I just bought refrigerated salmon fillets from a supermarket. They are in the kind of packet you'd expect to be vacuum packed. I have bought fish here before and it's always vacuum packed.
This time, didn't notice in the shop, but I notice now (as soon as getting home, 10 mins), that the fish is "loose" within the packet. There is clearly no vacuum, even though the wrapping conforms to the shape of the fish it isn't really "sealed" (it's not skintight to the fish, the packet doesn't seem to have any holes or openings anywhere though). The fish can slosh around, there are air gaps.
Is it safe to eat?
Best Answer
The vacuum-packed-ness of vacuum-packed foods can help keep food fresh by reducing oxidation, but it doesn’t have any effect on safety. If it were originally vacuum-packed but then gas developed from putrefaction then that would be a bigger concern... but there would be absolutely no question whether that was the case once you smelled it.