DEBUNKING THE CANNED GOOD EXPIRATION DATE MYTH

Next time you are getting ready to toss away older canned foods remember you are throwing away $$$$

[TomDoesUtube]

100% Correct .. Licensed Health Inspector .. The only things that actually have to have an expiration date under the State Code are ‘Whole Milk’ and ‘Baby Formula’. As long as the can is sealed it’s as good as new.

[dc]

Packaging designer/manufacturing guy here, everything he said is mostly correct. One massive caveat though! The can designs back then were very different in that the amount of Tin coating was substantially thicker back then. Today Tin is a finite commodity and we have to use coatings on the Tin to help increase its protective properties since the Tin layer is significantly thinner. Coatings are not on everything but it is on most canned foods. Since the Tin layer is thinner it can have what we call pin holes which are tiny imperfections in the Tin layer that allow the food to come in contact with the steel. The problem is that most foods have lots of salts and or acids that quickly eat away at the steel and you end up with a tiny puncture hole. We try to prevent these holes from developing by adding the extra layer of coating to fill those gaps. Unfortunately those layers will eventually dissolve in aggressive food types just like the steel. This is actually why BPA coatings were used for so long, they were nearly impervious to aggressive food types. Now that the industry has moved away from BPA you’ll need to watch for pin holes in your cans after you’ve opened them. If you see a rust spot with a weak point inside the can after you’ve opened it, it’s probably best to toss it even if you’re within the shelf life.

[jjjackson]

When I was a kid they didn't have expiration dates on cans. You had to look at the can itself. If it was bulging, it was bad. Generally, the rusty cans are best left alone because the rust can eat into the can.

[KittyMama]

I used to have older home health clients. They would have me chuck all of their cans right before the best before date. They would not listen to reason, of course. So guess who would end up with tons of perfectly good canned food. 😃

[Quietus]

The main indicator of a canned food going bad is pretty simple: Is the can bulging slightly or worse? If so, chances are it somehow began the decomposition process and the bulge is from gasses from that process taking place. So no bulge, no worry. Vid is 100% on point.

[selenacordeiro]

My mother in law made pumpkin pie with pumpkin filling from a can that expired 15-20 years ago. She didn’t look at the expiry until after it was eaten… It was one of the best pies she made 🤣

[naturestuf]

I do have a theory that pull top cans have a chance of leaking/rusting/going bad quicker than traditional sealed cans as the top is stamped thinner along the pull top area. So if you're buying for long term storage I'd look for the old fashioned cans that require a can opener.

[hoosierarcher]

In 2007 I moved into my grandparents house to be the caretaker of said dwelling. There was an underground pantry that had once been the room where the coal furnace and coal shoot were. It had shelves load with both store bought and home canned foods. My grandmother always put a label on all here canned goods. If she canned it the date was the day, month and year it was canned. If store bought the day it was placed on the shelf was listed. I found a can of corn and a can of spring peas that that were placed on the shelf before World War I. Both were nearly 100 years old and were perfectly fine and tasty to eat.

[RadioFrequency]

You are absolutely spot on! Great video! I ate canned food from the 1970’s and I’m still alive!

[oldgysgt]

Over a year ago I was going through my kitchen cabinet and found a can of sliced potatoes that had expired in 2004. Even though it had "expired" 17 years before, I opened it and found the potatoes looked and smelled OK. I cooked them that night and ate them with dinner. Over a year later, and I'm still alive.

[TinyGoHomes]

I have been buying a lot of can goods these days. I suggest y’all do the same. Buy an extra 10-20 cans every time you shop and build up a stock load because things will get hairy soon food wise.

[shovelhead]

I have a disbeliever in this house. I just throw the empty can out before she gets a chance to look at the date. Thank you for the information, Tim. Stay safe and stay cool

[clarkmarkey]

You are right. During my much younger days, I worked for a large well respected frozen and canned food processing company. A lab supervisor told me that the expiration date was only a color degradation date that was, at the time, government mandated. She assured me that as long as the vacuum was intact, the food is perfectly nutritious and safe.

[alandoren]

I always thought those dates were BS. But now, watching this video, you have confirmed my suspicion. Thanks for making sure that food is just not thrown away when still consumable. Great video!

[yogidemis]

I was taught that if I had a can that was over dated open the can up and find out first if the food is still good. I've seen friends throw out cans that were a few weeks over the date and told them that they are wasting money, that can is still good. It's unbelievable how much food gets wasted each day in the US.

[rickershomesteadahobbyfarm]

I caught my wife pouring vinegar down the drain. I asked her why and she told me it went out of date. I tried explaining that the vinegar was not bad, she got mad at me and still dumped it out. I’m going to start marking the dates out with a sharpie.

[Mitchasauraus]

A simple way to tell if the canned food your trying to eat is safe to eat is just open it🤷‍♂️ if it looks and smells as it should eat it and at worst it will have an undesirable odour and be unfit to eat . I proved this very thing to my family and made a pot of chili with 13 or so year old canned goods from my prepping stash and fresh ground beef and told no one what I used untill everyone enjoyed their dinner and I showed em all how "out of date" the ingredients were and they were shocked and after a few moments of calling me names they realized they couldnt tell the difference and they had been wasting money throwing cans out all these years. I've also been learning to can my own food and recommend everyone else do the same for the times we have coming.

[breathe]

Thank you! I’ve been telling this to people for years. People need to remember that during the Vietnam war we fed the soldiers the surplus canned rations from World War II. To my knowledge no one died and none of their K ration. I’ve even told people how I opened a can of 22 year old armor stardeviled ham. They no longer make that deviled ham and it is a treat for me because at Harkins back to my childhood. The last scan I bought was in 1999. It was perfect when I ate it. Same texture, same smell, same beloved taste.

[Nicole]

Thank you, sir! 🤗 This is great information ! ✔️ Also, when my food expires, I take it back to the store where I bought it and tell them it's expired and they allow me to exchange the items for new ones (the exact same items, of course). Lol - but now I will just keep them stored away for emergencies. ❤️

[Finderoflostthings]

This is good to know. I remember when there were no dates and just always assumed cans were good forever. Don't know where I bought into the expiration date but with all the prepping I'm currently doing, this is one less thing I have to worry about. Thanks! 😸😸😸