What’s your comfort zone on eating canned foods by their Best Buy date?

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Popular_Try_5075@reddit

I had a can a decade old soup that tasted fine and had no negative side effects.

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Embarrassed-Aspect-9@reddit

Avoid dollar tree caned goods. The fruit didn't even make it to the best by date and their mackerel blew up. Rotate stock znd you will be fine. ❤️

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Hello! I didn't read all the comments but I will say I hesitate to keep anything very long that is either acidic or has a pop/peel-off top. Otherwise commercial canned low acid foods they are canned with the solid top (ie need a can opener) I really don't worry about going out of date.

We do still rotate and don't stock like multiple years of extra food, so I know my relaxed attitude isn't gonna be perfect for everyone. :)

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ToughPillToSwallow@reddit

What’s the issue with the peel off lid?

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

I’ve heard it’s because the seal is thinner around where the lid peels off and would make it more prone to a leak, compared to a solid can.

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iwannaddr2afi@reddit

Yep exactly. They are far more prone to failure, and it can be true that a can failed and there's no real visual evidence. They freak me out and aren't recommended for use past best-by dates by most seasoned preppers. I definitely get tinned fish with that style of lid, but we eat them in plenty of time and don't stack too high in the pantry/put other stuff on top of them.

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HappyAnimalCracker@reddit

I agree I preferentially buy the non-pop-top when I can find them and if I do buy pop top I use them sooner.

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8BitRes@reddit

Best by mainly just refers to the quality/taste of the food, if it doesn't have an expiration date it shouldn't make you sick

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FixGreat4649@reddit

Sometimes I like to think is the risk worth the reward.

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tommymctommerson@reddit

Now if I could only get comfortable eating my own canned food. I just can't seem to trust it. Even when I follow the directions and everything looks great. I'm so paranoid

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TheLostExpedition@reddit

I have more faith in an mre then a can but if the can is not rusted, bloated, or dented, I'll eat it.

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kkinnison@reddit

Depends. No rust, no deformations of can, not a pull tab top. 10 years easy or more

Pull tab? be wary after 5 years

Just be cautious. dont down a whole can like someone who is starving. taste first, let it settle.

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Virtual-Weekend-2574@reddit

How come pull tabs only 5 years? The seal just not as good?

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kkinnison@reddit

I wouldn't say 5 years exactly. But they can be compromised easier with degredation then just a regular can

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Virtual-Weekend-2574@reddit

Makes sense! Thanks!

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XOMartha@reddit

yeah, with recalls on some pull tab cans lately, I’ve stopped buying them completely.

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Dissasociaties@reddit

Ever play the Fallout series before?

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silvrtuftdshriekr@reddit

i feed expired food to my chickens or into the compost bin. I rarely have expired food anyway. Rotate rotate rotate!

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Greywolfuu@reddit

Honestly, I’ve never eaten canned food that’s more than three months past its expiration date. I have a very sensitive stomach.

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Comfortable-Race-547@reddit

Just popped a can of corn beef hash from 2016, it was completely fine

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waterwateryall@reddit

Can I ask you good people what your cutoff is for dehydrated skim milk? My neighbor has some from the beginning of the pandemic with an expiry date of 2021.

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readdy07@reddit

Just finished 4 bags of powdered skim and full cream milk from pandemic supplies with a august 2021 use by and it was perfectly fine and just like if it had just been bought. You should be good. I Just replaced with another 4 bags and would be happy to use in 4 years but I will rotate maybe a bit earlier this time. Basically last time I forgot I had them because I use fresh milks normally

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waterwateryall@reddit

Thank you, I will pass this along.

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Ecstatic_Pepper_7200@reddit

Smell and small taste test.

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BadCorvid@reddit

I will eat stuff that's a year past "best by" without qualms. Anything else, I will carefully inspect the can for bulges and dents.

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withak30@reddit

If the can itself looks ok (inside and outside) and the stuff inside look and smells ok then go for it.

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Virtual-Weekend-2574@reddit

Sometimes the insides of my cans have weird colors on them but they are still the best by date, so as long as they aren’t actively growing mold or look black… I’d say you’re good

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TexFarmer@reddit

As long as the can is not bloated, dente,d or rusted it's most likely safe, even if the nutritional content is reduced.

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OGbigfoot@reddit

I eat stuff that's past date all the time. Yesterday I had a can of baked beans that was 10 years best by.

You have to be a bit diligent, no expanded or compromised cans for sure. Also smell test always.

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Kitchen-Hat-5174@reddit

Canned food can last a long time. The biggest issue is if the can is bulging. If not then it will probably be fine if you don’t have anything else. Textures will be a bit off but again, id eat it only if it was the only thing I had.

