Canned foods

We can thank Napoleon Bonaparte for sparking the development of canned food. He needed a way to preserve food for his army.

We now have canned foods, foods in glass jars, plastic tubs, flexible pouches and UHT products. Are they as good as fresh?

If you can’t grow your own produce and eat it within hours of harvesting, canned fruits and vegetables can be just as good for you as fresh ones. In some cases even better as they are processed within hours of harvesting. Some fresh foods spend days travelling to retail outlets, losing some of their nutrients.

We all need to eat more fruits, vegetables and legumes and products that are canned or tetrapacked make that easier. They lock in the nutrition and freshness and extend the shelf life. You can eat them year round and are usually price stable and there is less waste. According to the CSIRO canned foods can last up to 4 years.

The main thing to watch out for with canned foods is the salt content. Look for products that are labeled No added salt or salt reduced. Also, check the Nutrition Information Panel and look for products with the lowest sodium content. Sometimes the front of the can doesn’t tell you the product is low in salt when it is.

• Buy no added salt or salt reduced products like tomatoes, legumes and baked beans.
• Rinse canned vegetables and legumes well – this removes a lot of the salty fluid they are packed in
• Buy tuna and salmon in springwater

With fruit, buy fruit packed in juice or water rather than syrup.

Quick meal ideas

• Canned tuna and tomatoes can be used to whip up a quick pasta sauce when the fridge is bare – better than sending out for take away.
• Send tubs or small cans of fruit in the lunchbox
• Baked beans on wholemeal toast makes a filling after school snack or quick meal any time of day.
• Throw a can of drained and rinsed chickpeas or cannellini beans into vegetable soups, stews and salads.

Tinned food advice from the CSIRO

• Avoid dented cans, especially if there is any chance the can could be broken as the contents may have been exposed to the air and won’t be safe.
• Don’t by swollen cans as it is a sign there may have been something wrong with the manufacturing process..
• At least once per year turnover the cans in your pantry. Often canned food doesn’t go off but the flavor or texture can change.
• Once the can is opened treat the food as if it is fresh. Some foods, especially fruit, fruit juices, and tomato products should be stored in the fridge in a clean plastic or glass container. When these foods are stored in the opened metal can, the food can develop a metallic taste.