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     I was recently asked about the most appropriate methods of
     dealing with original food packaging and their contents in a
     museum collection. We discussed the problems from a
     conservation and human safety viewpoint considering such
     points as: risk of pest infestations; unknown ingredients
     particularly in medicines that could be harmful or have
     decomposed over time into harmful substances; risk of liquids
     leaking onto other objects; liquids corroding metal lids; etc.

     In my experience, the debate over whether to keep original
     packaging and dispose of contents has generally resulted in
     either 1. contents being disposed of and the packaging (box,
     bottle, bag) kept, or 2. the contents are stored separately from
     the original packaging and safely isolated from the rest of the
     collection.

     The dilemma that this particular museum is now facing,
     however, regards canned food from the 1920s and 1930s.
     While the can does not pose an attraction for pests, there is the
     risk of the contents having deteriorated over time and, perhaps,
     the can exploding.  From a curatorial viewpoint, the original
     labels and packaging are valuable resources, but the contents
     can not be removed without altering the packaging.

     How have other museums and living history sites dealt with
     this problem?  Do you have canned food in your collection?
     Do you use these on display or store them carefully and use
     them only for prototype purposes?  Has anyone experienced
     'exploding cans'?

     Audrey Yardley-Jones
     Conservation Co-ordinator
     Alberta Museums Association
     9829 - 103 Street
     Edmonton, Alberta T5K 0X9
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