Canned Food Safety

Have no time to cook food, still want something delicious for dinner? Go for canned food. We all use canned food in our day to day life. They are easy to carry and take less time to get cooked. Canned food offers the same delicious, finger-licking taste that food cooked through the conventional process does. But to maintain the yummy taste and quality, it requires some care and safety. Canned food is basically preservation of food by processing and sealing it in an airtight can. There are a lot of methods used for canning, which includes pasteurization, drying, freezing, and so on. The food is kept in an airtight container so as to avoid micro organisms from entering it and thus, preventing it from contamination. Though canning does not affect the nutrients present inside the food, still proper safety measure should be taken during and after the purchase of canned food, to avoid spoilage. In the following lines, we have mentioned tips for canned food safety.

Tips For Canned Food Safety

At the time of buying canned food, take a look at its manufacturing and expiry date. Canned food has a certain time limit after which it tends to get expired. Buy one that has been freshly canned, as this would ensure that you can use it for a longer duration. Most of the canned food can be easily stored up to 12 months.
Check for the container while buying canned food. Do not buy one whose contents are leaking. Broken seal is another factor that you should check out for, while purchasing canned food. If the seal is broken, ask for a sealed container. Container bulging out or dented should also be avoided.
If the container has a lot dust on it, it indicates that the canned product has been lying there for quite some time. Sometimes, the labels are also torn. It is advisable not to buy such containers, as the food may have contaminated.
When you bring a new canned food at home, put it at the back of the shelf and first use the ones which are already present in the shelf. If you start using the new ones, then the one which were already there will get spoiled.
To enhance the shelf life of the canned food, do not keep it in direct contact with the sunlight. Store canned food at a cool and dry place. This would help maintain the quality of the food. Extremes of temperature can cause the food inside to get spoiled. Also, make sure that the canned food is not placed near any heat releasing equipment such as stove, heater, and so on.
Ensure that the can does not come in contact with the water. Water may lead to rust, which in turn, may spoil the food.
If you do not use the whole food content in a container at once, then follow instructions given at the back of the can to store it after opening. Opened can products are generally refrigerated, except for peanut butter and vinegar.
If you are planning to store opened food item in the refrigerator, then put them in a plastic or glass container first. Eat this opened food within 2- 3 days. Food with high acid content should be consumed within seven days of opening.
After opening the container, the very first step is to observe the content very carefully before use. If you find any thing which is questionable, don’t use it. Throw the packet right away.
Sometimes, the food inside the can chemically reacts with the container, thus causing corrosion. As such, it is advisable to not to keep the canned food for a long period of time.
Use the canned food as soon as possible. Keeping the food for a longer time can decrease its taste and quality. Also, it decreases its nutritional value.

Taking care of above tips for canned food safety will let you enjoy it without any worries.

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