Letters To The Editor

Crazy Experiments In Eating Old Canned Food

To read the story referenced, “How Long Will Canned Food Really Last Before It Spoils?,” click here.

I have always believed it is very important to be prepared for anything — the expected and the unexpected. Remember Y2K, back in 1999? I walked into a grocery store and purchased over 100 cans of pork & beans on sale. More than 10 years later, I opened up a can and ate it.  Yummy! Well, not really. But it was edible and not as bad as many may claim. I don’t believe canned food goes bad as fast as many believe, just because it’s past the expiration date. It may not taste as good, but one can mix it up with some brown sugar and bring it back to life.

I left a can of soup and a can of spaghetti in a very hot garage. More than one year later, I ate the soup, which was OK. However, the spaghetti sauce was separated and the noodles had lightened in color. But thank goodness the soup was still very tasty and my Dad and I enjoyed it.

Now, the best one of all! I moved in my house in 1992 and more than 20 years later I found an old Marine or Army MRE food package that had been upstairs inside the walls in a storage area. It belonged to someone else many years ago. I thought to myself, “I’ll take a chance and be a Guinea pig,” so I ate what I could. After all of those years, I was able to eat some of the items. But not everything stores well or tastes the same. The soups seem to do well. No need to throw all of those valuable cans of food away. Some things store better than others, but many things last way past the expired date. That is my experience.

I hope this helps and may God bless you.

Timothy