While I stock up on freeze dried and bulk foods such as rice, canned goods are the staple of my own food storage program. I have written about the myths surrounding expiration dates and suffice it to say canned foods will last years past labeled expiration date if properly stored. This goes for almost every kind of canned food including meats, soups, stews, fruits, and vegetables.
I’ve saved an assortment of canned goods over the years that the wifey wanted to throw out. Every so often I pull one out and serve it. So far I’ve had no issues with any of them.
Recently I reached deep into the back behind stacks and stacks of food all over my house and…….well, Ok I went to the cabinet and got a can of chicken noodle soup. The can expired in 2013 which makes it well over 4 years past the point most people would have thrown it out.
I opened the can, heated it up and put it in my belly. No issues whatsoever. As I expected the appearance, smell, texture, and flavor we all like the can was processed the day before. So while I would like to write up some eloquent article on my taste test it really boils down to opening a can, heating it up – and eating it.
****Note: Do not consume canned that are bulging or leaking. It’s not good for canned food – or people.
My experience with really old canned stuff is not safety concerns or even taste but texture. My sardines, tuna, and chicken have kind of turned into goo over the many years as I test them. Definitely edible but not a feast for sure. Better than starving is it.
I’m completely comfortable with eating canned soup, meat, and most veggies after the expiration date, with one big exception: acidic foods like tomatoes or pickled vegetables. I had a can of pickled beets corrode through and leak goo all over my cupboard once, and while I couldn’t read the expiration date (because nothing on the label was legible due to the goo), I know that can was in my cupboard for at least 5 or 6 years.
Opened several cans of pineapple that had expired 2 years ago. Pineapple was edible but did not taste very good.
For things you CAN mix .. MIX them with rice, and or beans .. add seasoning .. works well as a mask and calories are calories. Some things are not very mixable.
Yup while dent cans may be ok .. leaking or bulging cans definitely are not… not even to feed to the animals .. it’s compost at best… Botulinum toxin (BTX) is a neurotoxic protein produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and related species. It prevents the release of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine from axon endings at the neuromuscular junction and thus causes flaccid paralysis. That is in small does .. in small concentrations. Infection with the bacterium causes the disease botulism.
Botulinum is the most acutely lethal toxin known, with an estimated human median lethal dose (LD50) of 1.3–2.1 ng/kg intravenously or intramuscularly and 10–13 ng/kg when inhaled.
It actually was the reason canned food in cans commercially pushed out home canning as a process. When they say with zeal how you MUST clean the jars well and don’t touch them etc etc .. this is what they seek to prevent. Many people didn’t see why and did not .. any the incidence of Botulism was much higher then. Today we use it more to paralyze facial muscle to reduce wrinkles .. WHAT a world!
Anyway if you can meat etc.. pay attention to the clean rules.. don’t eat bulging cans.. or yellow snow 🙂
GG58
We have eaten canned foods that are many years old and they were fine. Lightning
I recently opened a can of Spam with a 2014 exp. date. It was perfectly good.
I’ve always felt that this was generally the case. I do agree, however, that you wouldn’t use a can that exhibited swelling or leakage or has an “off” odor.
Thanks Tom. I made some SPAM a few weeks ago and it was really good. Been a long time.