Answers

What is the shelf life of DEL MONTE^® products?

Del Monte
Product Shelf-Life Guidelines

As of 2004, Del Monte began including a "Best By" date on our product packaging for consumer convenience. As a general guideline, Del Monte canned fruit, vegetable and tomato products have a shelf-life of about 2-1/2 to 3 years from the date of production. If you have Del Monte canned products without a "Best By" date, you can use the manufacturing code information to tell whether the can is still within the recommended shelf-life. One quick way to check the age is to look at the first number, which tells us the year the product was packed. If the code begins with 3 or 4, these cans are still fine and are within the shelf-life. This assumes the can isn't dented or damaged, and the product is stored under normal conditions. After 2-1/2 to 3 years, quality may begin to deteriorate, although the contents would still be safe. Incidentally, we recommend that any swollen or leaking containers be discarded, regardless of age.

What conditions are best for storing Del Monte canned fruits, vegetables or tomatoes?

For the maximum product shelf-life, the ideal storage temperature is 65 degrees or cooler, in a dry location.

What is the shelf life of a DEL MONTE^® product after it is opened?

After opening, canned foods should retain their original quality for at least 2 to 3 days when refrigerated. However, Ketchup, Chili Sauce, Seafood Cocktail Sauce, Orchard Select products, and SunFresh Products will retain their quality for 1 to 2 weeks when stored in the refrigerator.

Is it safe to eat food from a dented or swollen can?

Dents along the side panel of the can (away from the seam) will not affect the contents of the can. Never purchase or consume a product when there are dents on the side seam or the end seams. If cans are swollen or leaking, we recommend that they be destroyed. Should you have any doubts about the safety of any food, you should not consume it.

Which Del Monte products are gluten-free?

Del Monte Gluten-Free Products
Please note: The list below includes products that, to the best of our knowledge, do not contain wheat, oats, rye or barley/malt ingredients. The list may change or not be complete due to formula changes or new product introductions. Please read the ingredient statement on the label for the most current information.
Del Monte Gluten-Free Products Canned/Jarred Fruits Fruit Snack Cups (Metal and Plastic) Canned Vegetables (except Del Monte Savory Sides Green Bean Casserole)	Tomatoes & Tomato Products (except Spaghetti Sauce Flavored with Meat) 100% Fruit Juices

Which Del Monte products are lactose-free?

Del Monte Lactose-Free Products
Please note: The list below includes products that, to the best of our knowledge, do not contain lactose. The list may change or not be complete due to formula changes or new product introductions. Please read the ingredient statement on the label for the most current information.
Del Monte Lactose-Free Products Canned/Jarred Fruits Fruit Snack Cups (Metal and Plastic) Canned Vegetables	All 100% Fruit Juices Pickle Products Tomatoes & Tomato Products (Except Four Cheese Spaghetti Sauce)

Which Del Monte products are certified Kosher?

For the convenience of our consumers who observe Jewish kosher dietary laws, many of our products are packed under rabbinical supervision. Please check the label for Triangle "K" identification for Kosher certification, as new products are being Kosher certified every year.

What do you mean by "No Salt Added" and "No Sugar Added?"

We specifically avoid adding salt to our No-Salt-Added Vegetables and sugar to our Fruits packed in 100% Juice. We are, therefore, able to make a label claim "No Salt Added" and "No Sugar Added." However, vegetables and fruits contain naturally-occurring salt or sugar in the product. Therefore, a value is listed for salt or sugar in the nutritional statement, even though there is no listing in the ingredient statement.

Are there nutrients that aren't listed on the food labels?

All of our labels include the government's mandatory label nutrients. However, food manufacturers are allowed to list certain additional nutrients on a voluntary basis. If vitamins and minerals are added as nutrient supplements to food, or a claim is made about them, they must be listed on the nutrition label.

What are DEL MONTE^® containers made from?

DEL MONTE^® Containers
Tin-Plated Steel
Containers for light-colored fruit have steel bodies that are coated with a layer of tin. The layer of tin protects the product from the steel. The ends are either tin-plated or chromium-plated steel (tin-free steel). Tin-free steel ends must be protected from the product with an enamel coating.
Tin-Plated Steel with Enamel Coating
All Vegetable and Tomato containers are coated with enamel on the interior. This includes both ends and bodies.
Blow-molded multilayer container
The food contact and outside layers are polypropylene; the barrier layer is ethylene/vinyl alcohol or EVOH. The cap is injection molded polypropylene with a polyester/foil/polypropylene liner to provide sealing and tamper evident protection.

Are DEL MONTE^® containers recyclable?

Indeed, tin coated steel cans (tin cans or tins) are easily and readily recycled, usually by magnetic separation. The metal in food cans is very high in quality; functionally, steel food cans cannot exceed about 30% recycled steel content. Our glass containers are recyclable; although our plastic ketchup bottles are limited because they must contain multiple resins, making them a "7—Other Plastics" container.

How are DEL MONTE^® cans made?

How DEL MONTE^® Cans Are Made

There are both basic and optional steps in the can-making process. The latter depends on the weight of the tinplate, the size of the can, and the use for which it is intended.

Tinplate is delivered in multi-ton coils to the coil-cutting facility where it is cut into sheets, and for some products, enamel coated for shipment to the can manufacturing plant. The major machines in the can-making line are:

THE SLITTER

Divides each sheet into strips and each strip into body blanks

THE BODY-MAKER

The body blanks are fed into the body-maker or welder where they are formed into cylinders and the side seam is welded together. The actual welding process uses two threads of copper wire, one inside and the other outside the cylinder. The wire serves as a conductor for electricity that creates a heat so intense it fuses the sides of the cylinder together in a series of overlapping spot welds. The copper wire, having served its purpose, is ejected by the machine and returned to the factory for recycling.

