Foods that never (or almost never) expire can include selected seasonings and condiments, base ingredients, dried foods and distilled beverages. See some examples below:
white rice
honey
salt
sugar
dried beans
pure maple syrup
powdered milk
hard liquor
soy sauce
pemmican
white vinegar
cornstarch
Is your food expired? Don’t be so quick to toss it. Use-by dates are contributing to millions of pounds of wasted food each year.
A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Harvard Law School’s Food Law and Policy Clinic says Americans are prematurely throwing out food, largely because of confusion over what expiration dates actually mean.
Most consumers mistakenly believe that expiration dates on food indicate how safe the food is to consume, when these dates actually aren’t related to the risk of food poisoning or foodborne illness.
According to the analysis, words like “use by” and “sell by” are used so inconsistently that they contribute to widespread misinterpretation — and waste — by consumers. More than 90% of Americans throw out food prematurely, and 40% of the U.S. food supply is tossed–unused–every year because of food dating. See more at healthland.time.com.
For guide on the variety of confusing 'freshness' dates on food, see WebMD's Do Food Expiration Dates Really Matter?.