[Spoiler alert, I did not die.] We all know to look for the expiration date on foods. This is extremely relevant on highly perishable items such as dairy, meat, and eggs. But what about canned foods?
Do a google search on eating expired canned foods and you get a bewildering amount of conflicting information on whether you can or cannot, or should or should not eat expired canned food.
The companies that make canned foods put expiration dates on them so that their lawyers are happy and you buy new cans when they get expired. Nobody wants a lawsuit for getting botulism from a can of beans right?
Then there are the people who claim you can eat canned food 20 years after it has expired. Who is right?
Easy answer, I don’t know. But in a prolonged survival situation where my only option is expired canned food, the temptation is to eat it. I had some expired canned food so I decided to put it to the test.
Sometimes on foods, you will see a “best by” date. The thought is that after that date, the taste and texture of the food will erode.
To set a goal for this experiment, other than whether I live through it or not, I laid out four metrics:
- Color of the experied item versus a non-expired item
- Texture of the experied item versus a non-expired item
- Odor of the experied item versus a non-expired item
- Cooked taste of the expired item
For this experiment, I chose a canned ham that expired in 2019, which was the oldest canned good I had in my food storage. Why ham? Back when I bought it, around 2016, I was reading a post-apocalypse novel with a character that loved canned Danish ham. It sounded so good I bought a few cans.
I keep all my stored foods in a normal temperature range of between 40 and 70 degrees. Reading about canned food longevity, as long as you are not keeping it in plastic totes in your uninsulated garage in Death Valley [120+ degrees in the daytime] that is a good temperature range to maintain the quality of canned foods.
Expired canned food should still be good if the seal is not broken, the can is not building, or totally rusty or otherwise compromised. If you think a food can is compromised, expired or not, smart money says don’t eat it.
The canned ham I dug into had some very light surface oxidation on it but otherwise appeared intact. Once I opened it, I wondered why people actually like canned ham. It had an odor that reminded me of cat food and looked like someone had cooked a bunch of ham, shredded it, plopped it in gelatin, and extruded it into a can. Not the most appetizing presentation.
I asked my wife to smell it and she wrinkled her nose. “No way I am trying that,” the said. “But I will take you to the hospital when you get botulism!”
I have a great support system.
It looked OK color-wise, pink and white like you would expect pieces of cooked ham to be. The gelatin was a nice even brown. There was no mold or other funk on the meat.
I cut it into slices. The texture was reasonable. Cutting it was like cutting into chunky spam. The interior did not reveal anything to be alarmed about. Even though it was cooked, I did not want to try it that way so I put it into a pan on medium heat, just like I would regular ham. If it truly was the apocalypse, I would have manned up and eaten it straight out of the can but I can always save that Walking Dead stuff for another day.
The canned ham fried up nicely. The sides were a good golden brown and upon cooking, it smelled more like standard ham. To help with the potential cat food taste nature of the ham I gave it a good sprinkle of green Tabasco sauce. It is my favorite and I am convinced that Green Tabasco has magical healing properties that go far beyond its ability to make ham and eggs and everything else taste great.
To help round out the meal I had it with a thick slice of freshly baked sourdough whole wheat bread and butter.
First bite reaction? “Wow, this tastes almost as good as Spam. The regular kind, not the hickory-smoked or Spam with bacon kind.”
I was surprised by how much difference cooking made. Texture and gold brown color were appetizing. I ate all four slices. The Green Tobasco was a good addition and I felt that I was having a good breakfast for dinner.
After eating it I waited a few hours to see if there would be any ill effects. There were none. 24 hours later I was still feeling good. I woke up the next morning just like usual and considered this experiment a success. In reviewing this endeavor:
- Color of the experied item versus a non-expired item: ACCEPTIBLE
- Texture of the experied item versus a non-expired item: ACCEPTIBLE
- Odor of the experied item versus a non-expired item: ACCEPTIBLE, MOSTLY
- Cooked taste of the expired item: ACCEPTIBLE
My take away from this is that yes, you can eat food that is expired. While this is not hard science and your mileage may vary, I would take it as a rule of thumb that in a survival situation I would have no trouble diving into a can of something that was a few years old if the can meets the following conditions:
- Not be compromised such as bulging, leaking or rusted
- Known to be stored in a cool, dry place
What you can expect from expired food, from what I have read, is a loss in taste and possible texture. Some foods like canned fish or other oily foods could be nastier than things like canned tomatoes or beans.
What this experiment did, for me, was broaden my food storage focus to begin to categorize canned foods by type and expiration date. Knowing that I do not have to immediately throw something away when it goes past its “Best By” date allows me to eat a can of something around when it has expired, and replace it on my next trip to the store. It’s just good practice.
As for the ham? I have a few left that I will eat but for the flavor, this experiment moved me firmly into canned Spam with Hickory or Bacon as my emergency meat solution. Both are smoky, salty and can be added to rice, beans, or pretty much any other grain or legume for protein and flavor. They are also great just grilled up.
Just because the world ends, does not mean you can’t enjoy a good meal!
-John