Thanks for the heads up! I will be checking my pantry. I have noticed that the thickness of the cans has decreased. We got a new Lab puppy who is 5 months. The other day she got a hold of a can of sauerkraut and literally bit through the can and a little sauerkraut juice leaked - we have now discovered the one food she doesn't like!

Metal cans seem to be thinner and dent easily. We try to use dented cans sooner because they have been compromised. We look for bulging and leakage before using any cans. Thank you for what you do. God Bless.

Yes! I’m eating commercially canned foods 4-5 years old. It was fine. I live alone, so I can’t get thru my stuff on time. But sealed, canned foods I eat. I have noticed that too MR. Foods processed commercially from 2020 sucks! I eat those first and let the rest in back bc of that reason. Here’s a story: I ran out of Tall Kitchen Bags. I ran downstairs and grabbed from my preps. I was kinda shocked! Wow…the garbage bags from 2019-2020 are at least 3-4 ply. So nice! So thick! The bags I buy now are thin and break open so easy. Their garbage! I love the old garbage bags, they are really nice….bags

The metal cans certainly have diminshed in quality. I have found some metal cans that are so thin, I could actually squeeze them. Also, have had newer cans(the last ones were guava) that started oozing and had to be tossed. On another note, I found out that Kraut juice does not store well in metal cans😂

I always look and smell every can I open. I’ve noticed a more metal or can smell. All our can are stored cool dark and dry. You are right. Opened up a can of tomatoes from 2017 ( I missed it) it looked and smelled fine. Not like the 2020 or 2021 cans. Triple the size of our garden this year. I know I’m clean when I can, I know my jars are clean, my kitchen is clean. Not sure what happened. I do agree with you completely.

I can't say as I've noticed that things since 2020 have a shorter shelf-life, with the exception of canned mandarin oranges. Previously, I had no problem having these in my preps and rotating them. However, since 2020, for the life of me I can't keep a can of canned mandarin oranges past its "best by" date . . . if it even makes it that far. The canned oranges actually explode well before their "best by" dates. And if they don't actually burst, they are leaking all over the place, again, a lot of times before their "best by" dates arrive. But that's the only thing that I've become acutely aware of since 2020, Modern Refugee. However, I'll be even more on the look out for things going amiss since I've watched your video. Thanks for sharing this crucial information!! God bless.

I've noticed the same thing lately. I canned my own ham for the first time several weeks ago. It's delicious. Way better than anything I've ever bought at the store.

Thanks for your insight! I just bought "gallon" baggies. Wow, they were 3/4 the size of my old ones. It's getting crazy!

I had unopened and sealed Augason Farms. I was going through my food and preparing easy pouch meals usung dried ingredients. I knocked a can of freeze dried Augason Farms off my shelf. It did not rattle. It was produced in 2022. I opened it and it was a moldy clump. I went through all of it and found mold and bug infestations. I was not happy about it. I will never purchase Augason Farms after all that I lost. I contacted them and they do not care. They did not offer replacements and there us no guarantee that it would not have the same issues of mold or bug infestations. They do not take returns. I completed a more detailed inventory and portioned the good food out by the way that I use it. I tossed the bad food. I did not want the mold or bugs in my compost so it had to go in the trash. In the food storage and prepping i learned that you win some and you lose some. I am going to keep on prepping ans working on my food storage.

During the pandemic I noticed bread going bad so fast. Potatoes went bad quickly, too. Some of our favorite soda water that is lightly fresh fruit flavored tasted different. The color was not the same because I compared the newer bottles to some I had in the cupboard. Now, things seem okay from the grocery store. I, too, have health issues which are getting better as I've cut out sugar and flour. Processed foods are just so bad for my arthritis. I started taking turmeric for the inflammation and that has helped, as well. Thank you for your video.

Thanks very much for the report and the advice! On the canned food issues; It's my understanding that China makes most of the aluminium that goes into the manufacture of food cans. China isn't able to dig enough coal, and can't afford to buy enough coal, to make the aluminium needed for the world's supply of aluminium cans, therefore there isn't as much metal (or as good a grade) going into the cans. Right now they can't even procure enough coal to keep their people warm when it's cold outside! It IS going to get worse, and I would suggest that if you're able to can at home, you should start to. It's possible (I do it) to "re-can" store-bought stuff into glass jars at home, especially juices, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, etc,... It's not so nice with vegetables or fruits, unless you like "green bean mush". However, you can skirt that issue buy dehydrating frzen veggies and storing the dehydrated stuff in glass jars. Even better if you can suck the moisture and air out of those jars with a "Food-Saver" type device.