THE CURING OVEN

On cans intended for certain products, a protective enamel is sprayed on the welded seam inside and outside the cylinder. The cylinder must pass through an oven where the enamel is cured for a few seconds at high temperature.

THE PARTER

Most cans are formed individually, but some of the small cans start out two per cylinder. The cylinder must be divided at the parter.

THE FLANGER

Adds a curved lip at both ends of the can to allow the double-seaming of ends to form a hermetic seal.

THE BEADER

Creates the rings that circle some cans for added panel resistance. Beading makes it possible to use slightly thinner tinplate.

THE SEAMER

Puts on and seals one end of the can. The interior periphery of the end is coated with a latex material called seaming compound which helps form the seal.

THE TESTER

High-pressure air is used to test the cans. Tester rejects cans that do not have a tight seal.

THE PALLETIZER

Cans may be conveyed directly to the cannery for immediate use or they can be palletized and stretch-wrapped for storage.

How does DEL MONTE^® process its canned fruits, vegetables, and tomatoes?

How DEL MONTE^® Processes Canned Fruits

RAW PRODUCT

Fruits are picked, or shaken, from the trees as close to full ripeness as possible. Fruit that is "canning ripe" is more firm than fruit that is consumer fresh; yet the flavor development is near complete. Firm fruit is necessary so that the product will not disintegrate as it is handled and cooked. The notable exception is pears; they are picked green and ripened under controlled conditions.

RECEIVING

Fruit is received at the cannery in pallet-bin boxes. As the product enters the cannery, the fruit is washed to remove orchard debris and other foreign materials. Washing is accomplished by a combination of revolving screens, soaking tanks and/or high-pressure sprays.

PREPARATION

The fruit is next graded for size through shaker screens of progressively larger sizes or graduating belts or rollers. Pitting/coring is accomplished by machinery specifically designed for the variety. Cling peaches, for example, are pitted by a machine that first aligns the unit so the stem end is down and the suture is parallel to the direction of flow. A scissor-like clamp cuts through the peach and holds the pit. Mechanical fingers approach from each side and spin the halves in opposite directions. This tears the fruit flesh from the pit.

Peeling may be mechanical, as in the case of pears, or accomplished with lye, as is done with peaches. The fruit is then washed by high-pressure sprays to remove any remaining peel. It is conveyed in front of inspectors who remove defective units or foreign materials. The last preparation stage is cutting the fruit into the desired style such as dices or slices.

FILLING AND SEAMING

The empty cans and fruit lines converge at the fillers. The cans are inverted, cleaned, and conveyed to the filler. Cocktail fruit is generally filled by fillers that consists of many chambers arranged around the periphery of a horizontal rotating table. The volume of pockets is adjusted so that they will contain the specified fill weight of fruit. As the filled pocket rotates over the empty cans, the bottom of the pocket slides back allowing the fruit to fall into the can. Fruit halves and slices are filled with Solbern fillers. The cans are then filled with hot syrup at the same time a vacuum is removing any entrapped air. Lastly, the seamer seals the ends of the cans.

COOKING/COOLING

Fruits are acidic products that only require cooking at boiling temperatures (atmospheric pressure), generally in large rotary cookers, to sterilize the contents of the sealed can. Some fruits, such as Yellow Cling peaches, are cooked beyond the point of sterilization to achieve a softer texture. The cans are cooled under water sprays so that the hot cans do not continue to cook after they are labeled and cased.

How DEL MONTE® Processes Canned Vegetables

RAW PRODUCT

Most vegetables are harvested at an early stage of maturity, as they tend to become starchy and/or fibrous when they ripen. Practically all varieties (except asparagus) are mechanically harvested.

PREPARATION

When the product is received at the cannery, it is washed, cleaned, graded for size and, in some cases, graded for maturity level. Specific preparation procedures are discussed with each product. Prior to filling, vegetables are blanched in steam or hot water. Blanching sets the color and softens or wilts (spinach) the product to facilitate filling and cooking.

FILLING AND SEAMING

The cans are filled by several types of fillers dependent on the specific product. The filled cans are run under a drip line to add hot brine or water (no-salt-added products). The liquid medium is necessary to conduct heat during processing to assure an adequate cook. The cans are then sealed and conveyed to the cook room.

COOKING

This is the critical processing operation because the acid level of vegetables is too low to inactivate bacteria and other microorganisms. The sealed cans are cooked with steam in a large pressure cooker, usually called a retort, at a high temperature (240 to 270 degrees Fahrenheit) for a specified time period. The cooking procedures are carefully monitored and recorded.

How DEL MONTE® Processes Canned Tomatoes

Unlike many fresh tomatoes, all DEL MONTE® tomatoes are vine ripened in the sun. Some forms (e.g., whole peeled) are packed before others, because they are easiest to pack when firmer. DEL MONTE® tomatoes are picked and canned within 24 hours to ensure the freshest, truest tomato flavor

Vine ripened in California sun
Washed
Hand selected
Gently steam peeled (no alkali)
Hand selected again
Either packed whole (whole peeled) or cut
the stewed items are cut into medium-size pieces
the diced and chunky tomatoes are cut into smaller pieces
the sauce and paste items are processed further to give them the correct consistency
A unique blend of herbs, spices, and aromatic vegetables is added to the stewed tomatoes and chunky tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed in the can, sealed, and then cooked in a batch of boiling water. This sterilizes the tomatoes naturally without any artificial preservatives.

Stewed, diced, and whole peeled tomatoes are all cooked for approximately the same amount of time. They differ slightly in appearance and texture based on the cut of the tomato, the variety of tomato used, and their level of maturity.