Home-Canned Foods

Protect Yourself from Botulism
Foodborne botulism is a rare but serious illness caused by eating
foods that are contaminated with the disease-causing toxin. You cannot
see, smell, or taste botulinum toxin – but taking even a small taste
of food containing this toxin can be deadly.

When it doubt, throw it out!

Store home-canned foods
for recommended times only. After preparing safely, label and date
the jars and store them in a clean, cool, dark place. For best
quality, store between 50°F and 70°F. Can no more food than you will
use within one year, unless directions for a specific food give other
advice.
Before you open a store-bought or home-canned food, inspect it for
contamination. Suspect contamination if the container:
Is leaking, has bulges, or is swollen
Looks damaged or cracked
If you think the food might be contaminated, do not open the container
and throw it out!
Even containers that look fine on the outside might have contaminated
food inside. Suspect contamination if:
The container spurts liquid or foam when you open it
The food inside is discolored, moldy, or smells bad
If your container or the food inside have any of these signs of
contamination, throw it out! Follow the instructions below to throw
the food out safely. These actions will help you prevent people and
animals from accidentally coming into contact with food that may be
contaminated.

Safely throw away food and cans that may be contaminated.


Put on rubber or latex gloves before handling open containers of food
that you think may be contaminated.
Avoid splashing the contaminated food on your skin.
Place the food or can in a sealable bag, and seal it shut.
Wrap another plastic bag around the sealable bag.
Tape the bags shut tightly.
Place bags in a trash receptacle for non-recyclable trash outside the
home and out of reach of other people and pets.
Don’t discard the food in a sink, garbage disposal, or toilet.
Wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 2 minutes
after handling food or containers that may be contaminated.
Use bleach to clean up any spills:
Add ¼ cup bleach for each 2 cups of water.
Completely cover the spill with the bleach solution.
Place a layer of paper towels, 5 to 10 towels thick, on top of the
bleach.
Let the towels sit for at least 15 minutes.
Wipe up any remaining liquid with new paper towels.
Clean the area with liquid soap and water to remove the bleach.
Wash your hands with soap and running water for at least 2 minutes.
Discard sponges, cloths, rags, paper towels, and gloves that may have
come into contact with contaminated food or containers with the food.

HOME CANNING AND BOTULISM
Know the risks of botulism from home-canned foods
Home-canned vegetables are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks
in the United States. From 1996 to 2014, there were 210 outbreaks of
foodborne botulism reported to CDC. Of the 145 outbreaks that were
caused by home-prepared foods, 43 outbreaks, or 30%, were from
home-canned vegetables. These outbreaks often occurred because home
canners did not follow canning instructions, did not use pressure
canners, ignored signs of food spoilage, or didn’t know they could get
botulism from improperly preserving vegetables.
Use proper home canning techniques
What's a low-acid food?
Low-acid foods have a pH greater than 4.6. Examples of low-acid foods
a
Asparagus
Green beans
Beets
Corn
Potatoes
Some tomatoes
Figs
All meats
Fish and seafood
The best way to prevent foodborne botulism is by carefully following
instructions for safe home canning in the USDA Complete Guide to Home
Canning
..
Use a pressure canner for low-acid foods and follow all specified
home-canning processing times for safe home canning of all foods.
Do not use an electric, multi-cooker appliance, even if it has a
“canning” or “steam canning” button on the front panel.
..
Pay special attention to the processing times for low-acid foods (pH
>4.6), which include all vegetables, some tomatoes, figs, all meats,
fish, and seafood. Discard all swollen, gassy, or spoiled canned foods
safely.
Before eating home-canned tomatoes, foods containing home-canned
tomatoes, or any home-canned foods that are low in acid, boil in a
saucepan, even if you detect no signs of spoilage.
At altitudes below 1,000 feet, boil foods for 10 minutes.
Add 1 minute for each additional 1,000 feet of elevation.
If you know foods were underprocessed according to the current
standards and recommended methods, do not eat them and throw them out
safely.
After you open any canned or pickled foods, store them in the
refrigerator.