Could dented cans of cooking oil be a sign of botulism?
dented can of cooking oil.jpg 104.81KB 0 downloadsHello - as a food scientist who has never spent time in the canning industry, I'm wondering if dented cans of cooking oil are a botulism risk, or any other type of food safety risk.
The package is a double sealed tin can with a plastic screw top on the top of the can for dispensing. We don't produce this product, but we do distribute it, and I want to be able to steer customers correctly. See attached picture. Thank you!
Personally I think the risk of botulism is low. I believe the idea is a dented can will let in air, leading to contamination? Why wouldn't you ask for a credit from your supplier? Are your customers going to be ok receiving that? I'd complain, personally.
Remembering from my poorer college days though, those should be half off! Lol.... I got through college on dented cans of soup and corned beef hash!
Is that pictured rocks in your photo? You from the mitten too?
Thanks for the reply. We didn't intentionally send any out, but I'm investigating in case one got by. Also, our employees are allowed to bring home unsaleable goods, so I'm asking for their safety as well. It seems like it's not a true can because of the plastic cap. That can't have been retorted, I would think.
LOL - My profile pic is at Goleta beach in Santa Barbara, CA, looking towards UC Santa Barbara. Beautiful place! Mitten means Michigan, right?
dented can of cooking oil.jpgHello - as a food scientist who has never spent time in the canning industry, I'm wondering if dented cans of cooking oil are a botulism risk, or any other type of food safety risk.
The package is a double sealed tin can with a plastic screw top on the top of the can for dispensing. We don't produce this product, but we do distribute it, and I want to be able to steer customers correctly. See attached picture. Thank you!
Maybe.
The USDA says that while rare, dented cans can lead to botulism which is a deadly form of food poisoning that attacks the nervous system. Symptoms include double vision, droopy eyelids, trouble swallowing and difficulty breathing. Leaking and bulging cans can also be signs of compromised canned food.
https://www.rd.com/a...om-dented-cans/
also -
Dented cans can be risky and I know that when I have FDA inspections they VERY often tell me to trash cans that I would otherwise think are good. USDA offers some guidance from ASKFSIS on them and says that there are types of dents and not all dents are bad. I included that here:
Is it safe to use food from dented cans? (usda.gov)
but there is also info here:
Is food in damaged cans dangerous? (usda.gov)
Basically ASKFSIS is a really good resource to check this out.
I think your best bet is to return them and/or get credit for the dents. I work with some customers that are regulated by department of education or another government entity that actually roll the cans on the floor and if they deviate in their path they reject them. Pretty wild.
Cheers!
Dented cans can be risky and I know that when I have FDA inspections they VERY often tell me to trash cans that I would otherwise think are good. USDA offers some guidance from ASKFSIS on them and says that there are types of dents and not all dents are bad. I included that here:
Is it safe to use food from dented cans? (usda.gov)
but there is also info here:
Is food in damaged cans dangerous? (usda.gov)
Basically ASKFSIS is a really good resource to check this out.
I think your best bet is to return them and/or get credit for the dents. I work with some customers that are regulated by department of education or another government entity that actually roll the cans on the floor and if they deviate in their path they reject them. Pretty wild.
Cheers!
Hi Brendan,
Most of the content in your links is duplicated in Post 4 but worth repeating. :smile: