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They don't become unsafe, but the quality does change -- sometimes for the better. Some producers sell "vintage" tins that they've "cellared," but I've never seen anything very old offered for sale. I imagine that after a long enough period of time, the effects of time will be detrimental; I've seen it said that 10 years a good rough upper limit when it comes to vintage tins.
This goes for sardines in oil. Ones in water and tomato will definitely go down in quality much faster.
They don't become unsafe, but the quality does change -- sometimes for the better. Some producers sell "vintage" tins that they've "cellared," but I've never seen anything very old offered for sale. But I imagine that after a long enough period of time, the effects of time will be detrimental. This goes for sardines in oil. Ones in water and tomato will definitely go down in quality much faster.
