Canned food can be said to be the only one among the various packaged foods. It is not only a symbol of deliciousness and westernization in the childhood memories of several generations of Chinese people, but also the best witness to the rise of the food industry in the Republic from weakness to strength. However, among the strong emerging startups in recent years, few have ventured into canned food. As one of the earliest categories to achieve industrialization in the food industry, is canned food really aging and losing its glory?

Just last month, the performance data of the national food industry from January to July 2021 was released, and the operating revenue of canned food manufacturing enterprises above designated size reached 64.58 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 8.4%. Looking at the entire food manufacturing industry, such growth can be said to be quite impressive. According to the analysis of China Business Intelligence Network, this change may be due to factors such as the stimulation of foreign demand for canned food by the epidemic, further expansion of domestic e-commerce into lower tier markets, and changes in young people's consumption concepts due to the accelerated pace of work and life.

In fact, China is not only the world's largest producer of canned goods, but also the largest exporter of canned goods. According to data released by the Huajing Industry Research Institute, Chinese canned goods have been exported to more than 140 countries and regions worldwide, with canned asparagus and canned orange accounting for 70% and 80% of the world's total exports of this category, respectively. Braised pork belly and canned dace are unique in China, favored by the Southeast Asian market, and have great potential in Europe and the United States.

However, it is hard to say that the domestic canned food market is thriving. Compared to the annual per capita consumption of 50 kilograms and 90 kilograms in Europe and North America, the consumption of canned goods by Chinese people is less than 8 kilograms, and many people even consume less than two boxes per year. What exactly makes canned food cold in China? Is canned food really full of hidden worries as the internet claims? How can the canned food industry complete its transformation and upgrading in the face of the ever-changing dietary preferences of the new generation?

Firstly, clarify the basic facts of the development of the canned food industry, and then consider the underlying reasons for the current downturn
1. Two hundred years of vicissitudes, memories of generations, the glorious past of canned food

The emergence of canned food dates back only 200 years, and can be traced back to 18th century France. The Napoleon government used a huge prize of 12000 francs to seek solutions for the military to extend food storage periods during combat. Originally invented by Nicolas Apel of France in 1809; Peter Durham of the UK changed the packaging of import and export tin cans based on his glass cans; In 1862, French biologist Pasteur proved that food decay was mainly affected by bacteria. Based on this, canning manufacturers began to improve high-temperature sterilization methods to achieve commercial aseptic conditions.

The modern Chinese canned food industry originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The earliest Chinese canned food was undoubtedly the "fermented black bean carp" born in Guangzhou in 1893. Since Chen Bingqiu, a returning overseas Chinese, established Meixiang Canned Food Co., Ltd. on Wuqiao Island in Shantou in 1905, nearly 30 canning companies have been established here, with over 10000 workers employed during its heyday.

The true rapid development of China's canned food industry was after 1949, especially under the catalysis of the Korean War, when China's canned food production surged. When the Korean War ended in 1953, China's canned food production increased by more than 15 times. However, due to the fact that canned products were mainly positioned for export earnings and military needs in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, this category was a rare delicacy that could be tasted by the common people at that time.

Since the reform and opening up, with the improvement of residents' living standards, canned goods have also flown into ordinary people's homes from being exported as luxury goods. In an era of relative scarcity of resources, canned food gradually enriched the monotonous dining tables of ordinary people. Merlin brand luncheon meat, canned military pork, and canned black bean and carp from Eagle Money are all unforgettable flavors. Wahaha's innovative nutrition Babao Congee series is also a generation of high-quality classic products. These representative brands and classic items have also become a beautiful memory in the hearts of a generation to "prosper with the country".

2. Chinese people are estranged, and the West advocates that the different situations of canned food are not solely due to differences in dietary habits

However, with the development of the times, the impression of canned food in the minds of domestic consumers has changed from "rare luxury goods" to "canned=unhealthy". In 2003, a list of the top ten junk foods published by the World Health Organization circulated online, and canned foods were prominently listed, becoming the catalyst for the popularity of canned food among the public. After multiple verifications, it was found that the list was false, but impressions such as "adding preservatives", "unhealthy", and "lacking nutrition" have already taken root in the minds of consumers, causing a significant impact on the domestic canned food consumption market. In addition, traditional canned food brands have been slightly slow to upgrade and rejuvenate, being replaced by rapidly rising and breaking food "new species", gradually disappearing in the corner of supermarket shelves.

Compared to this, European and American countries, based on the enthusiasm of the public for canned food consumption, generally carry out basic research and scientific popularization work, and consumers have a more objective and scientific understanding. Canned foods have long become an important component of the daily diet of European and American consumers. This can be seen from the growth of China's canned food exports during the epidemic period. According to Nielsen data, the sales of meat, chickpeas, and canned tuna in the United States increased by 31.8%, 25.6%, and 24.9% year-on-year in 2020; The sales of canned vegetables in Germany have surged by 80%, while canned fruits have increased by 70%.

