One woman thinks Campbell’s Soup cans could become dented in the factory before hitting store shelves. But these caved canisters aren’t just weird-looking, she intimates, but that they could potentially put customers at risk.
TikToker Ashlea Nicole (@ashlea_nicole) uploaded a viral video where she used some tomato soup cans she purchased to warn others against the dangers of eating damaged goods.
“If you’ve ever wondered why they say don’t use dented cans,” Nicole says, holding up a Campbell’s dented can to the camera as part of a 4-pack of tomato soup. “This is why. Just got this and I cut it open to get the cans out. The cans were all like this.”
She lines them up without the plastic covering to show that the dents were hidden.
“Till we pulled them out and this one was like this, and this one was like this,” she says, displaying not one but two damaged cans.
She shows the inside of one empty can, and zoomed in on the dent from the inside, revealing a slit in the tin.
“Looks like it split in the can there and the lining on the inside of the can is peeling off in the soup,” she says, showing off a shard of the lining. “So if you’ve never heard not to use dented cans, now you have and that is why.”
The USDA lists two primary reasons shoppers should avoid eating foods from dented cans: The first is bodily harm that could occur after eating minuscule pieces of metallic shrapnel/debris. The second is that if a can is dented and pierced, the sealing/preservation process has been compromised. This allows bacteria to possibly infiltrate the food container: “Deep dents often have sharp points. A sharp dent on either the top or side seam can damage the seam and allow bacteria to enter the can. Discard any can with a deep dent on any seam.”
@ashlea_nichole One reason to avoid dented cans. Dont risk it. #dentedcans #nogood #putitback #tomatosoup #whatsfordinner #cannedsoup #canned #nope ♬ original sound – Ashlea
A Redditor who posted on the r/Frugal sub, like the USDA, said that cans should be inspected for any notable piercing points. They added, however, that smaller dents should be fine: “Eating any cans would be unhealthy to a human. But foods in dented cans are fine as long as there have been no visible leaks. The most questionable area would be if the rims are dented as that is where the lids/bottoms are crimped to make the seal. Dents located in the sides of the cans are pretty much guaranteed to be safe”
Amazon shoppers have complained about purchasing dented Campbell’s soup cans through the online retailer, leading some to wonder if the damage sustained to the products was a consequence of rough handling from delivery drivers or if Campbell’s factory process was the culprit.
CEO of ASI Food Safety Tyler Williams also warned Taste of Home readers about the potential risks and dangers of consuming food products out of dented cans: “If the can is dented or damaged along the rim or seam or has a ‘deep dent’—which the USDA defines as a dent you can lay your finger into—then the product can be contaminated with spoilage organisms or worse, foodborne pathogens such as botulism.”
The CDC defines botulism as a nerve-shocking toxin that can gradually weaken a person’s muscles to the point where they have difficulty breathing, even possibly resulting in death.
Numerous TikTokers who responded to Nicole’s video posted about their own fears of contracting botulism as a result of eating from a dented can.
“Botulism. My micro professor has engraved this into my brain,” one person wrote.
Another penned that they’ve been dodging bullets this whole time because they wanted to take one for the team.
“I always buy dented cans because I feel bad for them that no one wants them I didn’t know this,” they wrrote.
“A family friend ate from a dented can of tomato soup. They got botulism, had to be put on life support and sadly passed away. I have never eaten from a dented can since,” someone shared in a tragic anecdote.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Nicole via TikTok comment and Campbell’s via email.
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