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Ok_Veterinarian_3082@reddit

The best by date is just to get you to spend more. If the can is healthy, no rust, dents, or bulging and if once I open, it looks, smells and pass the taste test, I eat it lol

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neMacaoec@reddit

Up to 5 months past its expired date.

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Backsight-Foreskin@reddit

I just made brownies from a mix with the best by date in 2019. They were fine.

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

I wouldn’t have expected that. I make Jiffy cornbread from the box mix, and if it’s around a year old or more, it doesn’t really rise.

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XenaLouise63@reddit

This is the one item that, in my experience, is not good after the best by date.

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shesaysImdone@reddit

Fuck. I once threw away a brownie mix because people said mixes ho flat after a while.

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Backsight-Foreskin@reddit

I think the mix can go rancid after long enough.

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ProfStorm@reddit

As far as I'm concerned, if it's in a tin, it doesn't have an expiration date. As long as the tin is in good condition and isn't dented or bulging, I'll eat it.

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Sudden-Theory9706@reddit

Canned goods effectively have no expiration. Some will obviously go bad, and I mean OBVIOUSLY. The can may swell up, squirter juice everywhere when opened, or smell putrid...these just get tossed.

If the can isn't bulging, and the food smells and looks OK when opened, even if it's 20 years past the date, it should be fine.

Considering what they're being saved for, perfection is not the goal, but edible calories and nutrition. The FDA even issued a statement basically saying that canned goods can last indefinitely.

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HVACDemon@reddit

Ive eaten cans 10 years past their date, only thing is taste was a tad bland, but as long as the cans aren't rusted or bloated you're all set

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Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit

Best by dates are only a suggestion in my house, salt, sugar and honey all come with best by dates as well. If it isn't bigger or dented, doesn't spray or such in when I open it, isn't smelling wrong, or suspicious, and looks edible, I will chance it. If it's bulging or dented in, and either spews or audibly sucks in air on opening it's a tosser, if it smells wrong it's not getting heated, and if first bite taste weird, it's gone.

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BallsOutKrunked@reddit

Salt with a best buy date is so hilarious. The shit has been hanging out as is for hundreds of millions of years.

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WeinerBarf420@reddit

To be fair it's usually on iodized salt, the iodine degrades over time.

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AraNormer@reddit

For salt and other similar "forever items" the date usually stands for the original package. That's how far the packager is willing to guarantee the box, bag, tin etc. is going to stay intact and keep the actual product in top notch condition if stored correctly.

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Rachaelmm1995@reddit

This is why bottled water has a use by date.
It's for the bottle, not the water.

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shesaysImdone@reddit

What does sucking in air indicate?

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MostlyBrine@reddit

The canned good is sterilized, or even cooked, at high temperature after the can is sealed. Any pressure change at opening means something has created or absorbed gases. This is valid assuming that the can was at room temperature for several hours before opening.

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Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit

I've always been told metal canned should be neutral regarding pressure If it has created a vacuum then something is not right and life has been finding a way into the mix, if it is pressurized once again life found a way.

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AccomplishedInAge@reddit

I'm old enough to remember a coffee commercial where you knew it was fresh because of that whoosh sound when you started to open the can.

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Wild_Locksmith_326@reddit

Coffee is dry packed and vacuum sealed, a wet food that either becomes pressured or in a vacuum is not as easy to determine safety.

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SunLillyFairy@reddit

I'd open them and eat them if they tasted and smelled fresh. USDA says canned food is good "indefinitely" if the fan is not compromised (punctured, rusted, bulging). If they looked/smelled off at all, I'd toss them without hesitation.

Safe? Yeah but "won't kill you" and "good to eat" are two different things. I'm frugal, but since I'm not currently in a food scarcity scenario, I don't eat things I don't like or risk getting ill... even if it's just a 2-hr sour tummy.

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C19shadow@reddit

Fruits are hit or miss.

Most other things id give a 5 year window depending in the item. They might not taste as good as they once where but they are likely still safe.

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Serious_Lettuce6716@reddit

About a month or two past the date.

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048PensiveSteward@reddit

I recently ate an MRE entree that expired in 2016 so at least 9 years I guess

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Yes, I would. Exception would be for acidic foods like pineapple and tomatoes, etc. But even then the cans are lined so likely not a problem.

Stay away from obviously bulged or otherwise compromised cans and you’ll be fine.

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fuzzysocksplease@reddit

Any thoughts on store bought spaghetti sauce in glass jars with metal lids?

