I have been buying wilton candy melts orange (Halloween), red, green (xmas), and yellow (easter). I know here where I live they don't sell these all year round so I thought I'd buy some in case I need those colors throughout the year. Do they get old, expire? Thanks

I do not know what the exact self life is, but I know they keep for a long time....

With that said, I did have some old ones at my house that I tried and they just did not melt right, seized up on me, tasted funny, etc...

So when in dought do a melting and taste test....

Candy melts technically don't go bad. When they get a white look to them it just means the fat has started to seperate in them. All you need to do is add Paramount crystals, or a little Crisco to them. They will melt like normal and be as good as new. The funny taste is not from the chocolate itself, but from something you have stored it near. One time I put my chocolate in with some other candy, including bubble gum. When i went to use it I noticed an awful flavor. It had picked up the bubble gum flavor. It is very sensitive to smells.

Good tip....

Thanks!

Thanks!!! for fast replys. They are still in package unopened. I do have one opened i put it in a tupperware container but it hasn't been that long to till thats why I asked. Thanks again

I do think it gets an old taste even when stored properly. It also gets hard to melt properly! Crystals do help, but they still aren't like the fresh ones.

I don't use Wilton, I use Merckens. I used some today that I have had since Christmas 2004. They melted fine with paramount crystals added, and since I stored them in a place not around strong odors, they taste great!

Okay this is an cut and paste from the WMI board. A lady there emailed Wilton to ask if the candy melts ever go bad. This is the responce she got from Wilton....

"The expiration date is a 5 digit number imprinted or stamped on the
packaging. Please disregard the first number as it is the batch number.
The second number is the year the product was produced.(ex: 5=2005,
9=1999) The last three digits is the day of the year counting from
January 1st. (ex: 31=Jan 31st, 365=Dec 31st) Wilton Candy Melts are
freshest if used within 18 months of this date. Store in an airtight
container in a cool, dry place (do not refrigerate)."

I'm confused. Everyone is posting that there is a 5 digit number on the bag, but the numbers on my have letters. The top number is 0055CA3, and underneath it is 0043WH80CL12. Can anyone help me translate the expiration date? Thanks!

There is no expiration date on Wilton candy melts. The date on the bag is a manufactured date. According to Wilton, the bag is good for 18 months after that date if it is unopened. Here's how to figure out the date:

There is a 5 digit number printed on the first line of the clear rectangle on the back of the bag. The number is followed by a batch number, example: W02.  Just pay attention to the first 5 numbers.  I have a bag that has 16132W02 as the top line of print.  The first two numbers are the year, 2016.  The next three numbers are the day based on the Julian calendar.  001 would be January 1st, 365 would be December 31.  So my candy was MADE May 12, 2016. This is not the expiration date but the manufactured date. Wilton says that their candy melts are good (if unopened) for 18 months. That means that I can throw out this bag after November 12, 2017. I just bought 3 bags with the code 15049W01. They were manufactured February 18, 2015. That means that they are almost 2 years old. I doubt if even Michaels knows how to check the dates on them. I'm taking them back.

Below is a break down of the day of the year numbers by months to make life a little easier:

January 1-31
February 32-59
March 60-90
April 91-120
May 121-151
June 152-181
July 182-212
August 213-243
September 244-273
October 274-304
November 305-334
December 335-365

Correct, there actually is a shelf life, and not all choc wafer candy melts are created equal. some have longer shelf life than others. Wilton will not melt correctly and loose taste as well as color.

Correct, there actually is a shelf life, and not all choc wafer candy melts are created equal. some have longer shelf life than others. Wilton will not melt correctly and loose taste as well as color.

Also, I've never had Wilton last 18 months. EVER. That may be what they'd like it to be, but just like car mileage, in the real world it is much less.