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Question: Food left in the refrigerator, in cans. Does it

Posted: Sep 20, 2016

I have someone insisting, to their last breath, that I cant leave food in a tin can in the refrigerator for a few days or it's going to grow botulism. Not even baby food in the glass jar and metal lid. Can't even really leave a can of people food in there for even a couple hours until I use it again.

I put cat food in there, left in the can. When I buy meat baby food, I put it back in the refrigerator with the lid on it. Every single time I am screamed at about poisoning the cats. These cat foods are usually eaten up in about 2 days, 3 max.

Anybody know, is there any truth to this? I've done it for years, none of my cats have died yet.

;

I work in a lab - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
...and went to the microbiology department to ask this question. I'm not sure I can repeat their remarks exactly, but I believe they said that botulism only grows in an airless environment. For instance, if you can vegetables or fruits, and the top of the container pops up from bubbles and pressure, it's likely botulism. They also said that the development of Listeria is not uncommon on packaged lunch meats but that it takes 7 days or so to develop.

I have a little dog, and it takes him about 4 meals (2 days) to consume a can of food. I store it in the fridge in a baggie. The micro people suggested that I should buy those rubber can tops that fit snugly on the rim for safer storage but that they weren't particularly concerned about the food spoiling.

Hope this helps!

Yes, you can...SM - Old Anon

[ In Reply To ..]
See the link below. I don't think they would sell plastic lids for pet food cans if botulism could occur. I've read that the food can take on a tinny taste if left too long in the can, but what you are doing is only for 2 or 3 days. Does the person screaming at you have any standing in your house, like a child or significant other? I'd tell them to butt out, that what they are saying is not true and point them to websites that say so.

Botulism is - xx

[ In Reply To ..]
extremely unlikely to develop in canned food that was properly treated during the canning process. If the food was not properly treated, the botulism that would develop would have nothing to do with what the food was stored in after the can was opened. The proper treatment of canned food, particularly low-acid food, is one of the highest priorities in the U.S. food canning industry. We can feel confident that food canned here is safe.

The bacterium that causes botulism is anaerobic and thrives in low-oxygen environments, so once the can is opened and exposed to air, unless the canned food already contained botulism (extremely remote if prepared by a reputable manufacturer), it is very, very unlikely that some stray bacterium would survive the trip from its place of origin in the soil outside to contaminate food stored in a can in an environment containing air, such as a refrigerator.

Storing food in the can will not cause the development of botulism. Whoever told you that is, well, I'll be polite and say "mistaken." The only way you're going to get botulism from canned food is if it was in the can before it was opened. Or if someone intentionally introduces it after the can is opened (I read a lot of mystery novels).

THANK YOU EVERYONE!!!! I really appreciate - the help. I should have known SM

[ In Reply To ..]
Rubber lids for cans... good grief, I should have known that myself and stated that first off and shut this argument down before it even started LOL.

Thanks again everyone. No botulism in my house!

In the old days - Violet girl

[ In Reply To ..]
I think there was more chance of this before stainless steel utensils and when cans were really made of "tin" because the reaction of the metal in the can and/or the spoon tarnishing could cause problems, if nothing else it would make the food taste odd. I was raised in the 60s and I remember being told not to leave spoons in anything in the fridge or anything in tin cans in the fridge but don't remember being told why, so maybe it's something passed down through the generations, I don't know if it causes botulism but there are opportunities for bad bacteria in the refrigerator under the right conditions, I'd be careful with baby food.

No. The material the can is made of - will

[ In Reply To ..]
will not cause botulism! Nor will leaving a spoon in a can. These are old wives' tales created in an attempt to explain something not understood before the discovery that bacteria cause illness.

Botulism is caused by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. It is not caused by tin or spoons or refrigerators or storing food in cans or the phases of the moon or anything other than the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. If the bacterium is present in the food when it is put into the can and the can is not heated to a temperature sufficient to kill it during processing, botulism can develop. What happens to the can after it is opened is not the cause of the toxin.

