What Are the Dangers of Home Canning?

When done correctly, canning is an excellent food preservation method that can help you save money and have garden produce to eat year-round. However, done improperly, home canning can cause the formation of bacteria that can ruin your food, render it poisonous and toxic, and make you sick. For safe home canning, use a pressure canner that is accurate, and consult guidelines from the National Center for Home Food Preservation to ensure you are using the right method for the type and quantity of food you will be canning.

Identifying Poisonous Cans

• To avoid eating canned foods that have gone off and may be dangerous to your health, throw away jars that show warning signs. A convex lid means the container was not sealed properly; liquid leaking from the jar means it is possibly broken or was overstuffed; liquid spurting out of the jar when opened is a sign that your food may have started fermenting and is past its due date; and, when unnatural or off odors can be detected, it is time to toss your canned goods into the garbage.

Clostridium Botulinum

• Most often found in improperly canned foods, the bacteria Clostridium botulinum produce a toxin that causes an illness affecting the nervous system called botulism. The bacteria is an anaerobic organism, which means it lives and grows in low oxygen conditions such as an improperly sealed can or jar.

Botulism

• Botulism, caused by the ingestion of Clostridium botulinum found in unsafe canned foods, is a serious life-threatening disease. Symptoms of botulism generally appear 18 to 36 hours after the toxic food has been consumed. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, troubled vision, dizziness, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, general fatigue and muscle weakness. When untreated, the symptoms can progress towards muscle paralysis and even cause death. When treated in the early stages, an antitoxin is given as treatment against botulism that can lessen the risks of long-term nerve damage, but it cannot always be used.

Safe Home Canning

• Avoid dangerous home canning by following safe home canning methods. Proper canning techniques mean selecting fresh foods, washing them thoroughly, peeling them, adding acids like lemon juice or vinegar when necessary, using jars and self-sealing lids made specifically for home canning and processing cans in a boiling-water or pressure canner at the right temperature and for the correct period of time.