Canned Goods and Expiration Dates

 

Drives me crazy when someone freaks out because a can of soup is found to have expired a few months ago – and they throw it away. There really is a misunderstanding on what that date is printed on canned goods – and many other food packages – found today.

The canning process which has been used for over 100 hundred years sterilizes the interior of a can and its ingredients thus eliminating any possibility of bacteria growing. Bacteria – such as botulism – simply cannot just “appear” in a can of chicken or Bean & Bacon soup no matter how old. Of course this process must be done correctly.

Although there are extremely rare exceptions a can of corn eaten 20 years after the “magic date” on the can top will be perfectly safe to consume. It may not taste exactly the same. It may have slightly lower nutritional value. It may not look the same. It may have a different consistency – but it will be safe to eat.

canned goods

What does this mean for prepper’s? It means that canned foods can be a major part of a food storage system with a lower concern for expiration dates. Should these foods be rotated? Of course. Fresh is best – right?

Is it impossible for a can of food to go bad? Of course not. It happens – rarely. If a can is found to be bulging or leaking – discard it. In articular I do not care much for the “pull top” cans that are popular with many brand name manufacturers. That specific seal-type seems weak in comparison to the age-old solid top. Interesting is that most less-expensive brands do NOT have the pop-tops.

I recently ate a can of Bean and Bacon soup – in fact eating it as I type this – that expired in 2013.  3.5 years is not a huge amount of time however most people would have thrown it away over 3 years ago.  Tastes like it was canned at the Campbell’s factory yesterday.

10 years past the expiration date? I’d eat it.

Rourke

 

 

 

 

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13 Comments

  1. K Rouse says:

    When I first started studying & planning decades ago, to be prepared for any number of ‘survival’ situations, I learned a lot from some of the serious religious groups regarding food storage. I’ve seen storage areas where 12 months of food supply was stored in monthly divisions & systematically literally rotated monthly, each can turned 180* over to the other end. I was told this was proven in university studies to increase longevity by disrupting the gas separation responsible for allowing bacteria formation & growth responsible for poisonous cultures & spoilage.

  2. Oren says:

    Thanks JR. Good info considering I am centering my food stock on canned goods supported by freeze dried and staples such as rice, beans etc. Makes the canned goods look much better. Also, the weakness of the pop tops stands to reason. I’ll avoid them.

  3. JustAnotherVet says:

    You made me smile. My 34 year old live-at-home daughter tosses cans on the exact date printed. I gave up on trying to convince her of what you just wrote. So, I check trash daily (part of my retired ritual now) and move those cans to ‘my’ pantry. Thanks as always for your info !

  4. D. says:

    My canned stock dates from 2012-2017 and I regularly eat from the oldest date first, Cans are marked with month/year date of purchase when put in storage. A tip: Those of you concerned about the high sodium content of canned items….Pour out the fluid, refill with fresh water, rinse and pour that out. This will remove much of the salt from canned foods.

  5. goingray58 says:

    Same thing with medicines.. to a lesser degree on age . 1 year is not accurate either.. Of course bad medicine can be REALLY bad if bad. So there are steps to take to ensure it is useable first.
    GG58

    1. JR says:

      Most medicines are usable for decades although there are a few that can become toxic. Whatever is taken should be researched with a simple Google search to make sure they don’t get toxic.

      Tetracycline is the most well known however there are many sources that suggest its toxicity is a “internet rumor” and not backed by science. There was a reported case back in 1963 and the primary source of its toxicity comes from this individual case – at least that is my understanding.

  6. Lightning says:

    I agree. We have eaten home canned foods and store bought and frozen meat many years and we are fine.As long as no air gets into the meat and its double wrapped -we have eaten it up to 8 years later and it tastes fine.
    Rotating is ideal but in a crises old is better than nothing.Lightning

  7. Lightning says:

    Just Another Vet- your daughter sounds like my DIL. Someday they both may be eating what they threw out. !!!! Lightning

    1. JustAnotherVet says:

      Lightning – I agree ! What I don’t understand, is my daughter is no slacker. 10 years teaching, Masters in Ed, never misses a day of work. I’ve come to believe she’s influenced by her ‘un-prepped’ co-workers. Total social-media crowd. BTW, thanks for the ‘double-wrap’ tip.

  8. Just me says:

    I’m still eating canned goods from 2014. I have always done this. The things I found that don’t last in the can : Sauerkraut and canned milk.

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