Canned foods have made modern lifestyles much easier. One benefit of canned foods over fresh foods is that they don’t get spoiled as quickly as fresh foods do. They are as healthy as fresh food if you choose and store them right, but most people don’t know about the right ways to store them, which leads to contamination or spoilage. To ensure that canned foods stay fresh for longer, store them in a cool, dry place. You can also store them in a refrigerator, before or after opening, and they will last just fine. To cut down the risk of bacterial contamination, you must refrigerate canned food after opening it.

This article lists out some safety and storage tips for refrigerating canned food to maintain their freshness, flavor, and aroma:

• Maintain the right temperature for preservation
  Canned foods require a temperature of 50 to 70°F to stay fresh. You can refrigerate a can after opening it, and although the lower temperature may affect the consistency of the canned food, the food does not change. Maintaining the correct temperature is one of the most important safety and storage tips for refrigerating canned foods.
• Check the shelf-life of canned foods
  It is always advisable to read the safety and storage tips for refrigerating canned food, along with the instructions on the labels to know its shelf-life. Once canned food is opened, it can only be refrigerated for three to four days. Once you open the can, transfer the food items into a glass or plastic jar and seal it to avoid any change in flavor or taste of the food items. Avoid putting an opened can of food into the refrigerator.
• Be wary of the rust in the can
  Canned foods stay fresh for a year after purchase, but this holds only for non-acidic food products. Acidic foods can rust the insides of the can over time, leading to a change in the flavor and consistency of the food, so be extremely careful about this.
• Check for spoilage
  How can you check whether canned food has gone bad? Take a look at the can, and if it’s bulging, the contents have probably gone bad. The formation of mold on the food lets out a gas that may cause the can to bulge. Another safety and storage tip for refrigerating canned food is to check the smell. If the smell is unpleasant, it is best to discard it. The last way to test canned food is by tasting it. If it tastes bad, it is best to throw it away.

Following these safety and storage tips for refrigerating canned food can help reduce your chances of getting sick. Once opened, canned foods must be treated like any other perishable fresh food. So, use a proper storage procedure for canned foods to keep them fresh until they cross their expiry date.