I decided to eat some of my backup foods and I was taken by surprise. I opened a can of Chili. It was terrible. Not bad, just bad tasting. I ate a tablespoon and waited for the outcome! It was just bad tasting. I tried to read the date code on the cans and it was just that: in code! I went online, found the company. I called them back in Tennessee, and they returned my call. Where did I buy the products? In Phoenix. When? Last month on the 4th. Their code says they went out of date in 2008! Now that does NOT mean they were bad as in: botulism or ptomaine or anything else. The cans were clean, no rust, no swelling, and were kept in a cool dark area. BUT they were JUST bought a month ago! I have just completed an inventory...I have to discard over $2900-$3600 in canned foods that were bought all last year......All were SOLD, "OUTDATED". I know here every one came from...however, the store has changed owners 4 times in the past 2 years! ( Dollar General) I hate people! No, really, I hate them! Because they don't care and they have NO conscience anymore at all! It's all about GREED. So the moral of this here story is simple: IF you cannot read the "use by dates" then don't by the stuff! ( inform the store managers that you won't buy from them UNLESS there is a legible date code on their products!) have your friends and family do the same, and repeat as needed! When they can't make sales they'll either go out of business, or file complaints with their suppliers! Or, suffer the losses, as I am now.... I can't afford to replace that much food now. I can ONLY think of one 4 letter word to describe how feel right now.... CRUD! Hah! Gotcha! I KNOW what you were thinking!
Put in a CALL to the FDA... They have Inspectors that do nothing but run Sales Outfits, that sell Out of date Food, OUT OF BUSINESS, and in some cases, in Federal Prison. Keep ALL your Documentation. This is a serious CRIME, and the FEDs do inspect and prosecute these CRIMES, rigorously...
Dragonfly, If you do some searching here on the site, I remember date codes and all that explained here before. It mostly went over my head, but others were all impressed and copied the info for their files. Bottom line, the data is here on Monkey somewhere.
DF...Don't toss it,if the zombies start banging on your door, just give them the old stuff or barter it for services from idiots who may become a problem later...then tell them it's all gone...just a thought.
Wow! Thanks all! I got another call back from the company and gave them the rest of the codes...NOT GOOD! Some went out of date back in 2004...which is weird, considering I didn't buy any canned goods until I'd bought my land, in March of 2009! Now I was told that IF the cans are not damaged in any way or seem to be bulging, if the contents look and smell ok...then they are more than likely quite safe to eat, just NOT very tasty! I agree with that part! As long as they are still vacuum sealed and you hear the air rush in when opening them, they are considered "safe". yeah well take it from me they are yuccky tasting! But the good part is I won't have to buy dog food for sometime as they love the chili! Next the hash, the corned beef, the roast beef, the chicken and dumplings...the list is endless! I have NO idea where all my receipts went...some here someplace, some up north...scattered all over the place by now. But I have learned a VERY valuable lesson from all of this....a costly one too. I had this happen from Krogers/Fry's here as well.... with spaghetti sauce in glass jars...It was on sale and we bought 4 and used 2 the same day...so bad that the dogs refused to touch it! I think it's time WE all started to be a lot more conscientious about our food and take steps to make sure we have fresh abd safe things to eat....Too late to garden here now ( too hot) but I'll be having a huge garden up north ( lots of seeds) for lots of fresh veggies! It's a shame and it set us back quite a ways, but It's better to know now than later! ( that was a bear for me to say as I am a realist sliding into pessimism more each day!)
I guess if a deal sounds to good to be true.... There are outfits around here that sell food like that. Just about all of it is out of date.
I have about a 2 year supply of canned "Dog Food"! They love me....(for now) Hmmmm.........I'm thinking: BBQ'd dog?
Nah use it as bait.... works good to trap fish... oh wait you're in Arizona... maybe you can offer it to some of those folks who want to stay on your land.... of course you have good insurance... store it and wait for someone to raid your preps.... then collect the insurance...
I could make a "trail of bread crumbs" as it were, and lead them to the edge of the canyon...... Just sayin'...... The 'cache' would draw in some individuals that would RAID a place to get all they could....Hmmmm.... Makes one wonder...... bait......?
Are you sure it doesn't just taste bad when it's fresh? I've eaten canned food several years expired and it tasted just fine like it does when it's within the use by date. I try to shy away from cans that don't clearly state the use by date, I don't want to fool with writing it on the can if I can find it already printed. I've been told before that you are better of getting name brand canned goods even if it costs more compared to the el' cheapo stuff because they use better quality canning materials and line the inside of the can so it keeps longer and stays fresher longer.
UPDATE: A lot of canned goods went bad, swollen cans about to explode and all that, some even leaked....$$$ down the drain! I'm going back to the dehydrated foods...they seem to fare alot better and alot longer!