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dittybopper_05H@reddit

Less probability of issues. But I’d store them out of sunlight to preserve taste.

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livestrong2109@reddit

Only thing I've ever had go bad on me where indeed tomatoes and some sauerkraut.

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stephenph@reddit

Opened a can of del Monty pineapple that was a couple years past... Tasted like the can.. not sure how healthy it would have been, after all, the mineral/metal taste had to come from somewhere

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Open-Attention-8286@reddit

"Sell by", "Best by" and "Use by" are very different things. The last one is generally the one I pay attention to, and even then mostly on things that are fresh instead of canned.

If it smells weird when I open the can, I'll throw it out. I've mainly had that happen with canned tuna, although there have been exceptions.

There was a riverboat with canned foods in the cargo hold, that ran aground and was buried in mud for 100 years. (Yes, the canning process has been around that long.) When it was excavated, some of the cans were tested, and the contents were still edible. Some of the nutrients had changed, especially vitamin C which has a short shelf life. But other nutrients were still there, and there was no bacterial growth detected.

So, smell them, look for obvious signs of spoilage, but otherwise you're probably fine.

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Azer1287@reddit

I am the outlier here but I had food poisoning once from an improperly refrigerated leftover sandwich. It was the most miserable week of my life. Never again if I can help it.

Ever since then it doesn’t matter what the science or logic says. As soon as I get there for literally anything other than maybe dry pasta it’s done for me. Hence my personal, if wasteful creed now:

When in doubt, throw it out.

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

Your comment is what fuels my hesitation. Dad will eat anything, but he got food poisoning and ended up in the hospital for a week. Doctor said it could have been life threatening if he went untreated much longer.

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Eredani@reddit

If the can is stored properly, undamaged (no rust, no leaks, no bulging,no serious dents), does not make a strange noise when you open it, and looks/smells ok, then it's 99% fine to eat regardless of the best buy date.

Specifically, the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service states that "canned foods are safe indefinitely as long as they are not exposed to freezing temperatures, or temperatures above 90 °F (32.2°C)."

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Carloocho@reddit

"Best by" is for stock shelf to guarantee grocery store rotation. Nearly all cans last years past safely. Obviously wise to rotate home goods too, of course

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TSLARSX3@reddit

Ate old meat ravioli. Was fine, just not as fresh as a non expired one.

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mcstyle1@reddit

I have been lugging around a case of Red Feather Creamery canned butter for about 20 years. Yesterday, I opened a can and we put some on fresh sliced bread. Although is smelled interesting, it still tasted amazing, and we are all still alive and not sick today LoL

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CillyKat@reddit

Describe interesting?? 🤪

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mcstyle1@reddit

It didn't smell fresh, kind of like aged cheese. Sharp. My teenage son sniffed it, wrinkled his nose, and refused to try it. He eventually did until after his mom and I did, and said it tasted like regular butter. The texture and taste was spot on.

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OSteady77@reddit

If the world goes to heck we’ll be a lot less concerned with best by dates

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parksoffroad@reddit

Just finishing up some great value grape jelly in plastic bottles that’s 4 years expired. Got a bunch when the kids were on a pbj kick then they stopped so it’s been lingering. It’s just fine, can’t tell the difference.

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WhereDidAllTheSnowGo@reddit

Best By

Is not

Expiration

Date

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bethestorm@reddit

I have OCD about this so reading these replies are very soothing and are convincing me to be better about saving stuff

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JJB92@reddit

Agreed. As someone previously trained in food hygiene my personal two not to screw with are chicken and pork. Otherwise if it smells ok and know how its been stored temperature wise its usually fine. If its been handled by other people though I'd usually give it a miss. Most stuff can be frozen or tinned and your gold though

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SheistyPenguin@reddit

Personally I would be more wary of canned meats or wet goods... but I also know "best buy" dates are more like guaranteed freshness rather than food safety.

100-year old tins of canned meat have been uncovered from shipwrecks and found to be food-safe (if a little gross)... so odds are it is fine, if the seals have held.

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nanfanpancam@reddit

Best before is not an expiry date.

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xaidin@reddit

LOL. "best buy" is NOT expired.

When you open it just look for weird discoloration or smells. I often eat cans of stuff 10 years +.

Never get sick, but some stuff gets... "funny" Like mushroom soup..... Still edible.
Note. Probably lost some nutrients.....

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

That’s why I said Best By date and not Expiration date.

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13_Years_Then_Banned@reddit

Here’s Steve eating a 1899 British canned ration.

https://youtu.be/jZoHuMwZwTk?si=oCf_apMQL15IKLJP

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

I forgot about Emmymade. She samples old MREs and international MREs too.

