Be gone, botulism! Sayonara, mold spores! Expired food:
Can you kick it? Yes you can — especially if it comes in, well… a can!
Canned food is shelf-stable and not at risk for easy spoilage. Unfortunately, food labels are
kinda confusing, a problem that helps contribute to food waste in the United States and across
the world. An estimated 52.4 million tons of food gets sent straight to the landfill,
according to nonprofit organization ReFed. In fact, a 2016 study reports that the United
States spends over $218 billion growing, processing, transporting, and disposing
of food that is never eaten. In that spirit, here's when your canned food is at its best.
"Best by" or "Sell by" dates aren't FDA-mandated, with the exception of
infant formula. That means they don't have to mean anything; they're voluntary labels
that manufacturers provide. It should be noted, however, that these aren't the
same as expiration dates on deli food items or dairy. Canned foods also use expiration dates.
"These actually have an expiration date. People think if it's a can,
you can keep it for like 20 years, that's incorrect."
Experts generally agree that canned food is good for two years from processing — when you'll get
peak flavor and texture. Canned food after this date should still be edible for quite some time,
but the taste of the food can degrade with age, as well as storage at suboptimal temperatures.
Instead of discarding cans by the printed date, you might want to look for signs that
your can has gone bad. Any extra mushiness, moldiness, or cloudiness is a sign that you
shouldn't eat your food. An unpleasant smell is also an indicator of spoilage. Red flags
include physical damage to the can, such as corrosion, bulging lids, or broken seals.
You should definitely stay away if you open a standard canned product and it has any kind of
bubbling, spurting, oozing, or gassiness. If your canned food doesn't have any of these red flags,
you're probably okay — although that doesn't mean food from older
cans will necessarily taste good. Use your best judgment, but don't depend
on that printed date on the product. Your budget — and your planet — will thank you.
But what if the can has gone bad? If you find a bad can of food in the back of your kitchen
cabinet, the obvious thing to do is throw it away. But is tossing it right into the
trash can all there is to it? A question posed to the Sierra Club Magazine asked just this:
How can one dispose of canned goods in a way that's safe for the environment and
for those around you? As it turns out, you should open the canned goods and dump the
contents into a proper receptacle before washing the cans and placing them in the
recycling bin. The Sierra Club warns against tossing unopened cans of food into the trash,
as it causes problems in the recycling process and adds to the hauling weight.
If your canned goods are leaking or draining, the National Center for Home Food Preservation
instructs consumers to "detoxify" the cans by submerging them in a pot of boiling water for
30 minutes. This should kill any harmful bacteria before you toss the can away.
Meanwhile, a damaged or misshapen can is a clear sign that it's time to toss the can out, as it may
be tainted with botulism. But what is botulism, exactly, and how do you know if you have it?
Well, the CDC describes botulism as a, quote, "rare but serious illness caused by a toxin
that attacks the body's nerves." The spores these bacteria create are what causes illness,
thriving in places that are low in oxygen, acid, sugar, and meet a certain criteria
in water levels and temperature. Damaged canned goods or improperly stored preserved
foods serve as the perfect breeding grounds for these spores, which multiply over time.
Symptoms of foodborne botulism include trouble breathing, facial weakness, drooping eyelids,
trouble speaking or seeing, and in extreme cases, paralysis or death.
"You could see every feature, my eyes were sunken in, and I could count my ribs."
Should someone have mistakenly consumed tainted food and contracted the disease,
it's recommended they get immediate medical care;
the earlier symptoms are noticed, the higher the chances of survival.