Australian Farmer Injured After Expired Heinz Tomato Soup Can Explodes
An Australian farmer suffered a deep facial cut after an expired can of Heinz tomato soup exploded in his face as he took it to the trash, following an earlier kitchen blast.
Dick Lennon, a farmer from the town of Boort in Victoria, Australia, never imagined that two cans of tomato soup would turn his kitchen into an explosion zone. It all started when he heard a loud noise from the kitchen at night, but found nothing unusual upon inspection.
Only the next morning did the cause become clear. A can of Heinz Big Red tomato soup had exploded inside the kitchen cabinet, blowing its lid off and splattering contents across shelves and walls. The unpleasant surprise, however, was only the beginning.
The following day, Lennon noticed another can of the same type with an unusually swollen bottom. Fearing it too might explode, he decided to take it out of the house and throw it in the trash bin, but as he reached the bin, the can exploded right in his face. The metal lid flew off and hit his nose, causing a deep cut that required hospital treatment.
Despite the injury, he expressed relief that the lid missed his eye, noting the outcome could have been much worse. Lennon estimated the soup cans were three to five years old, though he could not find an expiration date on them. While the exact cause was not determined, cans can swell due to gas buildup from bacterial activity, chemical reactions, or packaging flaws. Lennon stated he does not plan to file a complaint against Heinz, discarding the remaining cans and warning others to carefully check old canned goods.