I'm with you there. I've never lost something I've canned myself, prematurely. Sure I've had issues with lids not sealing after the pressure can but once it's sealed, I haven't had an issue losing a seal. One thing I've noticed is the campbells 'chunky' soups have gone down in quality so bad. Maybe 3 small pieces of meat in chicken soup or beef stew. So these last 2 years I started making and canning my own soups. I was the guy really only canning meat to use as an ingredient in something else. Since I started making stews and soups and pressure canning them, I haven't had to or wanted to open anything I bought during that 2020 year so it all got donated

You’re not alone, MR. There are certain canned goods, (for whatever reason), that are not keeping food well. I opened a can of green beans one time and I found what appeared to be black mold in the can? The can was sealed. No dents or cracks. The can was out of date by a month.

We've found that our canned goods last at least 5 years beyond the best buy dates, too.

Recently I dropped a can of mixed vegetables. I looked at the can and was not even dented so I didn’t think much about it. Put it on the shelf in my pantry and forgot about it. A couple hours later I was in my pantry for about 10 minutes and heard a VERY faint hissing sound. I followed the sound to that can. It actually scared me a little because there was nothing visible to show me the seal had broken, no fluid was leaking, and if I had not just happened to have been in my pantry that day for more than just grabbing something and leaving I wouldn’t have heard it…and it could’ve sat on that shelf for weeks before I used it.

Always good to check and rotate. On a related note.. people always comment on my MRE videos about me eating MREs that are “expired” They taste fine, no negative GI effects. At worst, they have lost some “nutritional value” but are still caloric/energy

Going to the store now is an awful , anxiety filled experiance , prices are climbing and the quality is going down Thanks MR !

We can the same things you do also venison. Never had a problem. Our pantry is overflowing with products from the store. I’m going to have to check this out. I’m sure you are right everything is getting cheaper that they make and produce. Thanks for the tip I’ll be looking out for this. Have a good day MR

I get mad at myself when I get home and find a dented can, all because I did not inspect it well enough. I even squeeze the cans at the store, if they flex or start sucking air I put them back. Once home, it goes from the back of the line to the front if dented - because you just cannot trust them to last for years when they have been compromised. I check every can and container when I rotate my stock. Glass is your friend! You may think you can only use mason jars, but every glass jar you get at the store can be used for storage of dry good and vacuum sealed (just look for how to make a chamber with a bit of PVC pipe).

Oh boy...i hope it hasn't affected Spam! I'll be checking my cans asap! Thanks for the heads up MR 😎👍👍

My wife and I are new to canning and we'd like to see how you can chicken. Thanks for your informative videos. Your's is one of the better channels.

I opened a can of corn that was nowhere near expiring and it had black stuff mixed with the corn. Also the cans are getting very thin and you have to feel each can when you buy it as many more than usual are dented.

I'm still thinking ! Shut my cable package off , remembered tody , my cell phone is unlimited , 6 videos today , like a junky on Cocaine , I had a relapse ? Your one of very few I missed watching , Have a Fine Day !

Even (or especially) noticeable is the lower quality cans that commercial food is canned in. They're so thin that I sometimes wonder how they survived commercial canning.

It's not just people food. I have cats, one of which has to be on a ph balanced food for urinary crystals and the lids of the cans pull off way too easily lately. The pull rings are loose lots of times too. I toss em. Wasteful, but better than a trip to the vet with a sick cat.

Some of the spoiled food could have been stuck on those barges for months.

Thank you, a good reminder to go review, use up, clean out and restock what is stored.

Along with the poor quality since the coof hit, we've been also hearing about the poor quality of name brand ammunition and how its gotten much worse.

Thank you for letting us know. I now have to go through everything but its better to do it now.

I’ve had the same experience. And ketchup was the thing that set me off! I prefer an obscure brand of ketchup and when my store sold out, I ordered on amazon. Every bottle was a different shade. I ended up deciding I’d eat this and not that. It turned out ok but as you said, so much sugar and vinegar, how could it go bad before expiration? I also have a base group of goodies: canned chicken, canned beef, canned pork, tomatoes of every kind, beans, rice, dehydrated potatoes, bullets, ghee, soups & broths, vegetables, 50lbs pancake powder mix and 36 bottles of syrup, not to mention the oats and etc plus everything to make bread and pizza! I’m trying to decide what to do with high quality (expensive) canned dog food. My dog died April 30th. I’m thinking of donating it.

