Expiration Dates on Canned Foods
Canned food can be as nutritious as fresh or frozen food and can help shoppers save money. Canned food expiration dates ensure food quality and safe food consumption.
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Features
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Canned food labels contain packing codes. According to the Canned Food Alliance, such codes allow manufacturers to identify when and where food items were packaged. Since codes vary among manufacturers, most canned food labels list a toll-free number that retailers and consumers can call to find out where canned food items originated and when they expire.
Considerations
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Some canned food labels contain recommended "use by" calendar dates. Such dates appear on the labels of high-acid canned foods, which have a shelf life up to 18 months and on low-acid canned foods, which have a shelf life between two and five years.
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Warning
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The canning process uses heat to sterilize food. Properly stored food, meaning food stored at cool temperatures, can be healthy and safe to eat as long as the expiration date has not been reached . However, regardless of expiration or "use-by" dates, leaking and bulging cans or cans that spray contents when opened must not be used.
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References
- Photo Credit boîte de maïs - ogm - sweetcorn image by iMAGINE from Fotolia.com
