How to choose canned good

Canned goods are one of the most popular, convenient and widely favored food solutions in the world today. However, care must be taken in choosing canned goods to feed our family. Here is a quick guide from Purefoods to make sure that the canned products we buy are of good quality and safe for your family:

•Make sure it comes from a truly reputable manufacturer, like Purefoods. Oftentimes we are familiar with the brand name, but not the manufacturer. Remember: a familiar-sounding brand name does not guarantee product quality and safety.

•Alarm bells should ring if you don’t know (or can’t read from the label) who the manufacturer is.

•Consider the brand’s reputation. Is it a trusted brand? Have there ever been reports in media putting the brand’s quality in question? Has it ever been recalled—or worse —banned by the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFaD)?

•You should be able to complain about the product. Check if there’s a customer service number in the label. If you can’t trace it to a manufacturer or importer and don’t know who to call for complaints, don’t buy it.

•Fake canned goods are not the only things to watch out for. Sub-standard products are also prevalent. To ensure food safety, always check the expiry date.

•If you can’t find or decipher the expiry date, put it back on the shelf. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

•Bulging at one or both ends of the container is the most obvious indicator of spoilage. The bulging may have been caused by gas-forming bacteria resulting from spoiled food.

•Check the seams of the can. Any portion wherein the body and cover hooks fail to “engage” can be considered a serious defect.

•Trust the trusted manufacturers. Because they have an image and reputation to protect, they take great care in ensuring that the products you buy from them are of great quality and have superior levels of food safety.