People have started stockpiling tins of food to be prepared for temporary food shortages that may happen due to no-deal Brexit.
However, the government says they will secure the food supplies whether we leave the European Union (EU) with or without a Brexit deal.
What is going to happen if you start eating only tinned foods?
In 2017, Andy Twigge of BBC Radio Derby set himself a challenge of eating only tinned food for a week. He said, “I did it for a laugh really. I love tinned potatoes and marrowfat peas, so I wondered what it would be like to live off tinned food for a while. I set myself a week. I thought it should be quite easy.”
He almost did it but quit on the seventh day. What broke him? A Sunday roast!
He stated, “I stuck at it for six days. I even ate tinned Brussels sprouts. I did have a Fray Bentos pie, and that was very nice, but it did all become a bit of a chore. I was physically fine on it though. I didn’t waste away or anything.” He explained he was unsure he would call tinned foods “nutritional”. As Andy was on tinned foods for less than a week, he did not check with a dietitian.
Here is what dieticians think:
Less Nutritious
Canned foods are sealed and preserved by cooking them at higher temperatures, which destroy some of the essential nutrients. So, tinned foods are less nutritious than fresh or frozen foods.
Bridget Benelam, a nutrition scientist at the British Nutrition Foundation, says, “Generally speaking, there’s a wide range of canned foods that you could eat – from fruit, veg, potatoes and pulses to fish and ready-made foods like soup, baked beans or chili. And some of them are nutritionally better than others. Tinned oily fish like salmon, for example, is healthy. And beans and pulses, like chickpeas and lentils, are a good source of protein and fiber while being low in fat.”
She explained the essential nutrients that are diminished or lost during the process of canning are the water-soluble vitamins. The body cannot store these vitamins, which are essential for healthy skin, blood vessels, bones, and the nervous system.
Vitamin Loss
Experts have attempted to measure the vitamin loss by comparing fresh, frozen, and tinned fruits and veggies. Findings suggest that frozen foods lose some nutrients initially when packaged; however, when you bring them home and boil them, they may lose vitamins in similar amounts to the tinned foods.
Similarly, freshly picked, uncooked fruits and vegetable contain abundant nutrients, but they too may lose their nutritionist when stored in the fridge.
Bridget says, “With tinned foods, there may be some losses of nutrients like vitamin C and thiamine, which can be lost when cooking, but whether this would have an impact on health would depend on the diet overall.” “Nutritionally, it could be OK, as long as you get a good mix. My main concern would be the tedium. The texture could be quite dull. Food can get a bit mushed and squished when it is canned. You won’t be able to have tinned salad, so you’d have to make sure you are getting the right variety of food.”
Frankie Phillips, a dietician from the British Dietetic Association, says that variety is the key when it comes to choosing foods. He stated, “You’d be fine over a few days, but a tinned food diet might be quite limiting over a long period of time. You’d need to be quite careful about what cans you choose to eat.”
Some of the common ingredients, such as salt, sugar and fat, are added to the processed foods to make them more appealing. That means you would take more than the recommended amounts of salt and sugar, piling up more calories than your body needs. “This is where you might fall down in terms of nutrition,” explained Frankie.
The US food safety regulator has some more advice:
Pay close attention to the dates. Make sure you check your pantry every few weeks and use tinned goods you have had on hand for a while. High-acid content tinned foods, such as tomatoes, pineapple and pickles, will be stored well for approximately 12 to 18 months. Low-acid content tinned foods such as potatoes, spaghetti, and beans, will be stored well for two to five years.
Check for damaged cans. If a tin containing food has a bulging lid or a leak somewhere is a sign of spoilage. Look for signs such as spurting liquid, foul odor or mold. Never use such tinned foods. Simply throw them away. Today, we are still in love with tinned foods. People often spent more than half a billion dollars on tinned foods. And we tend to buy more tinned products over winter than summer. A study has found that an average adult has approximately 16 cans of food in their kitchen and consumes tinned foods for at least three meals per week.
