r/foodsafety • u/Tricktrick_ • 1d ago

Sardines in trunk for too long?

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Is it bad to leave Brunswick brisling sardines in the trunk late May? I'm afraid I ruined 24 tins of sardines. I've had them since May 20th and it's now June 1st in Houston TX. Are they ruined? They've been in the trunk most of that time. Google AI says they're done but i know Google is wrong sometimes. I have a feeling I'm screwed

Thanks

1 Upvotes

55% Upvoted

8 comments sorted by

18

u/CrazyCalligrapher206 1d ago

Why would they be done? I’m sure they sit in warehouses and trucks somewhere in May that aren’t refrigerated. Portugal and Spain aren’t warm in May.

-11

u/Current_Unlikely 1d ago

It’s been over a week in the trunk of a car . We’re talking about Texas heat .

9

u/bakanisan 1d ago

Canned food are shelf-stable. Condition might not be favourable to quality though.

5

u/Kailynna 1d ago

They are still safe to eat if the cans are undamaged, but this will severely shorten their shelf life.

Eat up.

2

u/watermelandrew 21h ago

I have this same brand, they're delicious and effectively the same as canned sardines but this is a tough one.

This is an interesting case because Food Safe teaches you canned foods are generally safe and you only need to worry about botulism from dented seals, but it never covered canned foods stored in high heat environments for long periods.

According to google, canned foods were designed to be kept under 29°C/85°F, but heat resistant bacterial spores can survive pasteurization and thrive when your cans are hot. It's also said that the chemical lining of the cans start to break down and contaminate your food.

Initially I thought they'd be safe, but after learning this I would unfortunately toss them out and take this as a learning lesson.

1

u/Current_Unlikely 20h ago

Good way of explaining it , I got downvoted for saying toss them lol

-12

u/Current_Unlikely 1d ago

You should toss em , don’t risk a bad case of food poisoning for a can of 2 -3 dollar sardines . Seafood goes bad fast . They are done for .

-10

u/Current_Unlikely 1d ago

Edit my bad you said 24 tins? That sucks, but yeah they are ruined .