# Will this can of expired chick peas kill me? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 5, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070 "2008-05-05T01:29:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/1 "2008-05-05T01:29:24Z")
I’m making a curry in the crock pot and I used a can of chick peas that expired in 2005. The can wasn’t damaged at all, there was no discoloration or odor, so I figured…? Did I do the right thing or am I going to (hopefully) live to regret this? (There is some irrational part of my brain that thinks that with canned food, if you can specifically remember buying it, it can’t have gone bad.) ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/2 "2008-05-05T01:37:51Z")
I don’t have a cite for this but I’ve heard or read that the expiration date is based more on taste and nutritional quality of the contents than safety. After the expiration date the food may taste “off” or no longer match the nutritional label. I would have done the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/3 "2008-05-05T01:42:53Z")
Depends on the size of the can and how high it fell from. ---
**Author:** ![IdFindAnAAnswerForThat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3d9bf3/32.png) [@IdFindAnAAnswerForThat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IdFindAnAAnswerForThat)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/4 "2008-05-05T01:43:55Z")
I ate a can of peas that was in the cabinet for over 10 years, they were Del Monte and not only did I live but the peas still tasted good. ---
**Author:** ![Carson\_O\_Genic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Carson\_O\_Genic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carson_O_Genic)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/5 "2008-05-05T02:11:51Z")
Flatulate with confidence. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/6 "2008-05-05T11:53:23Z")
Is it armed? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2008, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-this-can-of-expired-chick-peas-kill-me/448070/7 "2008-05-05T12:45:11Z")
Very generally - my understanding is that so long as the can is still properly sealed, showing no signs of swelling, or having rusted through, the probability is that it’s still safe to eat. Also, expiration dates on canned goods are based on worst-case scenarios: storage in hot, humid environments, vice cool and dry. The joker in the deck is that botulism doesn’t _need_ to have any of the normal, visible signs of contamination to have built up a deadly dose in the food. For myself, if a can is still solid, I’ll generally only worry about expiration dates as a general taste advisory, myself.