In reality, Twinkies are on the shelf for a short time; a company executive told "The New York Times" in 2000 that the "Twinkie is on the shelf no more than 7 to 10 days."The maximum shelf life was reported to have been 26 days, until the addition of stronger preservatives made beginning in 2012 increased it to 45 days. A box of Twinkies from shortly before Hostess's bankruptcy in 2012 was opened eight years later; one had completely molded over with cladosporium, another had a small amount of mold, and the creme filling in a third Twinkie had turned brown with the taste of "old sock."