Baxters Soup

I have just complained to Baxters using their website. The text of my complaint tells the story.
I post it here to bring your attention the possibility that cans are not alway as safe as we might think.


Hello,
Last night I opened two 400g cans of your Mediterranean Tomato soup.
The soup in the first can had a metallic taste so I threw it away and opened the second (and last) can. This was also disgusting.

Having washed the cans I could see that the inside bases were blackened. Now the cans are dry it is clear that they are also rusty in the lower half of each can, it appears that the plastic coating is missing from the lower halves.

The data on the bottom of each can is as follows...

Oct 2013 MV2
L204G 1122

Oct 2013 MV2
L204G 1123

I cannot return them, with any honesty, to the store I bought them from as it could be any one from three.

I trust you will provide replacements.

Regards

Volty I would have thought you made your own soup?

Your complaint seems very reasonable. I'm sure they will reply thanking you. Tomatoes do attack the tin lining if it is not coated, and it looks like something happened in the coating process.

Yes Mike, they have thanked me quite handsomely.
Part of the letter explains how "this is caused by the proteins in the product breaking down and releasing Sulphur which then goes on to react with any exposed tinplate forming a dark blue/purple colouration of Tin Sulphide."
Then the letter says "This is purely aesthetic and does not affect the quality of the product, nor is it injurious to the consumer. Once the film has been formed the surface is, in effect, passivated and no further reaction takes place."

They say it can be seen in Cream of Tomato and Minestone soups as well as Baked Beans.
Which is what you said Mike.

What they have chosen not to bring up in the letter is the fact that the soups were inedible and the quality was most definitely affected. I suspect that fact wasn't lost on them. but it isn't something they want to shout about.
I think the walls of the cans are plain steel. Where there is no plastic coating there is rust not Tin Sulphide.

Anyway, they are an honourable company with a working complaints department.
I will continue to buy their products.

Volty

More to the point did you get a refund?

I assumed that when he said he had been thanked quite hansomely, that this meant some generous compensation. Reputable firms would as they know that genuine claims not suitably recompensed cause havoc to their reputation.
I would certainly expect corrosion of this sort to leave some metallic taste in the product, but it is a Scots firm and the Scots do like mutton pies , so perhaps their taste buds are a bit off.