Deformed isn't a worry. I practically grew up on the dents and bents bin.

I might be deranged, but that's probably not related. :P

"Why? Everything in them until you open them is sterilized. It might reduce the nutritional value a little or effect the taste, but it won't spoil."

O.K. Some of you physicians or biologists out there correct my impression that botulism, even in canned foods thought to be properly canned and sterilized, is a risk often forwarned by swollen cans. If so, how do you tell if the swollen can is from heat alone, or Clostridium botulinum growth?

"O.K. Some of you physicians or biologists out there correct my impression that botulism, even in canned foods thought to be properly canned and sterilized, is a risk often forwarned by swollen cans. If so, how do you tell if the swollen can is from heat alone, or Clostridium botulinum growth?"

I'm neither a physicist nor a biologist, but I doubt that the trunk of a car gets hot enough to perceptibly swell a can, at least where I live. (But in Death Valley or the Sahara--who knows?) So I'm going to treat any swollen can as suspect. The good news is that I have been eating canned food for a good many years, and I've never even seen one that was swollen, let alone opened one that was spoiled. Rotate, rotate, rotate.... <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

If it's bulged, throw it out... period. If your car's getting hot enough to bulge a can, it must be on fire, and it's about to explode (the car OR the can, take your pick).

Troy

All good points.. This is actually for my wifes car.. Where she works, and parks, the temp probably goes into the 90s most of the year and 100s in the summer. I think as a test, I will put an analog cooking thermometer in her trunk and ask her to check the temp during various times of the day... Try to get an idea of how hot it gets.. My guess is during 100* weather, I suspect the trunk is 130-140. But hey, I might be surprised.. Alas, its a long weekend, so the test will be done next week.. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

For everyone in the United States, have a safe and enjoyable 4th, and for the sake of it, remember why we celebrate... It's just not fireworks!!!

OK, I should have mentioned swollen cans. It's an instinct for me, and I kinda forget other people don't always know.

Don't eat them. Don't open them. Bury them or trade them to people who you know suck and you are comfortable being judge, jury and executioner for.

Just an FYI,

If you choose to store any of the survival bars that are sealed in foil or mylar wrappers, be sure to first put them individually inside ziploc bags.

A few years back I was doing an inspection of my vehicle kits and found the vibrations of the items were wearing holes in the bars. This even happened from bar rubbing against bar. All of them had worn through the foil (very small holes)and were tossed. After bagging the bars individually in Ziplocs, no more problems.

Good luck, TR

It's over 100 degrees here during much of the summer. I can only imagine the temp in my vehicle at 4pm on a sunny day. The only food that seems to withstand those extremes and lasts forever are my beloved Mainstay rations