Canned Whole Tomatoes

Question

I have canned whole tomatoes via a pressure cooker done in 2015? They are in jars. Kept them in a cool dark place.Can we still eat them? Thanks.

Answer 1

Properly preserved food should last for years but the taste and nutrition degrades with the passage of time. It's best to use them within a year for the freshest and most nutritious food.

Since it is 5 years, I would not recommend eating them. However, the first publication tells how to detect spoilage, but it also says it isn't foolproof. You sure don't want to tangle with botulism toxin, which can be fatal. The next guide is on canning tomatoes, followed by an extension article about shelf life of preserved foods, and one on adding acid to tomatoes.

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE01_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda/GUIDE03_HomeCan_rev0715.pdf

https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html

https://foodsafety.wisc.edu/assets/preservation/UWEX_addacidtomatoes.pdf