Costco Supermarket has also launched a "Doomsday Survival Canned" package in response to the situation. According to the official website, this package includes 230 canned and 30 canned foods, including dried fruits, dried vegetables, frozen raspberries, blueberries, rice, beans, meat, and dairy products, which are enough for a family of four to eat for a year.

02 Rational Understanding of Canned Food: There are More Than One Advantages
1. Long shelf life: This is not my fault

The proud long shelf life of canned food has always been the main reason why consumers reject it. In fact, canned food does not require preservatives and may be one of the foods with the least amount of preservatives added.

The spoilage of food is caused by the influence of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. Numerous studies on canned food sterilization techniques have shown that canned food generally uses thermal sterilization and vacuum sealed storage methods. Under the premise of meeting technical requirements in sterilization, sealing, and other processes, there is no problem of spoilage or deterioration during the shelf life. Meanwhile, with the development of food processing technology, new technologies such as modified atmosphere sterilization and microwave sterilization have emerged, which have shorter heating time, lower energy consumption, and more efficient sterilization.

In addition, China's National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives (GB 2760-2014) also stipulates preservatives. In all canned foods, except for the six categories that require very low doses of preservatives to deal with specific microorganisms, such as myrica rubra cans, bamboo shoots, pickled Chinese cabbage, edible fungi and nuts cans, sulfur dioxide (maximum use of 0.5 g/kg) and meat cans, nitrite (maximum use of 0.15 g/kg), preservatives cannot be added.

It can be said that sterilization technology and storage methods are the decisive "preservative processes" that enable canned food to be preserved for several years to several decades.

2. Freshness: The freshness of canned food is beyond doubt

Actually, canned food is very fresh. Canning is done to preserve food. If meat and fish cannot be processed in a timely manner, they will quickly spoil, and if vegetables and fruits are not processed in a timely manner after picking, they will also cause continuous loss of nutrients. To ensure the freshness of ingredients, most canning factories are located not far from the ingredient receiving point. This design not only shortens the transportation distance and reduces costs, but more importantly, locks the best condition food in cans. Meanwhile, from ingredients to finished products, only 6 steps are needed. Canned peaches can complete the entire process from picking from trees to sealing and canning within 6 hours.

From the perspective of freshness, compared to ingredients that appear fresh in supermarkets, but are actually transported over long distances and are subject to wear and tear or pollution at any time, using fresh ingredients from the current season and canned food made on site are fresher.

3. Diversity: Everything can be canned

Almost all food can be canned, not only canned fruits in glass or canned meat in tin, but also sealed foods in paper or plastic packaging in supermarkets. Canned food refers to a type of food that has been sterilized, sealed in a closed container, and can be stored for a long time.

In our country, influenced by regional resources and processing advantages, canned goods from different regions contain different products with distinct regional characteristics. The production areas of canned fish are mainly coastal areas; Canned citrus is mainly produced in Zhejiang, Hunan and other regions; Canned meat is mainly produced in Shanghai, Fujian, and Sichuan; The canned food industry in some production areas has established cross category food production lines by leveraging the advantages of raw materials. For example, Yunnan Dehe has developed over a hundred types of canned products, including lunch meat, cloud legs, beef, Yunnan roasted vegetables, wild mushrooms, pickled meat, Yunnan style cakes, snacks, and fresh products.

4. Nutrient rich: never "junk food"

The fresher and more mature the ingredients, the higher their nutritional value. Canned foods are sometimes even more nutritious than fresh fruits and vegetables. According to a study by the University of Illinois in 1997 and other recent studies, the process of canned food processing may actually help enhance the nutritional content of certain foods.

For example, canned pumpkins contain much higher levels of vitamin A than the same amount of fresh pumpkins. According to data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), every 100 grams of canned saltless pumpkin contains 778g of vitamin A, while fresh pumpkin only contains 426g. Canned legumes and other foods also have higher fiber content, and the lycopene content in canned tomatoes is much higher than that in fresh tomatoes.

In addition, after high-temperature and high-pressure sterilization, the meat and bone become tender, and a large amount of calcium is dissolved, which is more conducive to the digestion and absorption of protein and bone calcium by the human body. Therefore, the calcium content of canned fish has increased by more than 10 times compared to fresh fish, and minerals such as iron, zinc, iodine, and selenium have not been lost. However, people's daily cooking temperature can easily exceed 200 ℃, and substances such as thermosensitive vitamin C are lost more during the sterilization process than canned food. The high temperature also makes it difficult for bones to become soft.

When many authoritative institutions recommend fish, they also recommend people to choose canned fish. The National Osteoporosis Foundation recommends that people supplement calcium with canned sardine and salmon. The US FDA and EPA (2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines) recommend that women of reproductive age, especially pregnant and lactating women, consume a variety of 2-3 servings of fish from the "best food" list each week, including canned freshwater tuna (bonito)