When we emptied my Dad's house there were cans on some shelves out of sight that had sprung leaks, swelled up, various unattractive reminders of why they have a shelf date.

There was an interesting ad a few years ago in Martha Stewart Living that McCormick spices put out - and among the information, it says (on the current site) that if it is from Baltimore or in a tin (except for pepper) it is at least 15 years old.

SRS