Eli5 How can canned meats like fish and chicken last years at room temperature when regularly packaged meats only last a few weeks refrigerated unless frozen?

Question

Eli5 How can canned meats like fish and chicken last years at room temperature when regularly packaged meats only last a few weeks refrigerated unless frozen?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Louis Pasteur would like to have a word with you. Canning basically sterilizes the food eliminating any bacteria and barring any bacterial activity it is shelf stable. Canned food basically has a lifetime based on the lifetime of the can it is in.

Note the canning process basically cooks the food to rid it of bacteria so while preserved it isn’t exactly fresh either. Can’t have your cake and eat it too.