FOOD NEWS
Do Twinkies Really Never Expire?
By Kimberley Laws
Many foods never expire, and Twinkies are consistently rumored to be one of them. It's easy to understand the urban legend surrounding the treat's shelf life, but what exactly goes inside a Twinkie and how long does it really last on the shelf?
According to How It's All Made, Twinkies contain "wheat flour, sugar, corn syrup, niacin, water, high fructose corn syrup, eggs, and shortening," all of which are real ingredients that go bad. As Hostess President and CEO, William D. Toler, stated, "[The Twinkie’s] shelf life is 65 days from bake, and we guarantee 45 days to our customer."
When Colin Purrington discovered a box of eight-year-old Twinkies, he found that the creamy center had turned brown, one sported a mysterious blemish, and one had shriveled. Scientists from West Virginia University quickly discovered that both the spotted and the shriveled Twinkie had become home to fungi, meaning that Twinkies do, in fact, spoil.