Commercially canned (tuna, salmon, sardines, clams, oysters, crabmeat, shrimp, scallops, jack mackerel) or pouched (tuna, salmon) products may be safely stored for several years as long as the cans or pouches are not bulged, leaking, or otherwise damaged and the seams are intact. (If these conditions are present, the product should of course, not be consumed.) Palatability (taste), however, may be affected over prolonged time periods, especially under adverse storage conditions. For example, the palatability of product stored at high temperatures will be adversely affected during a shorter time frame than product stored at moderate or cool temperatures.
It is recommended, therefore, that canned or pouched seafood inventories be rotated every one to two years to assure the best quality.
It is not considered advisable to freeze seafood products in unopened cans or pouches. However, once cans or pouches are opened, any unused contents should be immediately refrigerated and utilized within one to two days. Opened product can also be transferred to, and frozen in plastic bags or other containers suitable for freezing.