Justin Hasselman  writes:
> To save money, I buy the canned salmon at the store.  The ingredients
> are salmon and salt (lots of salt, I can taste it).  Should I be
> concerned about parasites and bacteria with canned salmon?

Trish writes:
> Good question,  I buy canned salmon, tuna, clams, and occasionally
> shrimp, and sardines.  The salmon I cook into patties,  clams i toss into
> soups and everything else I add to salads...........

In theory there should be no concern about parasites and bacteria in canned
fish products from reputable canneries because the fish is cooked at the
cannery after it is sealed in the can.

Here is more than you ever wanted to know about the subject of fish canning,
according to the web site of  the "Chicken of the Sea" company at
http://www.chickenofthesea.com

===
Fish Receiving
Fish are delivered to processing facilities on ice or in refrigerated brine.
Quality evaluations are performed during unloading which include monitoring
the temperature and condition of the fish and conducting sensory
evaluations. Fish found unacceptable are rejected. Fish are sorted by
species and size.

Cold Storage
Fish are either processed immediately or held iced or refrigerated until
ready for processing.

Butchering
During the butchering operation, the head, tails, fins, eggs and viscera are
removed. All fish are thoroughly washed. Each fish is evaluated by trained
staff for physical characteristics associated with decomposition or
contamination, and any found unacceptable is rejected.

Can Filling
Cleaned salmon are fed into filling machines where prescribed amounts of
fish are placed into cans. Via a separate system, empty cans are conveyed to
filling machines after having been inverted and flushed with air jets and/or
water sprays.
Ingredient Addition Cans are conveyed past points where prescribed amounts
of salt (as needed) are added.

Can Sealing
Filled cans are conveyed to sealing machines where lids are put in place and
the cans hermetically sealed. Each can or lid is affixed with a permanent
production code that identifies plant, product, date packed, and other
pertinent information. The integrity of the hermetic seal is evaluated at
frequent intervals during processing to ensure product safety.

Thermal Processing
Sealed cans are retorted (cooked) under pressure utilizing process
time and temperature schedules designed by processing experts to render the
product commercially sterile. All aspects of thermal processing are strictly
monitored and controlled.

Finished Product
Evaluation Samples of each finished production code receive qualitative
(e.g., color, odor, flavor, texture and workmanship) and quantitative
evaluations prior to being released for labeling.

Labeling & Casing
Product lots meeting finished product evaluation criteria are delivered to
labeling lines where they are labeled and cased. Cased products are
appropriately marked with information necessary to facilitate product
tracing.

Warehousing & Shipping
Cased products are shipped or are staged in warehouses for later shipment.