We sometimes find canned goods in the store that are dented; we look for other, non-dented cans. It’s my understanding that there is something wrong with the food inside a dented can. Is this so?
I think it’s bulging cans that you really need to watch out for. Indicative of some kind of anaerobic nasty crap going on inside. Dented cans may just have been tossed around a bit. Anecdotally, I’ve eaten food from dented cans with no problems.
Dented as in dropped or banged against? No, unless it’s leaking.
Deformed as in bloated? Yes.
I suppose there’s a marginal risk that if a can has been dented, there might be a puncture that isn’t obvious and therefore a possibility of some contamination/infection having got into the contents. Most dents most likely would be perfectly safe. Also, some dented cans can have been knocked out of shape in such a way that they’re a pain to get open.
Moderns cans are lined with a very thin plastic film. Dented cans are likely to have breaks or tears in this film, and direct contact between the can and its contents can lead to corrosion and contamination. I expect that this would require a pretty severe dent, so I avoid severely dented cans, but minor dents are OK with me.
Contamination being tin or iron or whatever the can is made with. It gives the food an unpleasant taste but it won’t hurt you unless you eat it every day for months on end.
As a kid, I was informed that dented cans had an increased chance of containing botulism, or the bacteria that causes it at least. Probably untrue. I buy dented cans if they’re the last ones available. Otherwise I’ll reach for the “good” cans.
I never buy dented cans - either I’ll fish around for a good one, change brand or just go somewhere else for the food. They’re likely completely healthy but I never eat from ‘help yourself’ salad bars either, I’m probably a bit germophobic.
The danger with a dented can is that the damage that caused the dent may have also cracked the seal on the can. A lot of times the can will get dented and the seal won’t break, but it’s often almost impossible to tell just by looking at the can.
Once the seal is broken, the contents of the can are going to go bad. If you open the can and it smells rotten, that one’s kinda obvious. But if you open the can and it’s not rotted far enough to stink yet, then you may only find out that it was a problem when you get sick after eating it.
Better safe than sorry, I say.
yeah the danger is the dent causing a leak at the dent site or at the seam. usually it would take a large dent or one near the seam to do so.
if the can was freshly dented and used immediately there is little danger. so if the grocery store dropped some cans then you are safer than the stuff is at a liquidators because a stack of pallets fell over at some warehouse.
Many years ago I had a friend who worked in my local grocery store. If I was shopping and he had his price gun, he’d take cans out of my cart, dent them and then mark down the price.
No ill effects.
Don’t grocery stores donate their dented cans to local food banks?
I remember a friend of mine had to go to a local food bank. Every one of the cans he brought back had a dent in it.
When I was a kid (80s) there were always “dented can” discount grocery stores. While there was no expectation that something was “wrong” with the food, there was an expectation that it would not be sold in regular stores and would be discounted. And you would be picked on a lot in school if anyone ever saw you, your family, or car at one of those stores.