SPAM Shelf Life Failures - Important Food Safety Info MUST READ!

Recent Failures in the shelf life of SPAM – IMPORTANT – MUST READ!
http://preparednessadvice.com/food_s...#comment-96921
The older type meat cans sealed with a tin soldered strip which you tore open and wound off with a key were more secure against rough handling than today’s lightweight, no opener required, tab opening cans. If the modern cans are dropped and struck on the tear tab, the seal may be broken. The thinner gage sheet metal used in modern cans is also more easily dented.
Bought maybe 6 months or so and nowhere near the best use date. Never had this problem before, maybe just a bad batch. Seven cans all bought on same day. Exp date is 2015. I emailed Hormel, They sent me a bunch of coupons, but no explanation.
Two of the 3-pack of Spam 25% Less Sodium I bought from Costco were swollen. “Best by MAR 2015″ I know I shouldn’t have, but I opened one and it smelled okay so I sliced it up, fried it up for my dinner sandwiches. I awoke suddenly at 2:30 am and made a mad dash for the bathroom. It was not pleasant….
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OK you have convinced me not to buy any SPAM but truth be told last can I purchased was in 1978.

Your old cans can still be used as impact weapons to throw at the enemy!!!!

I just bought some more , it was on sale plus I had a coupon. Just rotate your stock and watch for signs of damage just like any other canned product. Nothing to see here folks.

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Originally Posted by Blacksmith

I just bought some more , it was on sale plus I had a coupon. Just rotate your stock and watch for signs of damage just like any other canned product. Nothing to see here folks.

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When the product fails before the "use by" date and all the manufacturer wants to do is send you coupons to buy more defective product, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problem, I'm not buying Hormel SPAM anymore. I have lost confidence in it having recently discarded 14 swollen cans, all with 2015 expiry dates on them and sent copies of my correspondence with Hormel to USDA. This is not acceptable which is why I am spreading the word and request that others having the same experience do likewise.

I will absoulutely not buy anything with the Hormel name on it! I delivered 3 generator sets to 3 of their processing plants and they were absolutely NASTY!!!! The cleanest processing plant I was ever in was Gold Star Chicken in Alabama. When I commented just how clean the place was the foreman told me they shut the place down 3 times a day for a complete scrubbing. I don't doubt it one bit!

What happened to the sealing process that kept items usable for years not months but for years,C rations canned meats etc.

"Easy open" cans are prone to early failure!

either my taste buds changed severely or the recipe for spam changed years ago, so this is one problem I will not have to deal with.

It's been so long since I ate Spam that I have forgotten how it tastes. Probably at least 40-45 years.

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Originally Posted by w5pv

What happened to the sealing process that kept items usable for years not months but for years,C rations canned meats etc.

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The companies figured out that if the product expires on the shelf, then you buy another one to replace it. Bingo, another sale!

Follow the money.

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Originally Posted by Epd230

The companies figured out that if the product expires on the shelf, then you buy another one to replace it. Bingo, another sale!

Follow the money.

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That's it exactly

I actually prefer the competing product from Armour; "Treet"

I store my cans of the stuff in 59cal ammo cans

Spam is 90% fat, that alone can give you gastric upset. Heart attack in a can it is. It is a high test food, use it only if doing activities that require those kind of calories.
Luvtn

Spam is nasty stuff and should be outlawed

Fried Spam sandwich....yum! Or Spam and eggs!

I have two cases bought at $1/can.

Every, Hunting, Camping & Fishing trip, as a kid; Spam & Dinty Moore Beef Stew were staples.

There were times when the Dinner placed in the Camp Oven either didn't cook or overcooked. So Canned food was the Fall back.

I used to keep a can handy for when my Daughter's younger Friend's father forgot to pick her up from the Jr High School on the Corner. Spam lightly fried would perk her up. I'd eat the leftovers for breakfast with eggs three days later.
Never knew if that "father" would show up the next day either.

I don't think I've eaten it since Katie Graduated Jr. High School.

I don't think I've ever had a can fail. But they were never kept for that long. Dad would eat whatever leftover cans at the end of summer.
And I only bought one can at a time as an adult.

I do not remember when I ate Spam. For what is wrote now for it.I will stick with sardines . I know they last a long time.

I don't buy a lot of canned good, I eat a lot of canned goods. Sure, I started 'canning' with jars as did many. I switched to metal cans a couple of decades ago. Sure you can't reuse them in the classic sense but I sure enjoy shooting them :)

Using a can sealer is no different than using a can opener. The nice part is I have not broken a jar in quite a while, and yes, I still reuse the jars I have. Storing empty glass takes up as much room as full ones so I reload mine frequently with soup or stew or those sort of things. When I have a large quantity of product I use tin. A case of jars takes up the space, period. A box of 100 nested cans and flat lids is barely larger than the circumference of the can and maybe 18" tall.

Think about this, you are 40 miles off-shore, and a mess of fresh caught and cleaned tuna. You can pretty much have that fish stuffed in cans and cranked close before you get back to the harbor. Head space on a can is less than a jar. If you are too tired to cook the cans when you get hoe, toss them in the fridge. What self respecting family doesn't have the spare fridge in the garage :)

But, if you have an angel for a wife, the cookers and the outdoor portable stove is already set to go. Ok, I actually have everything ready to just fold the legs out and such. If you are really fortunate, your buddy has an angel for a wife (yes he does) and the ladies tell us where to put the cans so they can get started.

Tin can be run at higher pressure for less time than glass. When the cooking is done you don't have to be ever so gentle so as not to break the glass. I've never bent a can by dumping the cooker out on the lawn, hosing the cans off, and stacking them into you storage container of choice.

We usually have a different method however. Fillets/steaks are cut and cleaned and tossed in the chest freezer once home. When it is time to pack the cans we thaw the fish in the smoker until smoked but still firm. Can's get stuffed to head space level, one tblsp of Italian salad dressing is placed on top, diced Ortega Chilies one that, can is sealed, cooker is loaded. We use 4 large pressure cookers, a 2 burner stove for the cooking, and a turkey fryer to sterilize. load 2 while cooking 2, repeat as necessary. Sometimes we get into the fish. You haven't lived until you have to buy a kids wading pool, load it with fish, cover it with ice from the docks and rock salt, replace ice until fish is gone. Useful tip, do not store cold aluminum canned beverages (of choice) with the fish lest you have the means to rinse the flavor of saltwater off the beverage.

I have a buddy who jar canned his Elk taken in southern oregon. He switched to tin cans. It doesn't matter what kind of meat, be it fish, poultry, venison, pork, or whatever, can it. I don't put expiration dates on my cans, no need for that. I do make labels of the type of item canned and the date canned though. If a can goes bad, it will tell you. I've had store bought canned goods expire in half the time of my home canned cans. Useful tip number 2; canning a can opener makes a great gag gift, but tape or label the can while having a P38 under said label. They generally guess the contents by shaking the can :)

Oh, and make your own spam, it's much better.

I once had a can of Spam fail and I doubt it was ever abused. It wasn't dented or anything.

I'll eat it once in a blue moon.