Recently I bought a new shelf and reorganized my pantry. I write all the expiration dates in marker on the labels and shelve the newest in the back and oldest in front. When 2023 started, I found a few out-of-date products and all the 2023 dated items and moved them all to the kitchen so we eat it this year. I also have an inventory list with all the items, dates, sizes and amounts. But we don't have that much packaged goods because I do a lot of home food preservation. So it's easy to manage. I just made a fermented ketchup I like very much. You could try that. The base is small cans of tomato paste so you can make it as you need it.

Thx for sharing your pantry knowledge! I home-can like you do and have many cases of certain foods. Like you, 10 cases of quarts of chicken, also have 8 cases of pints. I do lots of beef and cubed ham, too. Also many veggies, bean varieties, and types of soups. We are finishing up our 2016 quarts of home-canned beef (round steak chunks). So tender and delicious...and 7 years old. We're finishing up the 2017 quarts of home-canned green beans, also very tender and they don't taste any different than last year's canned beans. Home canning is the absolute best! Canned tuna holds up very well -- Chicken of the Sea packed in water tasted like regular tuna but it had gone 4 years over the exp date. Back in 2009, I bought several cases of canned fruits. Didn't eat them for 4 years...all cans of peaches were compromised or had popped. What a mess. Have not bought commercially-canned peaches again, I just can those off of our peach tree now. Since 2019, I watched canned items to see what the items were like since there was such a shipping backlog. I was curious. I saw many cans with top edges that looked rusty. I've read this was a cheaper metal being used. I didn't buy any of those items but have wondered if the cans held up well for people. I don't trust many commercial canned foods anymore. So many items are 'bioengineered' or have way too much sugar or unfamiliar ingredients. For us, we keep it simple and I cook 'from scratch' w/ mostly home-raised foods.

MR I have had very similar issues with ketchup. It turned brown and looked nasty even though the seal was good. I contribute this to the plastic vs. glass bottles of yester-year. I always purchase pasta sauce in glass vs. plastic jars. I do agree with you on the issue of pre-pandemic/post-pandemic products as well.

Not sure how relevant this will be due to coming from the egg industry, but, at the facility I work at management has been changing the cleaning chemicals for a lot of our liquid and dried products processes to save money. Example 1: Part of the cleaning process for a specific product involves a 1hr washing with caustic chemical. Due to the rising cost of this caustic, they've had me add an additional "pre-wash" that uses a different chemical called "principle" and subtract time from the caustic wash to use for this new step. Supposedly the new chemical is better at ridding the process piping of stuck-on product but I am not a chemical engineer. Its possible other industries are doing similar changes to how their products are made. (Besides the obvious lowing of quality and materials to increase output, at the cost of longevity, of course!) I've also had to edit additional equipment to accept poor-er quality supplies such as, thinner/cheaper pallets, from plastic trays to cardboard trays, and to scale down the force of a box erector to allow for thinner cardboard boxes to be made. Example 2: Companies aren't keeping their pay scales competitive. Nothing new I know but the work force is not accepting low wages for hard work. Many factories are probably dealing with lots of new hires, and learning how to make product takes time, IF they stay working there. Mistakes are bound to be made when canning, in this case.

I’ve not had an issue at this time. We just did a clean out and rotation, too. Only thing we threw out was some produce and jams/butters we made in 2012.

Good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !

Thanks for the warning MR!

100% agree! I noticed the quality of Barley that I have purchased for years. I went to add my new bag 2022 with the rest of my old bag 2020 and it was complete crap! Did not even look like the same product. I kept the old good barley just so I always have a good comparison of good barley looks like! We will eventually get used to crappy food if we don’t make it ourselves. So happy to hear others have noticed this. I have been more diligent than ever preserving fresh food as much as possible and learning canning & dried good recipes. Just created some dried soups from my dehydrated veggies, mixed with powdered butter & cream. Very nutrient dense. 6 zucchini in one mug of soup. Thanks for your info!!

I noticed in the last few years that the taste of All Purpose flour tastes like it's been cut with chalk.

Thx for the heads up

Another good practice to use for your pantries to move all the items that are closer or just passed their expiration date to the front so that will you use them first leaving the newest of to the very back rotating them every time you shop

I mentioned the same thing to a friend a few days ago. It just seems like everything has gone to crap since the pandemic. Inflation has made EVERYTHING cost more, and the quality isn't like it was. I don't know if the manufacturers are cutting corners or people just don't have pride in their work anymore, but it's annoying. Maybe paying top dollar for junk is a symptom of a declining society, I don't know.

