# Canned Goods... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 21, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851 "2011-07-21T14:21:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bookaholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@bookaholic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookaholic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/1 "2011-07-21T14:21:48Z")
So I finally go to open a can of something and I notice that on the bottom it says ‘exp. Jan. 2009’. Um, excuse me, but I thought that if something was in a can, it was good for yonks. I strongly suspect this is bullshit designed to get us to buy more stuff. Anyone know what the story is with this? ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/2 "2011-07-21T14:26:10Z")
Well, canned goods last a long time, but not _forever_. Food agencies require expiry dates for this very reason. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/3 "2011-07-21T14:28:01Z")
> [@bookaholic](#): > > Um, excuse me, but I thought that if something was in a can, it was good for yonks. Where did you get this idea? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/4 "2011-07-21T14:28:20Z")
Depending on the food, enzymes, acids and such can render the food unpalatable/inedible. Won’t make you sick as in rotten or spoiled but well past it’s best. ---
**Author:** ![bookaholic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dec6dc/32.png) [@bookaholic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bookaholic)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/5 "2011-07-21T14:41:06Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Where did you get this idea? I don’t know…it’s just what I always thought. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/6 "2011-07-21T14:41:13Z")
According to Wikipedia… “Canning provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years, although under specific circumstances a freeze-dried canned product can last as long as 30 years in an edible state.” A long time for sure… but not forever. > **[Canning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canning)** > > Canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under specific circumstances, it can be much longer. A freeze-dried canned product, such as canned dried lentils, could last as long as 30 years in an edible state. > In 1974, samples of canned food from the wreck of the Bertrand, a steamboat that sank in the Mi... ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/7 "2011-07-21T14:48:54Z")
I’m trying to remember the last time I opened a can of something to eat. All I can come up with is soup. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Moto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mr.Moto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Moto)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/8 "2011-07-21T16:01:47Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > I’m trying to remember the last time I opened a can of something to eat. All I can come up with is soup. I eat canned fish all the time. Yummy and healthy, good for fish stocks. ---
**Author:** ![thelabdude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@thelabdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelabdude)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2011, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/canned-goods/589851/9 "2011-07-21T17:01:04Z")
They are required to put a date on it. They are required to prove it is still good then. They are not required to do the extensive testing needed to determine the maximum time it would be good for. Use with caution.