Some workers at a warehouse in Fredrikstad had a mess on their hands last
week, after a production mistake caused 1,650 cans of mackerel in tomato
sauce to literally explode.

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

Food producer Stabburet always 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 the stinky mess inside
Stabburet's warenhouse. Rønning stressed that none of the faulty cans ever
reached grocery stores.