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HappyAnimalCracker@reddit

That’s the oldest thing I’ve ever seen him eat. That guy is nuts and I love him 😆

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Rachaelmm1995@reddit

I found a can of Spam in my nans cupboard with the use by 1979.

We opened it for fun and it looked so okay, I decided to try it.

You would've never known it was that old and I didn't get sick...

Do with that information what you will.

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HappyWithMyDogs@reddit

I am one of those people that throws out anything past the sell by dates.

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hycarumba@reddit

This is very similar to the food expiration table that is used at our food bank. Things last way longer than that date and usually with little to no degradation of taste.

https://marionpolkfoodshare.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Shelf-Life-Guide-updated-6.17.21.pdf

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Specialist_Loan8666@reddit

I’ve got some Costco chicken cans that expired in 2023. At a few of them. Tasted fine. I’m assuming they will be fine for several more years

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Ra_a_@reddit

Expired or best-by ?

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Specialist_Loan8666@reddit

Good point. Best by

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Imaginary0Friend@reddit

I just ate 7 year old canned pineapple. I dont have a comfort zone.

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OnTheEdgeOfFreedom@reddit

If you can afford to replace things that have legitimately expired, always discard and replace. Even one case of food illness is one too many.

If things are tighter than that... let us know how it goes. I mean it usually works, or this sub would be a lot smaller...

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funatical@reddit

Don’t care. If it passes the smell test, the feel test, and the taste test, I’m eating it.

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TacticalSpeed13@reddit

This

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207Menace@reddit

I have spoken to home canners that have eaten their grandmothers apple sauce a decade after she was gone. Commercially canned goods are fine as long as the cans are not rusting or bursting.

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Hot_Annual6360@reddit

As long as the cans are not swollen, they do not smell bad or look bad, they are edible, that is why it is ideal to have a small dog at home, official taster.🤣🤣

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AlphaDisconnect@reddit

If it looks like shhhhh crap. Smells like shiiii crap. Tastes like shibalabadubdub. Throw it out.

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Heck_Spawn@reddit

Producers came up with those back in the 70's to get folks to buy more. It used to stay good till the can started looking funny before then.

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Long-Draft-9668@reddit

We were redoing part of our family cabin and found a bunch of super old food. One of them was canned fish from the 1980s. We brought the can home with us because it looked really cool and we planned to empty it and keep the can. After a few days it was gone and we asked around the house. Our grandma who was 95 at the time found it and ate it thinking it was new (she didn’t see so well). We told her all of this and all she had to say was “I thought it tasted a bit dry”. Haha.

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TheKiltedPondGuy@reddit

Ate some that expired in 2020 just last week.literally no noticeable difference between those and ones just off the shelf. If the can is looking fine and it smells fine I trust it 5 or so years after expiration. If you cook it before eating I would even prolong that to a few more years.

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Danielbbq@reddit

Best buy dates on most products is nothing but advertising!

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Danielbbq@reddit

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mysticalmamma@reddit

I had some rice-a-roni from 2018 that I vacuum sealed and it was fabulous. The spice packet was a bit hard but it melted with the hot water.

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Flamesake@reddit

If it's even a SECOND past the best-by date you need to start deciding who to eat

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funkmon@reddit

If the can looks good 5 years.

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icemonsoon@reddit

I ate a year out of date can of chicken soup and it gave me stomach pain.

Ill cook it harder next time

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upsidedown-funnel@reddit

“The federal government doesn't actually require dates on any food except baby formula because the FDA says dates aren't really serving a safety role. Broad Leib says you do want to pay attention to dates on food in the prepared food section, though - also deli meat, raw fish, unpasteurized milk and cheese. For everything else, though.”

“Emily Broad Leib is a food expiration date and food law expert. She started the Food Law and Policy Clinic at Harvard Law School. And she says that of all the food waste that happens in the U.S. - at the farm level, the manufacturing level, at grocery stores - about 40% of it happens at the home.”

Taken from From NPR Expiration dates lead to lots of food waste, though these dates vary widely by state

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Bassman602@reddit

You will be surprised what you’ll eat when you’re starving to death so… a few years past expiration date won’t matter.

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No_Amoeba6994@reddit

I just have canned fruit and things like sweetened condensed milk. I pay no attention to the best buy date. I'd be a little more hesitant with meat, but as long as it looks and smells okay, it's likely fine.

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Anonymo123@reddit

Been rotating through cans 3-5 yrs after best by date, no problems. If they are bulging or have even a faint meh smell, tossed.

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fluxdeity@reddit

My rule of thumb is if it looks ok and smells ok, it's likely ok.

