seasonings should be stored in a cool, dry place to minimize clumping and prolong shelf life. If clumping occurs, simply tap and/or shake the package to break the clumps.