Old American Lard



American Lard

(Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany) For those stocking survival shelters, keep lard in mind. Food safety authorities recently tested a 64-year-old can of American lard and found it to be fine for human consumption.

Millions of tins of “Swift’s Bland Lard” – a pig fat which was used as a spread similar to butter or as a cooking fat – were distributed by US soldiers to West Germans after World War II in care packages that included other essentials like powdered milk, cheese and sugar.

Some of those made their way to communist East Germany, including one to Hans Feldmeier, a pharmacist from the Baltic Sea town of Warnemünde who never opened the can.

Worried that the lard had passed its expiration date, the 87-year-old recently decided to turn it over to the state for a comprehensive inspection.

Overall, the State Office for Agricultural, Fisheries and Food Security said the lard was fine to eat.