 About Cans
   
Can and the food industry
Nearly 200 billion cans of food are produced in the world each year. When the can was first used as the solution to preserving food for an army at war, it not only supported industrialisation, but also fuelled the globalisation of food. The can industry is always adapting and innovating, while preserving its core qualities – protection and strength. It has evolved from the early crude tinplate canisters shaped by hand to the lightweight, completely recyclable containers produced mechanically today. What's more, the can allows us to enjoy food from faraway places, and even from a different time. Exotic food and out-of-season produce is now within reach of almost everyone. Canning has made the products we want cheaper, safer and more accessible. With superb food preserving qualities (without the use of preservatives), canning provides nutritious food that requires no refrigeration or other special storage, and minimal cooking time. Steel cans are also cost-effective while the food inside has a longer shelf life. Before canning there were limited ways to keep food from spoiling: drying, salting, smoking and pickling. These methods are not only time-consuming; they also affect the form, taste and nutrients of the food. The onset of a war in Europe in the late 18th century was the catalyst to a new form of food preservation. Soldiers needed to be fed and armies and navies were looking for a cheap and effective way to keep food from spoiling on the battlefield and long voyages. So French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte offered a prize to anyone who could come up with a new way to preserve food. A confectioner named Nicolas Appert, who had earlier discovered that heating food to high temperatures inside sealed glass jars stopped it from spoiling, won the prize in 1810. He perfected the technique with iron canisters, which are lighter and sturdier for transportation and storage. The iron was coated with a fine layer of tin to stop it from rusting. The first cans were expensive, because they were made by hand. A good tinsmith could only make six to ten a day. The food inside took up to six hours to cook. All these made canned food very expensive for ordinary people. They were used mainly by the army and navy until the 1920s. Gradually, the production of cans became mechanised. The first automated production lines produced around six cans an hour. Today’s modern production lines can produce around 1,500 cans a minute. 1795 1809 1810 1812 1818 1819 1825 1847 1849 1856 1866 1875 1876 1877 1880 – 1890 1898 1914 1921 1922 1940 1941 1955 1957 1960 1964 |