Love to can..us so much better than buying. Thank you for the heads up

Just got this notification. I have a few comments but I'm exhausted so I'll just say great chat as always.

Excellent talking points. Ive noticed that fresh tomatoes from the store go bad in a very different way then they did a generation ago.

Agree with you completely regarding the changes in 2020 on food not storing like pre-2020…experiencing the same on pretty much everything bought and stored.

Good advice MR…👍

I’ve slowly started canning more of my own produce, meats etc. Anything I purchase are things we regularly use and I always “shop” my pantry first. Many things such as rice or pasta even if I use it regularly, I take out of original packaging and store in glass jars

I'm not inclined to buy commercially canned/prepared foods as a normal thing (some of the additives throw my blood pressure into tizzies) but I agree some of the things being manufactured as well as 'fresh' fruit and vegetables are far lower quality. Onions and potatoes often spoil within a week, bruising on fruits. Even bags of dried goods seem compromised. I've two older cats, with their dry food I give them half of a 5.5 of wet food once a day, Friskies brand. They have refused to eat a couple of the cans of the turkey so I gave one can to the stray someone dumped in the neighborhood. After a couple bites the poor thing threw up the canned food and wouldn't touch it again, THAT was a newly bought can with a good year before expiring.

Interesting I think you’re right about the stuff of more recent even milk seems to go bad before expiration

Absolutely correct bought ketchup that turned extremely dark. I'm hoping it is good for the long haul. Tried it and it was good just colorwise. It is too expensive here especially when you have to pay tax on top of almost four dollars each. 😮 No joke you have to eat what you buy so buyer BEWARE.

I haven’t noticed this issue. For what it’s worth we shop mostly at Aldi.

Milk isn't lasting like it used to...it sours the day of or day before the expiration date! I try to make biscuits with it or use it quickly a few days before the expiration date! I use jelly in my hot oatmeal.

Seen the same darkening with the ketchup

Yep - my ketchup too, so dark it's nearly black..I store them well, but there 's def a degradation in quality of commercially can foods across the board. Sad.

Great Video, Modern Refugee.

I've had a lot of problems from store brands since 2020. I bought 4 cans of Walmart brand Salmon. All had the same best by date which was about 2 years away. I ate two cans over a few months and it was fine. About a year later I was having financial problems so was depending on my preps to live. I opened a can of that salmon and it was rotten. Still had a year to go on the best by date. Opened my last can with the same date and it was rotten too. So I'll never buy that brand again. It failed me when I needed it the most.

I can so much more than i used to. Evrn soups refried beans etc

well done again .... great video shared it with my mag ... we do think alike brother ... I am wondering if the out of country goods spoiled at the same rate ...

Food quality and control has definitely gone down hill

It's all good, there is a guy on KZfaq eating 70 year old MRE's, he's still alive!

I have been saying for months that the quality of produce has severely gone down. I am not sure if it is due to it getting to the shelves slower or if the conditions that they are being picked and stored has changed.

I agree

trying to purchase products in glass jars these days - it's getting difficult to find things offered in glass anymore though; I have boxes of old quart-sized glass mayo jars which are so nice to reuse - can't find one of those anymore

I would like to make a comment about the plastic may be being the problem because a lot of people have been complaining about milk and plastic jugs going bad before the expiration date over and over again all across the country so it was coming to the conclusion it must be the plastic it would not be unreasonable to assume they changed the chemical mixture for the plastics and now it’s causing harm to the product inside and to us too by eating it something to seriously think about

I have the same issue with my ketchup. Alo a flat of pedigree can dog food with pop lids 6 mos old, half bad.

Tossed 2 cans fruit this weekend. Starting to bulge, not out of date yet.

We've noticed Mayo, ketchup plastic containers turning blackish grey. Very concerning. Is it the food turning the plastic color or the plastic has changed.

chicken cans we ate was 2008

I bought a couple tins of mix vegetables that had best buy date of Dec of this year. I opened the tin and the water was dark and merky. Looked so gross. I pitched it. The tins are made so crappy now.

These food products r smaller and have less in them. Ripping off the consumer

Have you canned your own Ghee? I’d love to know how to do this.

Dietary changes do happen. I found out that I am type 2 diabetic. Oh joy.

My question: on your canned chicken how long is it good for?

Can you eat corn if it’s puréed?

I've noticed this poor quality issue also