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Alamohermit@reddit

Open it. Look at it. Smell it. Cook it to boiling.

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irishfeet78@reddit

I would open them up and check them first, but yeah probably. To be honest, I rarely look at sell by dates on canned vegetables unless the label or can look suspicious (old label, dents or rust, etc). I have home canned foods from 2018 we are still eating (just jam).

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Vegetaman916@reddit

If the can is fine, and the contents look and smell fine, then it is fine.

And I literally just ate a can of 2021 chicken 4 days ago.

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Substantial-Basis179@reddit

That's a wonderful vintage year for canned chicken. One of my favorites.

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DiezDedos@reddit

If the can is intact, send it. Acidic foods like tomato won’t taste as good and won’t be as nutritious, but they won’t kill you. You don’t have to stock those anyway

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ToughPillToSwallow@reddit

From Wikipedia:

In 1974, samples of canned food from the wreck of the Bertrand, a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1865, were tested by the National Food Processors Association. Although appearance, smell, and vitamin content had deteriorated, there was no trace of microbial growth and the 109-year-old food was determined to be still safe to eat.[3]

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NickMeAnotherTime@reddit

I have just one additional comment regarding all that everyone said so far:

If you stored them correctly (dark, cold and stable temperature and not very humid) then you should be fine.

Of course take into consideration the other aspects already mentioned: visual test of the can, rust, bulging, color of the food etc. Smell test and/or taste test after opening the can. Only if it passes all of these feel free to chug. :))

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Dangerous-School2958@reddit

Is the can bulging? Google surströmming...

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DEADFLY6@reddit

I wait till they're 3 months left on the expiration date. Then, I rinse the canned water off in a colander, dehydrate, and vacuum seal. They last 5 more years that way. After that(if they don't get ate), throw it out in the yard for whatever animals and insects.

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forested_morning43@reddit

I’d eat them as long as the can is not bulging. Do not open those, dispose of right away.

Some might be bland, acquire metallic taste, or lose some nutritional value but they should not be spoiled.

I try to rotate my pantry and rehome to food bank anything nearing pull date but that’s mostly because o want to donate and I try to keep canned food on hand. If you could use the food, I’d eat it.

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Traditional-Leader54@reddit

I would and I have eaten tuna and chicken that old. Your eyes and nose and tongue (in that order) will tell you if it’s good or not. I do not recommend eating canned tomatoes that old. Found out the hard way. They tasted terrible but luckily I didn’t get sick.

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rockstuffs@reddit

Never have, never will. Then I decided to eat a can of enchilada sauce 6 months over expiration. 3 days of throwing up and sandy butt pee, I never will ever ever again. It's not worth being sick and I can't afford the sick days.

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voiceofreason4166@reddit

I just ate some cheese curds I forgot in my car for a week. Gotta build up those immunities for when you need them.

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barascr@reddit

Canned food will last many years over the best by date, taste might change a bit and you have to beware of acidic contents like tomatoes or citric fruits, they will eat the can. But overall you can eat the food way past the date.

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HappyAnimalCracker@reddit

I would still eat them if they had been stored the entire time in a cool dry place, had no dents or bulges, and looked and smelled fine when opened. Assuming they were stored properly they’re very likely fine.

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OG_Tannersaurus@reddit

"best by" dates are VERY different than "expires on" dates.

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8Deer-JaguarClaw@reddit

I recently ate a few cans of tuna from 2020. Tasted fine. Still alive 😃

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michaelyup@reddit (OP)

Guess I’ll give it a try. Here’s my dinner from the back pantry box.

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snaps06@reddit

It's probably fine. Just this year I've had canned veggies with pre-2020 best by dates.

If it looks and smells fine, and there are no visible signs of damage to the can, it's fine to eat.

If it's gone bad, you will instantly know.

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UnmutualOne@reddit

I was wondering why you were buying canned foods at Best Buy.

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idahopostman@reddit

Eat up. Just follow a few simple safety precautions…

Can swollen up like Angelina Jolie’s lips? Pass.

Once opened, do any of your senses tell you the contents are questionable based on smell or appearance? If yes, pass.

I fear we all will be eating far worse… shortly.

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Complex_Confusion552@reddit

Depends how hungry I am

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CurrentPlankton4880@reddit

If I open it and it passes the smell test and the texture isn’t awful, I’ll eat it. Of course the can has to also be in good shape. I’ve found that sometimes the color is a bit off on really old things, but can still be good. I just ate some beef consommé that expired in 2020 the other day and it was still good. It will probably really depend on what it is and your tolerance for changes in taste and texture over time.

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