Do Twinkies Actually Last Forever?

It's a common myth: If a nuclear war were to ever occur, the only things that'd survive would be cockroaches and Twinkies. Yes, I am talking about those golden, cream-filled sponge cakes with the rounded edges. Contrary to popular belief, though, they cannot in fact last forever. I almost feel bad for Twinkies for having to receive so much criticism throughout the years — their ingredients are nearly identical to not only their fellow Hostess snack cakes but also to Little Debbie snack cakes. Yet no one is pointing fingers at that innocent, smiling young girl from the '60s wearing a straw hat and claiming that Golden Cremes could last through an apocalypse.

The main reason why Twinkies were targeted as the immortal snack cake is due to several urban legends. One tells the story of a Twinkie that was left out for 30 years and remained in the same condition. These tales were thought to have been true since within the ingredient list of Twinkies, there's only about five ingredients out of the 32 ingredients that are actually used within everyday baked goods — sugar, flour, cornstarch, baking soda and eggs. However, the truth is no, they don't last forever, and in 2020, a researcher from West Virginia University did the lord's work when he examined one Twinkie that did not stand the test of time.

In November 2012, Twinkies were removed from store shelves and were said to be discontinued until further notice due to Hostess Brands filing bankruptcy. They're now back on the market and worth more than ever (the company even made a comeback in 2023 with a new cake). So, naturally, there were quite a few die-hard Twinkie fans and fellow foodies who stock-piled what they could of the remaining treats. Such was the case for Colin Purrington, who had a box stashed in his basement for eight years before he sent them off to the university for further testing. 

Purrington described the smell alone as "rotting ginkgo fruit" on X (formerly Twitter). Speaking to Business Insider, plant pathologist Matt Kasson, who examined the Twinkie in a lab in 2020, described it as "a mummy finger" — a clear indication that some molding was definitely going on there, to say the least. Kisson suggested that the process could have happened very fast, though it;'s unclear just how fast with the evidence they had to work with. But the same wasn't true for another Twinkie that was left out for 44 years. 

A previous Twinkie was left sitting for 44 years, and the results were even more disturbing than the recalled "mummy finger" — it was fully intact and appeared unbothered. Kasson suggested it might have had better storage conditions than Purrington's treat did. Most of us don't have 44-year-old Twinkies in our pantries, or even eight-year old ones for that matter. Regardless, it has been scientifically proven that a box should be consumed within 25 days of purchasing — or within the best-by date — to fully enjoy the nostalgia of that golden sponge cake with the cream filling.