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Tuesday, February 4, 2025

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

Today, I’m sharing 10 awesome facts about canned foods. Many people do their best to avoid shopping for canned foods because of rumors that they may have heard about them from others relating to taste, texture, lost nutrients, etc. However, when it comes to being prepared for an emergency, canned foods are an excellent option that you and your family can fall back on, and you should certainly consider having a significant inventory.

I want to take a few minutes to clarify some of your misconceptions and also share why it’s so critical for you to have a pantry fully stocked with canned foods. These are 10 facts about canned foods that you may not know about. Please stock a few can openers, at least more than one. #10 Can Opener or Can Opener

Freeze-Dried Foods

Mark and I have been eating food storage that consists of freeze-dried foods, canned goods, etc. We doubt our kids will want to have all this food to store, and we aren’t getting any younger. So this year, we rarely, if ever, go to the store, except for Mark’s milk and bananas for his healthy cold cereal.

Here’s the deal: purchasing a freeze dryer doesn’t make sense in our current phase in life; I have more food than we will consume in our lifetime. Regarding meat, I only purchased freeze-dried ground beef, ham, beef chunks, turkey, and chicken. We purchased freeze-dried vegetables, fruits, onions, and dairy products, but only those with a 25-year shelf life until opened.

Someone posted on Facebook that they had freeze-dried meatloaf, and I could not wrap my head around how they would cook it. Then, I contacted a friend who had freeze-dried a lot of food. He said the meatloaf would be sliced and then freeze-dried. I said it has to be cooked with water, and then it’s edible. We Americans are spoiled; it will not be pretty, but it will be mushy and tasty. Food is fuel. He answered my question about the meatloaf and can see how some people would want that. I make meals with my freeze-dried meats and vegetables, but I wanted to understand how you cook the meals people are freeze-drying.

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

1. Canned Foods Last a Long Time

You can store canned foods for years and still get the same great taste and nutrition as you would the day they were first commercially sealed. Stocking up on canned goods isn’t just meant to help your family survive an apocalypse, but they’ll also last through a hurricane, power outage, or any other major disaster. This is because they’ve been properly commercially sealed so that nothing can get in or out. While there is a sell-by date on each of these containers, they’ve still been known to be safe to eat even years after these suggested dates.

As you inventory your canned goods, be sure to look for bulges, dents, leaking cans, and rust on steel cans, which indicate it’s time to throw them out. I always tell my readers: Better safe than sorry. It’s not worth the risk of botulism or other harmful bacteria just to try and save some money.

2. Canned Foods Is the Safest Form of Food Packaging

Canned foods come in a durable and safe metal can that seals its contents up airtight. This helps prevent bacteria or other contaminants from getting in and ruining the food inside. While different types of food packaging are almost guaranteed to be compromised following a disaster, such as a flood or a hurricane, you can rest assured that your canned foods will still be safe to eat unless the cans have been compromised. Another comforting thing to know is that the canning process is also known to help kill any bacteria that might be present in the food.

3. Canned Foods offer Similar Nutrition as Fresh or Frozen Foods

Some of you may be skeptical about this next one, but it’s proven that canned foods have nutrition comparable to those of fresh and frozen foods. That’s right! Depending on what you’re stocking up on, canned meats and vegetables are an excellent source of protein, fiber, vitamins, and other essential minerals that come from the food ingredients. This is mainly due to the canning process and airtight seal, which helps preserve all these nutrients. 15 Foods To Buy When You’re Broke

4. Canned Foods are Minimally Processed

It also may come as a surprise to you, but canned foods are considered to be minimally processed as well. This is because they go through a very short process from the harvesting time until they’re canned. Some fruits and vegetables are canned within hours of being picked! This helps to lock in their freshness and flavor until you’re ready to open up the can and enjoy them. How to Properly Store Food for Long-Term Storage

Yes, we all love fresh produce, but in times of emergency, you can’t rely on having the best quality of fresh foods available. That’s why so many of us stock and plan to use our canned foods on a daily basis and when an emergency takes place.

