News & Views

How safe and nutritious are stored canned goods?

W. Gifford-Jones MD & Diana Gifford-Jones

August 7, 2020

BY W. GIFFORD- JONES MD & DIANA GIFFORD-JONES

Are you sufficiently prepared for another crisis? What might possibly be the next disaster? You might argue that we are not out of the mess of the current one. This should have us all thinking about keeping stock of essential supplies. Have you got the things you need? Hopefully not guns to protect your toilet paper! More importantly, what about canned foods? How nutritious are they compared to fresh produce? How long do they last stored under the bed? And when can they kill you?

Even without a pandemic it’s prudent to have a supply of canned goods. Remember the last snowstorm, flood, or natural disaster, when it was too dangerous to get to a store or no power to cook food.

How safe are canned foods?

Compared to fresh produce, canned foods are far less likely to cause illness. The canning process used by commercial producers keeps food safe for long periods of time. Airtight containers and the application of heat to destroy microorganisms prevent spoilage. The canning process also deactivates enzymes that cause food to break down.

How long can canned goods be stored under the bed?

First, take a good look at the can. It should not be rusted, dented, or leaking. Moreover, if the can is swollen this means harmful bacteria are present. So, if there is any doubt, dispose of the can where it cannot harm anyone. Before placing cans under the bed, write down the date you purchased them. Authorities say that the safe limit for acidic foods such as tomatoes and other fruit is 18 months. For canned vegetables, beans, meat, and poultry, two to five years. The best storage temperature is 50 to 75 degrees F.

What about the nutritional value of canned food?

A quick assumption might be they’re not as nutritious as fresh or frozen foods. But not so fast in labelling them less nutritious! Foods, when they arrive at the company don’t sit around waiting to be canned. Rather, they’re canned within hours locking in their nutrients. However, the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture says the heating of canned foods does cause a loss of vitamins C and B. Contrast this to fresh food that, after harvesting, may travel many miles under less than ideal conditions before reaching you. During that interval it also loses some nutritious value. And, with canned tomatoes and carrots, heating the can increases the release of carotenoids from the cell wall increasing their nutritional value. So, take your choice!

Look out for salt and sugar

If you cannot find a No Salt or Low Salt option, drain the liquid from the can and rinse the food in water to lower the salt content. Do the same for sugar and look for No Sugar Added or fruit that is packed in water.

Can you safely store leftovers in an opened can?

This is not a problem. But to preserve quality and flavour, it’s better to place food in a storage container with a lid.

What should you store?

It’s personal preference. But consider canned sardines and salmon high in protein and calcium. Sardines are low on the food chain, so less likely to contain contaminants such as larger fish like tuna. And don’t forget canned tomatoes and other vegetables.

One bad decision

With all this preparation for doomsday, you will get very hungry if you have forgotten a can opener. A gun might protect your toilet paper but won’t open a can.

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Written By W. Gifford-Jones MD & Diana Gifford-Jones

Dr. W. Gifford-Jones, MD is a graduate of the University of Toronto and the Harvard Medical School. He trained in general surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Montreal General Hospital, McGill University and in Gynecology at Harvard. His storied medical career began as a general practitioner, ship’s surgeon, and hotel doctor. For more than 40 years, he specialized in gynecology, devoting his practice to the formative issues of women’s health. In 1975, he launched his weekly medical column that has been published by national and local Canadian and U.S. newspapers. Today, the readership remains over seven million. His advice contains a solid dose of common sense and he never sits on the fence with controversial issues. He is the author of nine books including, “The Healthy Barmaid”, his autobiography “You’re Going To Do What?”, “What I Learned as a Medical Journalist”, and “90+ How I Got There!” Many years ago, he was successful in a fight to legalize heroin to help ease the pain of terminal cancer patients. His foundation at that time donated $500,000 to establish the Gifford-Jones Professorship in Pain Control and Palliative Care at the University of Toronto Medical School. At 93 years of age he rappelled from the top of Toronto’s City Hall (30 stories) to raise funds for children with a life-threatening disease through the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Diana Gifford-Jones, the daughter of W. Gifford-Jones, MD, Diana has extensive global experience in health and healthcare policy. Diana is Special Advisor with The Aga Khan University, which operates 2 quaternary care hospitals and numerous secondary hospitals, medical centres, pharmacies, and laboratories in South Asia and Africa. She worked for ten years in the Human Development sectors at the World Bank, including health policy and economics, nutrition, and population health. For over a decade at The Conference Board of Canada, she managed four health-related executive networks, including the Roundtable on Socio-Economic Determinants of Health, the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management, the Canadian Centre for Environmental Health, and the Centre for Health System Design and Management. Her master’s degree in public policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government included coursework at Harvard Medical School. She is also a graduate of Wellesley College. She has extensive experience with Canadian universities, including at Carleton University, where she was the Executive Director of the Global Academy. She lived and worked in Japan for four years and speaks Japanese fluently. Diana has the designation as a certified Chartered Director from The Directors College, a joint venture of The Conference Board of Canada and McMaster University. She has recently published a book on the natural health philosophy of W. Gifford-Jones, called No Nonsense Health – Naturally!

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