CANNED FOODS THAT ARE DANGEROUS

Bachelor days are almost over but of course there’s need for proper valecdictory as a sharp bachelor. So I had plans of making the Naija version of Jollof rice which means I needed tin Tomatoes to get that rich naija flavor and colour. Shopping things took over as I entered the nearest good supermarket close to me so I can go home and scatter the neighbourhood with my culinary skills.

On getting to the shelves, I picked the favourite can of tomato I use(I won’t say as I don’t want issues) I however noticed the bulging can and immediately dropped that thinking the defect must be for that can alone. Alas I was wrong as the whole lot of that brand in the supermarket were bulging. That means those products are clearly unsafe and the batch should be recalled.

Let me tell you a little about bulging cans especially in food production. Cans are hermetically sealed, that is, they do not allow any other matter to enter or leave the can until the product is ready for use.  The two ends of a canned food should remain flat till the food inside is used. However, some dangerous anaerobes(organisms that don’t need oxygen to survive) may survive the process of canning and reproduce, live and produce gases that will increase the size of the can. As the organism keeps producing the gas, the can keeps increasing in size and as such bulges out like it is pregnant. The two flat ends begin to protrude. If such can is opened, you will notice the product may spill out under pressure and you will hear the hiss sound which depict the product released gas under pressure.

The problem however is not the gas produced but the other things that comes with the gas from the organism. Toxins are released most times and they can cause great damage to  the human system. The micro organism responsible for bulging in canned foods is a very deadly one and can kill out rightly if the product is ingested.  Lucky people can end up with nervous system break down or in pregnant women, loss of pregnancy. So you see, eating a protruded or bulgy canned food is a risk you don’t want to take. You can check up Clostridium Botulinum or Botulin for more research on this.

In as much as I will not mention a brand name, watch out for canned tomatoes in the market

that are protruding and bulgy, avoid them like a plague. If it were to be where food safety is paramount, a product recall would have been the best option but alas our food safety is well behind. So if  I cannot help get a recall easily, at least I can warn you about the product. You don’t need to contact me about the brand, just watch out for what you buy. Maybe sharing this to your family and friends(especially if you have many like me)will help us all. Don’t worry, copyright is on me!