About Canned Food

It turns out that canned foods have been around a long, long time.   In fact it was Napoleon, the man who said, “An army marches on its stomach,” who kicked off what would later become the canned food industry when, in 1795, he offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could find a way to preserve food so that he could feed his troops on the road.

In 1809 Nicholas Appert collected the reward for his method of safely sealing food inside a jar or bottle.   The very next year in England, tin-coated iron cans were developed.   And by the end of the 19th century, the first automated can-making machines were introduced.

Now, here are some surprising facts:

• Canned food is nearly always additive-free.   The heat process sterilizes the food and the vacuum process preserves it indefinitely.

• Commercial canning destroys bacteria that cause food spoilage.