HUGE CANNING INDUSTRY

Evening Star, Issue 22450, 22 September 1936, Page 10

HUGE CANNING INDUSTRY

HEYDAY OF THE TIH-OPEHER “ Important changes have occurred in recent years in the dieting of the British people ” (says the ‘ Economist’). “Foodstuffs formerly procurable only in their 1 natural ’ state, during a comparatively short season each year, may now be had- by the consumer whenever he will. Since the disappearance of the widespread prejudice against preserved foods of all kinds the industry producing them has shown a rapid expansion. “ Progress has been particularly rapid during the last seven or eight years, and the range of foodstuffs covered has been considerably extended,” adds the ‘ Economist. “ Since it is impossible to can anything but produce of the highest quality, the growth of this new industry must be counted 1 a sound point for modern science. . “ To-day there is hardly a single home-grown fruit or vegetable which cannot be purchased in tinned form. In the vegetable pack by far the largest single item is peas, of which two classes may be obtained. In one case the peas are canned fresh, just before they are ripe; in the other they are allowed to dry in the sun and are soaked in water before canning is undertaken. The latter method enables a larger weight of peas to be obtained from a given area of land, while the peas are said to possess a food value. At any rate, these tinned * processed } peas have almost ousted the once-popular packeted peas from the market. „ . , . , . i “ According to official figures which have recently become available, the output of canned and bottled fruit in the United Kingdom rose from 315,OOOcwt ■ (valued at £859,000) m 1930 to 550,000 cwt (valued at £1,354,000) in 1933. In the latter year 499,000 cwt of peas and 434,000 cwt of other vegetables (valued at £895,000 and £775,000 respectively) were canned in the United Kingdom. # , “ From a publication of the National Food Canning Council it appears that there are over sixty fruit-canning firms, of varying size, in the country, of which about half are also engaged in the canning of vegetables; there are, in addition, a few firms canning vegetables, but not fruit. Home, supplies are still much smaller than imports of canned and bottled fruit, upon which varying duties are levied. Imports totalled 2,430,000 cwt in 1930 and 3,691,000 cwt in 1935. The bulk of these do iwt, however, compete directly with British-grown varieties. Some 1,057,000 cwt of canned vegetables were imported last year, of which the bulk (955,000 cwt) consisted of tomatoes. “ Overlapping the fruit and vegetable section is that concerned with fish and meat. Herrings, which are canned in a variety of forms, accounted for 104,000 cwt (valued at £220,000) out of a total of 124,000 cwt (£275X100) for all fish canned in the United Kingdom in 1933. . li Imports of canned fish consist mainly of sardines, salmon, crabs, and lobsters, which are not canned in this country. Similarly, imports of canned meat mainly comprise corned beef, canned in areas where cattle can be produced cheaply on a large scale; the home canning industry is concerned with chicken, ham, and other varieties of meat which can profitably be produced within our shores. “ According to the source already quoted, 138,000 cwt of ‘ preserved meat in tins, glasses, etc.’ (valued at £988,000), were produced in 1933; meat extracts and essences accounted for a further 105,000 cwt, with the much higher value of £3,019,000. In addition, the value of the 110,000 cwt of meat and fish pastes produced in the same year was put at £1,128,000. There is a small export trade in canned meat and fish. “ A more recent product of the canning industry, the sale of which is making rapicl headway, is soup. In this case the- manufacturers have almost created a new demand, for the value of soup was not appreciated here until recent years. The expansion in demand has, however, been extremely rapid. The value of the soups produced in the United Kingdom in 1933 (including bottled soups, soup squares, and powers) was estimated at £717,000, against only £412,000 three years earlier. There is little doubt that the 1935 census figures will disclose a further substantial advance in this direction. “ The British canning industry, which probably accounts for over 10 per cent, of the home consumption of tinplate, seems destined to play an even more important role in the national economy in future years. The demand for tinned foods is certainly on the increase, and there is no doubt that the industry can satisfy the demand ; in many cases, indeed, it may itself create a new demand. “ The industry has already attained a high level of technical efficiency, and its products consequently make an increasing appeal to the human palate. Moreover, it is now possible to obtain complete meals in tinned form. The can-opener must surely be regarded as a sign of the times.”