Okay, I use the food bank every once in while, and I’ve noticed that I usally get dented cans. ( I think that the dented cans are donated to the food bank or somthing like that). Well, I rember my grade ten foods class and we were taught to never eat out of a dented can 'cause you can get really sick or even die. Now some of my cans are like almost in half and I have one can that is a pretty kewl shape. I won’t get sick if i eat this stuff will I?
Of corse, I could always get my sister to test the food first… 
but really, does anyone know if the food bank or even just a local group would give icky food?
thanx
NOt too sure what a food bank is, but I assume it is a cheap place to get food, in which case, dammit, I want one!
Anyway, food bank or no food bank, I have certainly bought slightly dented cans on the grounds of their being “reduced to clear”/“on sale” so as to save money. Despite my having some tenedency to stomach/bowel problems, I honestly do not think I have suffered anything from dented cans. Then again, I regard myself as adult in adequate health - I might worry a lot about a tiny kid or a frail old person.
Your 10th grade health class was most likely warning you against botulism. It can be spread through eating improperly preserved or canned food. My question would be where your pantry’s canned goods come from. Grocery stores are unlikely to stock dented cans and may give damaged goods to the pantry for the write-off, so it’s unlikely that a can of peas dropped on the loading dock is going to kill you. If in doubt, boil the food or don’t eat it. IANAMD and this isn’t medical advice.
)Oops - and welcome to the Straight Dope, says Celyn who forgets her manners very easily!
A long time back, I got some expired milk and rotten potatoes from the foodbank. I don’t think they are neccessarily trying to kill you, or send out bad food - but perhaps the workers examing the donations may have missed something.
If the dent is minor, and has not broken the seal - the food should be fine, but if you have any doubts about the contents, - like if it seems to be onder pressure and sprays when it opens - chuck it. Botulism sounds really nasty.
From this site: http://www.cannedveggies.org/learnmore/facts/can_veg_safetysealin.htm
“Contents of dented cans are safe to eat, unless the can has bulged or leaked. Consumers used to throw away dented cans for fear the products had been contaminated. Today, even the contents of dented cans usually are safe to eat. However, you should always discard any cans which have bulged, since this is an indication of spoilage. Also, discard any punctured can from which liquid has leaked. Be sure to inspect the contents of dented cans as you open them.”
Go to www.google.com and enter “dented cans” in quotation marks to bring up numerous references.
This one also has what appears to be sensible advice: http://www.internet-grocer.net/returns.htm
And from here: http://216.239.37.100/search?q=cache:hvSBGdvLhVsJ:extension.usu.edu/coop/food/efnep/fnp/newslet/nlpa.pdf+"dented+cans"&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Some places sell dented canned food at a discounted price. How do you know when you can use dented cans? Dented cans can be used unless you notice any of the following things:
A bulged can top or bottom
Leakage at the site of the dent, along the seams, or anywhere else
Damaged seals at top or side
Any rust
Dents that make it impossible to open the can with a can opener.
When the can is opened, if you notice any of the following:
Abnormal odor, color or texture
Foamy food
Milky-colored liquidnot natural to the product
then throw the can and food away. It is important to never taste-test canned goods if you notice any of the signs listed above. Food from dented cans can be a good way to stretch your food budget.
Also, once you’ve opened the can and removed the contents, check the inside of the dent for rust spots. If you detect any rust or punctures then the seal was compromised and you shouldn’t risk eating the food.
Also, if you’re throwing away the food, make sure that no animals can get to it. If the food isn’t safe for you to eat, it wouldn’t be safe for a dog to get into. Flushing it down the toilet would work.
I would think that the important factor to consider is how the can got dented. If it was just dropped then sure it’s safe to eat. I doubt that bacteria inside the can would cause the same kind of dents that dropping the can would.
No breaknrun that is not correct. The canning process should kill any bacteria inside the can , dropping the can and breaking the seal allows bacteria back inside to spoil the food. Therefore if the seal is broken on a can it is dangerous to eat no matter how it was dented. Be careful about giving advice on things like this if you do not understand the problem, botulism is very dangerous.
There is, or at least was, a store near New Orleans that primarily sold dented cans and dry goods that were slightly past their “best by” date. I’d think that the store would never have existed if such things were dangerous to consume.
My dad went shopping at that store once a week for a few years and only once we got something that was obviously not safe to eat. It was a box of cereal that had gone rancid.
Make that “would never have existed if there was a significant danger of consuming such things.”
Argh! “From”, not “of”. :smack:
While I wouldn’t want any animals eating unsafe food, flushing food down the toilet ended up costing some friends of mine several thousand dollars in septic tank repairs. When the Roto-Rooter guy found out that they had been doing it, you’d a thought somebody had shot his dog.
Celyn thanx you for the welcome. A food bank is where you go when you can’t get food and pay all of the bills and ect. Theres two of them in town.
Also **Gary T ** thanx for all of the links and help. It’s very helpful to have that info on hand. I mean I used dented cans before but these were crazy cans.
Finally Jeff Olsen we have a store like that in town too. Well, just outside of town, but I think you know what I mean. I also kinda know that if it was dangerous they wouln’t sell/give it away, but you never know.
And of corse, thanx to everyone else.