Can we eat a can after the indicated date?

Canned goods save our meals when our fridge is empty. The problem: we often keep them for a long, very long time, so much so that the date written on the box turns out to have passed. A question then arises: can we consume cans without risk to health? A virologist correctly responded.

Virologist Océane Sorel regularly shares on his Instagram his advice on nutrition and health. Recently, she tackled a flagship product in our kitchens: cans.

These help out and allow you to prepare a meal in record time. But how long can we keep them without taking any risks? The first key point is that canned goods last for a very long time no problem : “Canned foods last for years because the food they contain has been sterilized before being canned. There is therefore no risk of development of microorganisms during storage”.

If for some products it is important to respect the expiration date, for others this is not the case.

Indeed, it is essential to differentiate between the various indicators marked on the product as the specialist points out: “The date indicated on a can is therefore a DDM: Minimum Durability Date easily identifiable with the words “preferably consume before…” and which is used for products which do not present a risk of food poisoning if you miss the date. You can therefore consume it even if the date has passed.”

On the other hand, if this does not present any health risk, it is likely that the quality of the product will be altered, such as its taste or texture, for example.

There are still a few exceptions. Certain signs should alert you: “Over time, the can itself can deteriorate. If the can is damaged (rusted, deformed, bulging, cracked) or does not smell good when opened: it must be thrown away and not consumed as this could indicate contamination by micro-organisms”. These micro-organisms can be the cause of contaminations dangerous to health such as botulism for example. You should then take no risks and throw away the can.