Food Cans Celebrate Bicentenary

SHANGHAI, Aug. 25 -- America’s Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI) is drawing attention to the fact that this week we should be celebrating the 200th “Can-niversary” of the food can, and “acknowledging its consistent relevance in our past, present and future.”

The can revolution began on August 25, 1810, when Englishman Peter Durand was granted a patent for an idea to preserve food in tinplate vessels. The can manufacturing industry was born in England in 1812 and was brought to the United States by an English immigrant, Thomas Kensett, that same year. Kensett originally started his canning business with glass jars, but soon, like Durand, switched to tin and received a U.S. patent in 1825.

"From the single-serving cans of soup mothers across America use to feed their children to the industrial-size cans of vegetables cooks use to feed our troops at military bases around the world, the can's popularity will continue to endure as cans are the most reliable, recyclable and versatile package," said Robert Budway, CMI President.

Looking to the future, the CRU-ITRI Asian Steel Packaging Conference next month will be reviewing the start of the third century of canning for food and other products. In a programme with the theme “Sustainable Packaging – Preserving the Future” market dynamics and technology change will be debated by speakers and delegates from around the world. The event takes place in Kuala Lumpur on 22 – 24 September and more details are available at www.asiansteelpackaging.com.