Past dated canned tuna

July 6, 2024 12:49 PM

Picked up five cans of tuna in water from the swap room, all marked best before mid 2023. No dents or swelling. I'm guessing our building's bodega discovered them on the back of a shelf and put them out for anyone to grab. Keep or chuck?
posted by seanmpuckett to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

Best answer: It's perfectly fine to eat, just may not taste totally "fresh", but then what canned stuff is?

Food & Wine states that canned fish are good up to three YEARS after they're packaged, so you should still have a year.
posted by kschang at 1:14 PM on July 6 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Canned fish lasts nearly indefinitely (from a company that sells canned fish). This is true of canned goods in general. I would not hesitate to eat this at all, it will be perfectly fine. In theory, the quality might decline slightly, but I bet if you did a side by side comparison with a more recent can of tuna you'd find little difference.
posted by ssg at 1:29 PM on July 6 [7 favorites]

Best answer: I'd eat it
posted by pullayup at 1:43 PM on July 6

Best answer: I have about 10 cans expired tuna (by about 2 years) that I’ve been working through. Totally fine. Tasty and I have had no problems with it.
posted by Sassyfras at 1:43 PM on July 6 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Yeah I wouldn't think twice about eating these. Even in a few more years. Canned goods never really become unsafe so long as they were made right and the can is intact. Enjoy!
posted by SaltySalticid at 1:50 PM on July 6 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Chuck, but only after opening the can and the smell-test failing
posted by Rash at 1:57 PM on July 6

Response by poster: Ok, thanks y’all.
posted by seanmpuckett at 2:18 PM on July 6 [1 favorite]

You need to add some oil, but only because tuna in water is blergh.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 7:24 PM on July 6 [3 favorites]

As long as the can isn't rusty or swollen, I wouldn't even think twice about eating any canned food. Best-before dates are not expiry dates.
posted by dg at 5:05 PM on July 7