OK, I screwed up, was watching MNF and sent my response to caww to djf instead.
What I wanted to send to djf was a commment on the lifetime of c-rats v MREs. The US Army indicates the nutritional value of MREs begins to degrade after a few years. I have a good supply of canned goods and plan to eat the MREs first. My plan is to supplement the MREs with vitamins but, of course, there is also an expiration issue with vitamins. djf’s tag line suggests a further reason to stock up on vitamins.
In 1968, a couple government archeologists discovered the sunken Steamboat Bertrand in the Missouri river north of Omaha.
It was headed for the new gold fields in Montana, loaded with supplies.
New gold fields in 1865 that is, when it sank.
Over half a million artifacts were recovered, including TONS of canned and dried foods. Peaches, sardines, olives, you name it, it was a floating Wal-Mart.
They tested the food. It had lost it’s fresh taste and color, but as long as the seals were good, it was still edible. No bacterial contamination. A hundred years old.
I’ve heard of brave souls trying food from the pyramids and from Roman shipwrecks and not croaking.
As always, if a can is bulging, smells bad, or is IN ANY WAY suspicious, toss it.