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Does Food Spoil in the Stash in Fallout 76?

Does Food Spoil in the Stash in Fallout 76?

If you’re new to Fallout 76 then chances are that you’re wondering whether food spoils within the game and if there are any ways to halt or slow this process down. Food is a vital resource in the game because it keeps your character fit and healthy, so knowing this information is quite important to your survival.

Yes, food can spoil in Fallout 76. The rate at which cooked food spoils compared to un-cooked food is slower. The in-game perk called Good with Salt and the Refrigerator item both can slow down the rate at which food spoils within the game.

Although the answer might seem simple, there are many aspects of how food works in Fallout 76 that have people scratching their heads. If you wish to learn more about this then continue to read this article!

Related: The Absolute Best Starting Stats in Fallout 4 Revealed

Does Food Spoil in Fallout 76?

Promotional image for Fallout 76

Food in Fallout 76 is incredibly important. It is one of the primary methods that allow you to be able to replenish your HP within the game, so making sure that the food you hoard doesn’t go bad is important. However, this is easier said than done. Because regardless of what you do, food will inevitably spoil in Fallout 76.

So, yes, food can spoil, even when it is stored in your stash. And there is nothing that you can do directly to halt that eventuality. But I will say that there are various means that you can employ to slow that process down. This is through the particular usage of a perk card that players can obtain, which we will speak about later in this article.

Differences Between Cooked Food and Raw Food

cooking in Fallout 76

If we are to compare the time it takes for both Cooked Food and Raw Food to spoil then there are a few, quite interesting facts, that we might learn. This will be particularly helpful to Fallout 76 players that want to min-max their food supply, or rations, to ensure that they can get the most out of their resources.

You see, if you cook your food or generally obtain cooked food then it will take longer to spoil. So this will be a great reason why players should head to a cooking station as soon as they possibly can. When we timed both raw food and cooked food it showed that the cooked food lasted for more than 2 hours.

On the other hand, raw food lasted only 76 minutes, which might be an awkward homage to the title name of the franchise, nonetheless, the time difference is apparent. Moreover, we found that canned or processed foods that you can find in the open world do not spoil, and can thus be eaten whenever.

It is important to note, as well, that your hydration level or the thirst meter is extremely important within the game. If your character isn’t sufficiently hydrated then it will decrease your stamina, and you will not be able to run. This is particularly damning, as enemies will have the ability to catch up to you and attack you relentlessly.

How To Keep Food From Going Bad In Fallout 76?

Now that you know that raw and cooked food can both go bad regardless of whether they are in your stash or not, then you must be thinking about how you can reduce the rate of their decay. After all, the longer you have access to food that you’ve collected the longer it remains a viable source of HP regen.

But even if you don’t care about the regeneration of your HP, the Hunger and Thirst mechanics both can be damaging for your character if you do not manage these aspects of your character properly. This is why it is necessary to understand any way you can slow this process, of going bad, down.

The two ways in which you can keep food from going bad in Fallout 76 is through either the Good with Salt perk or by putting the food that you wish to preserve for longer in a refrigerator.

Good with Salt Perk

image of the Perk "Good with Salt"

Perhaps one of the absolute best ways that you can slow down the spoilage of your food in Fallout 76 is through the use of the perk called Good with Salt. This can be particularly helpful as it slows down the rate of item degradation while you have it equipped.

If you wish to utilize this perk then there are certain prerequisites that you have to meet. These include the following

  • Your character must be at least Level 9
  • You must have at least 1 Luck to provide as equipment cost.

Once you’ve maxed out the ranks within this particular perk then the degradation of your food will be slowed by a whopping 90% and you can start the slowing effect by reducing the overall rate by 30%, making this potentially the best perk for characters that require a lot of food and thirst to survive.

The Good with Salt perk might be a brilliant method to slow down the spoilage of food on its own, but that does not mean that it does not have some wicked synergies.

Especially in our opinion, the Butcher’s Bounty and Green Thumb are great basic perks that synergize well with Good with Salt. Moreover, the perk works tremendously well with Carnivore and Herbivore mutations.

Related: Here are the Best Perks in Fallout 4

Use a Refrigerator

Screenshot of a refrigerator in Fallout 76

The second method that we know of within Fallout 76 to reduce the speed at which your food spoils is by using a refrigerator. This might sound confusing because the game did not launch with a refrigerator.

However, because Fallout 76 was a live service game, that meant that it had a lot more cosmetic and premium items that players can buy added later to the game.

One of these is their refrigerator. This was a special storage unit that they added within the game as a premium item that players could buy. It is perfect for storing and preserving your food.

You can hold a lot of stuff within this refrigerator and can use the food that you stored within them later as per your requirement.


There you have it guys, the answer to your question about whether food spoils in your stash in Fallout 76. Yes, it will spoil. However, if the food is cooked, refrigerated, or if you have a host of useful perks then that degradation process will be slowed down considerably.