Can canned soup go bad?

[question everything]

Some years ago, with severe cold in the household, I purchases several cans of soup and never got to use all of them. It does not have a stamp of "use by" or "best by" date only a stamped date - in this case 25AUG2017HN (Progresso Rich and Hearty Tomato Florentine with Italian Sausage).

Is it safe to use it? Or, to be honest, donate to a food shelf?

Thanks

[Kali]

1. if it is not rusty or bulging it is probably fine

[NurseJackie]

16. Here's what Consumer Reports says:

https://www.consumerreports.org/food-safety/how-to-tell-whether-expired-food-is-safe-to-eat/

if it is not rusty or bulging it is probably fine

That my feeling as well. And I trust my nose.

[SterlingPound]

2. If the cans are not bulging out of shape you should be good.

[Sanity Claws]

3. Depends on what you want to use it for

If you want to throw it and break something, like a window, then I'm sure it's fine. In fact, if the can has weakened, then the soup might splatter and make more of an impression.

[janterry]

4. you can't donate food to a food pantry that does not have an expiration date on it

they will have to toss it.

[question everything]

6. Thanks. Will go to the trash, then. Pity

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

5. I wouldn't be surprised if there's been a loss

of nutrients and flavor.

In any case, the date would be the best by date. That's more than two years ago. I know the common wisdom is that if the can isn't rusted or bulging it's okay, but personally I'd toss it.

I know that at the homeless shelter I do volunteer work in we are constantly using food that's a bit past its expiration date, so if you'd rather donate, do so.

[question everything]

7. Thanks. I will take them there and ask them.

It is an open room with shelves and someone is there so I will be able to ask.

[pandr32]

8. If you think something might be iffy

...it would be a good idea not to donate it.

[Sherman A1]

9. Toss it

Getting sick over a can of soup isn't worth it.

[stopbush]

10. Er, if you are skeptical about whether YOU should eat it,

why would you donate it to a food pantry? Seriously.

[question everything]

11. Because we do not eat soups at home.

this is why the cans have been on the shelves so long.

I often eat fresh food that are past their date, though not by two years.

Why the aggression? I asked a question. A yes or no, or just skipping this thread would have been civilized.

But, I suppose in the days of Trumpsim civilized behavior has long been tossed out.

[uriel1972]

21. Giving expired food to the homeless

that you would not eat can be seen as a nasty thing to do.

I think your aggression is a little bit of an overreaction to someone asking the same question i would like to think most of us would be asking.

[question everything]

24. If you will read the rest of the responses you will find out that many think this is

a good idea and to let the managers of the food shelf decide.

As I said: the reason I will not eat at home is because we do not eat soups and this is why the cans are still standing on the shelf.

[hlthe2b]

12. Nutritional value likely decreased now, but an intact can with no bulging & fully sealed should be

safe for years. Canning techniques dramatically improved decades ago so that safety issues are minimal as long as the can is fully intact and has been stored properly.

For what it is worth, I keep a pantry full of staples (peanut butter, canned soup, canned vegetables, canned tomato products, etc) stocked and only fully clear it out every couple of years if not used. If I came across a perfectly intact can of something that was three years old would I use it? Damned right I would. I don't waste if at all possible unless there is some concern over safety (and as described there would not be).

[Claritie Pixie]

13. Here's some guidance -

Canned goods: Most expiration dates on foods in cans range from 1 to 4 years—but keep the food in a cool, dark place and the cans undented and in good condition, and you can likely safely double that shelf life from 3 to up to 6 years.

[sinkingfeeling]

14. I've eaten 5 year old canned soup. Didn't notice anything different.

[FoxNewsSucks]

15. I've eaten older soup than that,

Can was fine. Looked and smelled just like new soup when I opened it. So I went ahead and doctored it up with the usual extras and it was good.

[intrepidity]

17. A regular dilemma for me

My typical thinking is to keep such items "in case of emergency" -- and I mean real emergency, like major earthquake and nothing left to eat.

But then I think: in such a situation, do i really want to risk even something as "trivial" as a stomach ache or the runs? Probably not.

So I've resorted to "When in doubt, toss it out."

But i don't just toss the whole can. I use the occasion as an opportunity to guess about the condition of the contents, and then open the can and evaluate. More often than not, the contents were fine...

In the end, the expense goes in the "education" column of the ledger.

[Kaleva]

20. The contents were bad if after eating you suffer vomiting and explosive diarrhea

When in doubt, toss it out. My guess is the stamped date is the date of manufacture. How long ago did you buy the cans? I wouldn't donate them to a food shelf but IMO, they are fine to eat if the cans aren't bulging and you bought them within the past few years ago.

[Callmecrazy]

22. I was in Army ROTC in college (1984)...

and went on a weekend training mission. I was fed c-rations that were dated before I was born (1965). Meatballs and baked beans that tasted like a can of ALPO dog food. I'll never forget that.
But the "food" was perfectly fine.

[Callmecrazy]

23. I was in Army ROTC in college (1984)...

and went on a weekend training mission. I was fed C-rations that were dated before I was born (1965). Meatballs and baked beans that tasted like a can of ALPO dog food. I'll never forget that.
But the "food" was perfectly fine.

[whistler162]

25. Maybe but Canned Heat doesn't

[Freddie]

26. Cleaned out cupboards recently

Found a can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle - the “Official Soup of the 1984 Winter Olympics”.
I threw it out.

[Midnightwalk]

27. Several have given links

I’d add dented into reasons to toss if old

I was told by Mom the danger is botulism. Dented or rusty the gas might escape. Don’t try to contradict my mother

Botulism will kill you not just give you diarrhea.

[woodsprite]

28. Our local food bank will take items with recent expiration dates.

I would think it should be OK. If not, they do have people check the dates before putting them on the shelves, so I would think they would dispose of them at that time. My son said 2-3 yrs out is what he was told to look for when he was volunteering there, since it's a "Best if used by..." not a "Do not use after..." date.

[Mike Nelson]

29. My aunt occasionally...

... donates boxes of food, including cans. If the can looks normal, she donates it... if it looks old, no. She can't read the dates. I've always assumed the pick-up people have some quality control.

[Zambero]

30. With most brands' stroke-level sodium content

A can could have have gone into King Tut's tomb back in the day and have been ready for a post-discovery lunch.