Food can become contaminated after the container is opened if a utensil that has been in someone's mouth is left in the container when it is stored, but that contamination will not be botulism. If a contaminated spoon is stored with food in any kind of container, it is going to contaminate the food. It has nothing to do with storing food in the refrigerator in the can and everything to do with the contaminated spoon.

If the food is eaten directly from the can, it has likely become contaminated by the utensil used for eating from the can. If that food is stored it can become contaminated (regardless of whether the utensil is left in the can in the refrigerator), but it will have nothing to do with being stored in the can and everything to do with having been contaminated beforehand. If the contaminated food is removed from the can and stored in a different container, it will still be contaminated. If baby food is fed from the container, it can become contaminated in the same way and will remain contaminated in storage regardless of what it is stored in.

The point is, the simple fact of storing food in the original can in the refrigerator is not a cause of contamination. Contamination is caused by bacteria. If bacteria are introduced into the food, it does not matter what it is stored in. The bacteria, once present, do not magically disappear if contaminated food is stored in something other than a can. To prevent contamination, do not focus on the can, focus on not introducing bacteria to food that will be stored, regardless of the container.

advice from certified ServSafe food handler - you will live

[ In Reply To ..]
Everything everyone one else said is true. If you really want to pacify the paranoid in your home, I suggest you get a black Sharpie and on the top of the can write the date and time you put it in the fridge. I would suggest you don't leave the can open, but cover it with Saran wrap held in place with a rubber band. Always use a clean spoon for taking the contents out of the can or glass container. IF you have something in your fridge for seven days, throw it out by looking at the date on the top (count the date it is opened as day #1).

I don't even think botulism was mentioned in the list of potential deadly organisms we were taught in class. I *know* it was not on the test :)

Years ago, tin cans were soldered with lead - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Which did cause lead poisoning. Lead is no longer used.

Acidic food like fruits and vegetables can cause corrosion of the tin layer which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. I always use glass baking pans for recipes that use rhubarb or pineapple.

BPA which is a cancer causing agent can be found in the linings of some tin cans.

Regarding pet safety. When I mop the hard surface floors, I always rinse. A friend uses cleaners where she does not rinse. I have noticed that several of her cats have died from cancer at younger ages than mine. Cats lick their paws. I am trying to be more environmentally careful where the pets walk, both inside and outside.

Whatever metal is used, it's a bad idea to leave - nm

[ In Reply To ..]
two metals sitting together in water/liquid.

You are right that these days the biggest problem with cans is the plastic lining, not the metal/s they are made out of. The plastic leaching is going to occur mostly during processing and while sitting in the sealed can, though--another 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator after opening is immaterial.

You should not, however, ever leave metal utensils sitting in a metal can--chances are their metal composition is different from that of the can, which will cause galvanic corrosion, and none of the metals are healthy for you to ingest in any quantity.

As for bacteriologic food poisoning--food in sealed cans and jars is sterile until opened. After opening, its safe life is the same as freshly cooked food, which should be kept refrigerated and generally eaten within 3 days.

Thank you, again, everyone. - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
The cat food is in the small 3 ounce cans, which has a white lining on the inside of the can. I usually put the whole can inside a Ziploc baggie in the fridge, as canned food is a treat or a medication carrier.

Meat baby food in a glass jar is much the same for a fussy, elderly cat in frail health. It's either in a ziploc baggie or the lid put back on. She's still fussing and being pampered and specially fed, hasn't been poisoned yet.

No spoons left in the containers. Nothing else to cause problems.

Clean plates/dishes, everything sterilized in the dishwasher or boiling hot rinse water after scalding hot soapy water washes.

The "tin can" thing is what the partner is so paranoid about. I'll tell him to calm down, the cats haven't died yet, and what do you think can covers are made for?

LOL. Thanks again.

What's cracking me up is the insistence they'll get botulism - sm

[ In Reply To ..]
Which is, of course, the one thing that absolutely will not grow in an *opened" can with the food exposed to air.

Could the food spoil if left in the refrigerator too long after opening? Sure. But whatever might grow in it eventually, it won't be, simply can't be, botulinus.

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