What Was Wrong With the Canned Food on the Terror?

When the Terror was launched in 1845, it carried a food supply of canned goods. The ship, captained by Sir John Franklin, set sail from England with two ships and a crew of 129 men.

The goal was to find a Northwest Passage through the Arctic Ocean that would link Europe and Asia. Unfortunately, the voyage would not go as planned.

When the Terror reached the Arctic Ocean, its food supplies began to run out. To make matters worse, many of the cans of food were either spoiled or inedible due to improper canning techniques.

The crew began to suffer from malnutrition and scurvy due to lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. In addition, some cans were filled with foul-smelling and contaminated food that was unfit for consumption.

These problems were compounded by a lack of knowledge about proper canning techniques at the time. Most canned goods during this era were produced using unsanitary methods, which allowed bacteria and mold to grow inside the cans and contaminate the food inside them.

This could lead to severe illness or even death if consumed by humans. In addition, many cans had ruptured seals, leaving them vulnerable to further contamination from bacteria and mold in their environment.

The poor quality of canned foods on board the Terror had dire consequences for Franklin’s expedition. Of the 129 men who set sail on board the Terror in 1845, only two survived their ordeal in 1848 after three years stranded in icy waters off Greenland’s coast. It is believed that malnutrition caused by poor quality canned food played an important role in contributing to their deaths.

In conclusion, what was wrong with the canned food on board the Terror was that it was improperly canned using unsanitary methods which allowed bacteria and mold to contaminate it; causing severe illness or even death if consumed by humans as well as contributing greatly to loss of life during Franklin’s expedition due to malnutrition caused by its poor quality.