How do you know when to throw those canned goods out?

by Shayna Glick, Posted Mar 17th 2008 @ 9:03AM

When it comes to food, I think it's best to use fresh, unprocessed items. That said, sometimes it's hard to escape canned goods. And canned foods aren't necessarily bad. But how do you tell when they've stayed in your pantry for too long?

The truth is, that can be a tough question to answer. Turns out there's not really an industry standard. There are a variety of dates that can be on a can each with its own meaning. I found an article on this over at Red Orbit that attempts to sort things out and give you some useful information.

If you've ever wondered what the "sell by" date means, you might want to check this out. It could help you decide what to keep if you have some canned foods that have been around for a bit.

Filed Under: Science, Business, Did you know?
Tags: canned, did you know, sell by, SellBy

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Reader comments (Page 1 of 1)

3-17-2008 @9:13PM ABT said... An exception to the "fresh, unprocessed" idea: Tomatoes. The process involved in canning tomatoes releases the lycopene. Canned and cooked tomatoes have more lycopene than raw.

You might already know this but some thers reading this will learn something.

That said, great tip. Almost makes me want to wander over to the kitchen right now.
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