Arizona woman finds 30-year-old can of raw bacon. Then she opens it: ‘Fry it up, looks good to me’

An Arizona family that specializes in Estate Sales showed off an old tin of canned raw bacon they found still intact, which they decided to open up on camera. The Anderson Family (@andersonfamestatesales) published video where two of their members recorded themselves inspecting the can's contents.

"Okay, so, here we are, gonna open the '95 sliced bacon," a woman says, showing off the can in her clip. She points to the metallic peel tab on the side of the canister in her clip. "We've got this here but then we got this," she says, flipping the can upside down to reveal another tin key.

After attempting to pull it up, the small piece of metal is instantly separated from the can, which at first looks like a fail. However, the content creator then applies the key to the pull tab on the side of the packaging, inserting the protruding metal tab into a small hole in the key.

"Oh wait maybe we take this, and do this ... oh wait maybe in here, and then you roll it?" she asks as she begins to work on opening up the sliced bacon, which pre-dates the network television premiere of Demolition Man.

She then makes her way around the can and asks, "Does it smell?" she asks someone off-camera, who replies, "I don't smell anything." As the key turns, a long strip of the tin exposes the contained the pale-looking meat on the inside.

Then, finally, the aroma hits, "Oh, it smells like dog food," the person out of frame exclaims. "Is it good enough for Spooky to eat?" they asked until they make it to the end of the can. Afterwards, the product is open, revealing cylinder of fat-congealed bacon protruding from the bifurcated can.

She then attempts to grab the meat out of the can, but it isn't budging, which elicits revulsion from the person recording the clip. Following this, the woman working to extricate the bacon discovers why the meat is so white: it's wrapped in some sort of paper.

She then turns the can upside down to begin sliding the bacon out of it. She succeeds, and through the thin white paper is bright-red strips of meat. Initially, she seems to say that the bacon isn't in that bad shape. "Okay but honestly it doesn't look," however, this initially positive assessment sours quickly.

This happens when she begins separating the bacon from the paper and it falls apart in her hands. "Maybe it does. This is canned bacon from '95," she says, pulling apart the meat until the video comes to a close.

Some folks in the comments section speculated that the can of bacon was around well before the North American debut of the Sega Saturn. "I really don't think that's 95 because I think they stopped using those kind of openings in the 80s. Maybe it's 85," one person penned.

According to Web Restaurant Store, celebrity canned meat products have been around since 1945. This blogger for Parks Offroad also referenced "camping as a kid back in the late 70's / early 80's and eating Celebrity brand canned bacon."

The same author recounted their experience eating it, which coincides with the Anderson family's own unpacking video on social media. "It was raw uncooked bacon that was cured with salt then rolled in wax paper and canned."

According to them, the bacon packed and "overpowering" salty flavor that forced them to wash it prior to cooking. Furthermore, they stated that these rations "would last forever [and] as long as the can was in good shape (didn't rust out) the bacon was good."

According to a 2008 post on Canned-Bacon.com, there's a chance its contents were perfectly edible. The site claims that a 20-year-old can of the stuff that first went on sale in 1988 was still fine to eat.

The site then chronicled the process of opening the can through a series of photos. The strips of bacon look similar in appearance to the one's showcased in the Anderson Family's video.

As for the assertion that the can pre-dates 1995, there same website writes that Celebrity canned bacon was removed from shelves "more than a decade" before its May 2008 re-issue.

Additionally, as Parks Offroad mentions, Celebrity bacon shares similar packaging techniques to Yoders, which also offered its own canned, wax paper wrapped pork tins. Both brands were regarded for providing emergency foods capable of having long shelf lives.

Safe Castle answered this question and in short, canned meals, even meats, can last indefinitely depending on how they're stored. The site indicates that most foods have 2-5 year expiration dates, but "acidity level and can integrity" play a big part in determining whether or not they're safe for consumption after extended periods of time.

However, it does indicate what the "peak quality" levels are for different foods. When it comes to canned chicken, expect 3-5 years of optimal eating, with 5+ years of safe storage. The same goes for canned tuna / salmon, SPAM, and sardines / anchovies. With beef and pork, peak quality is reportedly 4-5 years, with a safe storage rating of 5-10 years.

So there's a good chance if you find a can of Celebrity bacon somewhere and you decide to eat it, you might end up with a case of botulism. On the flip side, Safe Castle does write: "The USDA and FDA both confirm that commercially canned foods with an intact seal are safe to eat indefinitely, though quality degrades over time. For emergency preparedness, 'safe to eat' matters more than 'tastes best," the outlet writes.