January 21, 2005

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  Rotten mackerel set off explosion

  
  

  A production mistake caused 1,650 cans of mackerel in tomato sauce at a warehouse in Fredrikstad to literally explode.

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

  More than a thousand of these exploded in a warehouse in Fredrikstad. PHOTO: Breian, Åshild

  
  

  Canned mackerel filets in tomato sauce are a dietary staple for many Norwegians. While part of the national heritage, the product is fondly nicknamed "plane crash" because of the silvery fish's appearance in the red sauce when opened.

  
  

  Food producer Stabburet uses a heating technique in the canning process to help preserve the fish, but somehow, the 1,650 cans that blew up missed out.

  
  

  That meant the fish started rotting in the cans, which in turn set off gases that caused the cans to swell until they eventually burst.

  
  

  "It was a highly unfortunate accident," Robert Rønning of Stabburet told VG.

  
  

  Extra crews had to be called in to help clean up.

  
  

   

  • 11:51 am
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