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Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2021 9:16 pm
by jennyjj01
TLDR:-
Check your Passata and Tomato stash!
As I discovered tonight.

Long version:-
Tonight's Dinner Rustic home made Tuna Pizza.
2020 Flour: No problem.
2019 Yeast: No problem
Tin of 'Savers' Tuna chunks in brine. in date, but pretty mushed up rubbish.
Tin of In date anchovies
Cheddar, fresh tomatoes, peppers and onions All good

Passata. Dammit!!!!! Tesco Everyday value Aug 2020, Came out of the tetrapak Brown oxidised: Horrible: Like runny brown sauce.
Pulled a newer Asda passata July 2022. That came out of the tetrapak a bit half brown. I used that. It should have been perfect but it wasn't!

Anyway. The pizza was a success, but it brought to my attention that a whole case of tetrapaks of passata have gone off. The Tesco EV stuff was the worst.

So, to date, I've had tubes of tomato puree and tetrapaks of passata with the same symptoms of degradation. Checked a few of my oldest tins of tomatoes and they are all good. I have some tetrapaks of plum tomatoes, in deep store. I'm going to dig them out and check them tomorrow. I wonder whether the practical shelf life of tetrapaks is just a lot less than cans. I've got jars of bolognese still perfect from 2018, so jars seem better.

Oh hum. Better to discover degraded stocks now, rather than post apocalypse. Will be doing some opening of older stocks across my whole range, tomorrow with a view to a 'big shop'. Will also review the quality of my tinned fish stocks. Some of the cheap tuna is not fit for the cat. False economy!

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2021 8:46 am
by GillyBee
I feel your pain, Jenny!
I don't think Tetrapacks are as sturdy for storage as tins and the Best before dates on similar items in tin or tetra reflect that.
I have been storing commercial dried tomato powder and have found that this also goes brown when over date so it is also a tomato weakness. Mine still makes a good curry and colour is hidden by the spices so I have been using it up that way.
If I want to store it longer I think it will need more attention to light, heat and oxygen protection.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:34 pm
by jansman
Thanks for sharing. It proves something though; use by/ best before dates are for a reason. Food doesn’t last forever. My dehydrated tomatoes go brown,and they are stored in the dark.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 3:11 pm
by rik_uk3
Its a high acid food so I'd suggest staying clear of 'value' brands and pay extra for the likes of Napolina brand which is available in jars/bottles not so much for the quality of the food but the better quality of packaging.

I've had the same with evaporated milk, Asda own brand 1 year over UBD was unusable but a tin of Carnation brand 3 years past UBD was fine. That said evaporated milk can be a bit hit and miss so better off with Nido or sweetened condensed milk which last for years.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:30 pm
by jansman
I really cannot understand why preppers have to push the expiry dates on stored foods. OK,you don’t have to adhere to them chapter and verse,a month or two here and there on Best Before- NEVER Use By. I am in the food industry,and we KNOW how long food lasts,and it ain’t forever. Degraded tins do,and have ,caused Botulism.

If you really want major- long- term storage,then surely it would be better to use Mylar/ vac pack/ oxygen absorption ,and go the American way; Rice ,beans and pulses etc.

We use a lot of tinned food,so it gets rotated properly. It would seem many preppers put tins on the shelf,” just in case”, but don’t really use them,and in reality,don’t really like them. So why waste money? We eat what we store,and store what we eat,and keep a keen eye on expiration dates. I have had tins of fruit , out of date,leak because the acid ate through!

Half the world lives on rice.OK, we cannot grow it here,but properly packed,white rice can last for thirty years. Add in whatever vegetables,meat or whatever you have,you can eat. Right now it’s cheap ,and can be easily acquired.

Long term,as Preppers,we should be looking at sustainable re- supply. Stored shop- bought foods are GREAT to keep to get over a short to mid- term crisis.Long term you have got to have re supply. I am fortunate in that I have a suitable property to grow food and keep animals.I also shoot and fish. However,of late,I am looking at even more basic long term storage foods ,such as rice and beans ; which we eat by the way,and we store bulk salt and vinegar too. Then there is the dehydrator.

If long term food storage is your thing,then you have to sort it yourself IMHO.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:21 am
by rik_uk3
I don't rely on use by/best before dates, rotate and test a can every now and again. You know canned meat and fish will be good for pretty much as long as the tin is not compromised, other items like vegetables can turn a little mushy but still edible and tinned milk I've already mentioned.