5. Canned Foods are More Convenient

One significant advantage of canned foods over fresh or frozen foods is that they’re much more convenient. You can stack them on shelves so they don’t take up as much space. Another bonus about canned foods is that you don’t have to worry about them going bad quickly if you don’t have power or refrigeration.

Plus, most canned foods don’t require cooking since they’ve already been cooked during the canning process. You can quickly eat them right out of the can if you want or need to. But hopefully, you still have some heating methods available to experience the best flavor and texture you’re used to from your heated foods. How Long Does Canned Food Last?

6. Canned Foods are Affordable

Another great thing about canned foods is that they are affordable, especially when you buy them in bulk. When stocking up for an emergency, you’ll want to buy as much as possible when the price is right, which is likely because canned foods won’t break the bank. This is especially helpful if you have a large family on a tight budget or need to feed many people in an emergency. How to Make Prepping Affordable

In Utah, most grocery stores will hold “case lot sales,” where they sell many of their more popular canned goods if you’re willing to purchase them by the case. I always stock up on my favorite canned soups, meats, fruits, and veggies. I’m pleasantly surprised at how much I can save.

Another option as you shop for canned foods is to watch for the “house brands” that generally cost much less. The big chain stores, including Wal-Mart, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway, and others, always prominently display their brands. I’ve found the nutrition is similar to that of famous brands, but the flavor, texture, and appearance may differ slightly.

7. Canned Foods come in a Variety of Options

Regarding canned foods, you’re not just limited to canned meats and vegetables. You can also find fruits, soups, sauces, and desserts. This gives you many options to choose from so that you can stock up on what your family likes to eat and have a variety of choices when it comes to mealtime. It’s important to have food stocked that each family member likes to eat. It may be prudent to take “picky” food eaters with you when shopping for canned foods so they can provide some input.

8. Canned Foods are Easy to Transport

If you need to evacuate your home quickly, you can grab a few cans of food and take them with you. Canned foods are also easy to transport on a camping trip or any other outdoor adventure. Some emergency preppers even have a supply of canned foods in their cars that they can use if a disaster happens and they can no longer return home.

9. You Can Still Watch Your Salt Intake with Canned Food

Perhaps you’ve been avoiding the canned food route for some time now because of the amount of sodium you’ve heard is present. Did you know that canned foods only contribute to about 1% of the average person’s overall daily sodium intake in their diet?

There’s also the fact that there are a lot more low-salt (low-sodium) and no-salt options that you can choose from instead these days. By simply draining and rinsing, you can remove as much as 41% of the total sodium content present in the canned product if you need to for health concerns. 12 Unusual Uses for Salt

10. You Have Lots of Brand Options with Canned Foods

One of the blessings of living where we do is that we have so many choices regarding which brands of canned foods to purchase. We all love Campbell’s soups, but you also have Heinz, Progresso, Swanson, Healthy Choice, and others, including the above-house brands. Consider buying the ones with low MSG so that you can avoid them for health reasons.

The options for canned fruits, meats, and vegetables are also pervasive. Try different brand names, how they come prepared, and even organic when grown to see what you like. If cost isn’t an issue for you, the choices seem endless.

What About Home Food Preservation As An Option?

For years, our family had extensive garden space where we could grow our own food. We made it a family activity to plant, maintain, and then harvest the food for tasty preserves. You name it, we grew it. We’ve had peas, green beans, tomatoes, corn, and strawberries, to name a few.

It’s been a while since I’ve canned my own food. Age can affect energy levels and I haven’t had it in me for a while. I have enjoyed the convenience of stocking canned and freeze-dried foods. There’s nothing as tasty as a jar of home-preserved peaches for breakfast or an after-school snack. But I don’t have to worry about the glass jars being dropped by one of my grandkids bringing them up from our storage area.

10 Awesome Facts About Canned Foods

Final Word

Whether you enjoy eating canned foods or not, they’re a great backup option for your family during and following an emergency. Which of these 10 facts about canned foods surprised you the most? Can you think of other interesting facts about canned foods that emergency preppers should know? I’d love to hear from you! May God Bless this world, Linda

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