This treatment is only of value for jams, catsup and other products, which are not injured or damaged by re-cooking. Home canned foods, except in a hermetically sealed metal can, are not salvageable. Smoke damage to food is probably the most difficult to assess. Insoluble tars and plastics and their byproducts may be suspended in the smoke and is a major concern. All meats exposed to smoke shall be disposed of unless salvaged under the guidance of USDA for use as animal feed.
Produce is a perishable product and usually makes an unwise salvage product.
Chemical damage of foods can occur with chemicals used in fire prevention, breakage of chemical bottles, aerosols and insecticides, etc. Any slight indication of food being contaminated whether it is chemical or microbiological will make the product unsalvageable. Syrup, molasses, honey, etc. is packed in containers that makes it difficult to salvage or recondition. Meats, whether smoked, fresh, salted except for canned meats, cannot be salvaged for human consumption. Meat in process of pickling or curing after submersion in flood water cannot be salvaged.