Every prepper should have a dehydrator and vacuum packer, just basic kit and a smoker is a nice addition too and not just for fish and ham, smoked beef is good, smoked lamb is superb :)

Storing what you eat is a good thing but my family and I eat very little by way of canned/packet food so I'll always have out of date items if I want to carry enough supplies to last the full family six months. These days I do tend to donate a lot of food nearing it UBD/BBD to a local food bank while it still has a month or so to go.

Well worth getting a few 690gm jars of sauerkraut from Asda, £1.85 a jar, lasts well past its date and heated with hot dogs and instant noodles makes a fast filling meal and at around a total cost of about £3.75 you've fed four people.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:47 am
by jennyjj01
jansman wrote: Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:30 pm I really cannot understand why preppers have to push the expiry dates on stored foods. OK,you don’t have to adhere to them chapter and verse,a month or two here and there on Best Before- NEVER Use By. I am in the food industry,and we KNOW how long food lasts,and it ain’t forever. Degraded tins do,and have ,caused Botulism.

If you really want major- long- term storage,then surely it would be better to use Mylar/ vac pack/ oxygen absorption ,and go the American way; Rice ,beans and pulses etc.

...

Long term,as Preppers,we should be looking at sustainable re- supply. Stored shop- bought foods are GREAT to keep to get over a short to mid- term crisis.Long term you have got to have re supply. I am fortunate in that I have a suitable property to grow food and keep animals.I also shoot and fish. However,of late,I am looking at even more basic long term storage foods ,such as rice and beans ; which we eat by the way,and we store bulk salt and vinegar too. Then there is the dehydrator.

If long term food storage is your thing,then you have to sort it yourself IMHO.
I'm not disagreeing with you Jansman, Prep stockpiles evolve and not always with a thought to stock rotation. Some of what we buy is not naturally what we would eat. E.g. I have some corned beef and powdered milk which are not usually in my diet, but they enable me to store a protein ration and a milk ration to last a year into a catastrophe. As plans evolve, I'm fully onboard with melding the stockpile with the staple diet, adapting and adopting things like pulses and rice and moving away from cans or ready meals. The whole concept of stockpiling food has to fit in with what family will accept, too. It's not easy to get them to accept dehydrated veg, pulses and rice into their staple diet, so there will always be a place for canned tomatoes.
As I say, an evolutionary process and we all adapt at out own pace.
rik_uk3 wrote: Mon Nov 15, 2021 12:21 am Every prepper should have a dehydrator and vacuum packer, just basic kit and a smoker is a nice addition too and not just for fish and ham, smoked beef is good, smoked lamb is superb :)
Abso blooming lutely. I would not be without mine. My favourite prepping tool is a car brake bleed pump that cost less than three quid off amazon. That with a foodsaver adaptor can vac pack a mason jar in 60 seconds by hand. It makes it practical to keep mason jars in the pantry and use the contents at any time without needing to waste a mylar bag or drag out the big vac sealer.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Mon Nov 15, 2021 2:56 am
by rik_uk3
I got my first dehydrator back in the 80s and it cost me about £150 from the USA and these days you can pick up a small one for £25 off ebay same with vacuum packers they cost an arm and a leg back then because there were no 'home' packers on the market but again you can pick one up for £25 or less that will get you up and running.

£50 for what I believe are prepper basics is good value for money in my book.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 11:42 am
by ukprepperlife
My prepping stash for tomatoes tends to be in the form of seeds rather than tins/tetrapaks. I've also had problems with them going off in the past. That does mean that I only get tomatoes through the growing season, but I can live with that. Since trying to become more self sufficient with food, I eat more of what's in season.

I still have plenty of food in storage too, but I've stopped keeping a few things that won't store well. I do keep a pretty good seed bank though, as well as using heirloom varieties so I can collect the seeds to plant next year.

Re: Degraded stocks of Passata.

Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2022 1:17 pm
by jennyjj01
ukprepperlife wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 11:42 am My prepping stash for tomatoes tends to be in the form of seeds rather than tins/tetrapaks. I've also had problems with them going off in the past. That does mean that I only get tomatoes through the growing season, but I can live with that. Since trying to become more self sufficient with food, I eat more of what's in season.

I still have plenty of food in storage too, but I've stopped keeping a few things that won't store well. I do keep a pretty good seed bank though, as well as using heirloom varieties so I can collect the seeds to plant next year.
This thread was as an urban prepper with typical backup pantry.
I'm at the very early stages as a food grower. So most of my considerable food stock is canned or dehydrated. Self sufficient in beetroot and hopefully, nearly, so in onions and Garlic by this year. Baby steps!