Cracking The Can Open: Revealing Facts About Canned Food

Ayam Brand ensure that its products are canned at peak freshness to preserve taste and nutritional value.

(Credit: azerbaijan_stockers via Freepik/Ayam Brand Malaysia via Facebook)

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Last weekend, my friends and I went to a nearby forest reserve to enjoy a day at the waterfall. After a long hike and spending hours splashing around, we were obviously starving for some snacks to fill us up for the journey home.

Luckily, we came prepared and began making sandwiches with a can of tuna and a loaf of bread we bought OTW.

(Credit: jcomp via Freepik)

However, one of my buddies decided to pass on the meal. Saying that they don’t eat anything that comes in a tin can.

It’s unhealthy la… Full with preservatives and they add MSG to make ‘em taste better.
Health-Concious Buddy.

The rest of us just laughed it off and began stuffing our faces. But it did have me wondering if there were any truths to these claims or whether they might be just another old, health-conscious wives’ tales passed down from one WhatsApp group to another.

Is canned food unhealthy?

(Credit: via Freepik)

Canned food has been around for over 200 years. Before we had refrigerators, it was one of the many different ways people used to preserve and store perishable food for extended periods of time.

Canning is done by sealing food in airtight containers, like glass jars or metal cans, and sterilising it with heat to kill off microorganisms, toxins and enzymes that could make the food spoil and harmful to eat.

Like most processed foods, canned food developed a bad reputation for containing added colouring, artificial flavouring, chemicals and preservatives, as well as, being low on nutritional value.

Some canned foods can also contain excessive salts, sugar, fats and oils. Canned fruits, vegetables and nuts, for example, are often packed with higher sodium and sugar content than the daily recommended intake a person should consume.

And remember those old 90s TV commercials telling people not to buy dented, swollen or damaged canned food? This is because the damaged containers may cause the food to spoil and become contaminated with nasty pathogens.

(Credit: via Freepik)

However, despite the common stigma towards canned foods, dietitians around the world agree that canned foods still play a crucial role in a person’s healthy diet.

In fact, some experts would go as far as to say that there isn’t such a thing as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ food.

Moderation is key here because everything we consume can be equally healthy or unhealthy depending on how much or how little we eat them.

Canned food can be just as nutritious and tasty as fresh food. This is because food transported over long distances or kept for long periods will eventually lose its freshness.

Meanwhile, most canned foods are packed almost immediately after being picked or harvested—retaining their freshness, flavour and nutrients.

Canned foods also provide an excellent source of vitamins and minerals like vitamins A, D, E, and K, as well as, protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Canned fruits and vegetables, for one, can provide nutrients and fibre comparable to fresh produce.

Tips to pick canned food

(Credit: azerbaijan_stockers via Freepik)

Canned foods make for a great addition to a healthy and balanced diet. However, as we’ve established, not all canned foods are created equal.

So for the health-conscious consumers out there, here are some tips to pick the right canned food for you, that is healthy, tasty, safe, as well as provides you with a taste of home.

Keep an eye on the label: The ingredient list can provide you with all the necessary info you need to determine the quality and nutritional value of canned foods. Try to stay away from anything that has a funny name or chemicals you can’t even pronounce.

Don’t buy damaged products: Avoid purchasing any canned foods that show visible damage or signs of mishandling such as crushed, dented, fractured, swollen or rusted containers.

Properly store ‘em: Canned foods should be kept in cool and dry places and not be exposed to direct sunlight. It’s also advisable to follow the ‘first in, first out’ rule to consume the oldest products you bought first as well as to immediately consume canned foods that have been opened or kept in the fridge for no more than five days.

A taste of home

For 131 Years, Ayam Brand’s range of canned products has been a convenient, affordable and widely available source of nourishment around the world and a staple ingredient in kitchens and picnic baskets across

Check any restaurant or pantry you come across, and you can bet your bottom ringgit that you’ll find a can of Ayam Brand on the shelves ready to be eaten as is or cooked up into delicious homemade dishes.

(Credit: Ayam Brand Malaysia via Facebook)

Ayam Brand ensure that its products are canned at peak freshness to preserve taste and nutritional value.

Every canned product is vacuum sealed and sterilized at high temperatures and a controlled heating process to lock in nutrients, and flavours, and make ‘em last for years without the use of preservatives or chemicals.

Products also go through strict quality control standards to ensure that they remain safe, nutritious and delicious when you crack ‘em open.

Ayam Brand’s canned saba, tuna and sardines, for example, are rich in protein and Omega-3 fatty acids, which are beneficial for our physical health and cognitive well-being—not to mention super tasty!

Among Malaysia’s favourites has to be Ayam Brand Chilli Tuna which is available in three levels of spiciness, as well as, Ayam Brand Tuna in Sunflower Oil that’s good enough to enjoy on its own or makes for a healthy and delicious add-on to sandwiches, wraps, popiah, noodles or fried rice.

Ayam Brand’s products also contain no added MSG, no GMOs and are recognised as halal by JAKIM.

So the next time you pack yourself a tuna sandwich for lunch or order a plate of roti sardine for dinner at the mamak, just know that Ayam Brand is there to provide you with a nutritious, convenient and tasty treat for you to savour the taste of home wherever you go.

Ayam Brand Bonanza!

From 1 September to 31 October 2023, stand a chance to win prizes worth RM100,000 when you stock up with Ayam Brand. Purchase any Ayam Brand or yumeat products worth RM20 and above on a single receipt.