Canned Meat: The Packaged Food That Changed the World
Today marks an important milestone. In episode 13 of the ZACMI Worldwide Tour, we are heading to Poland to install a vertical valve filler and a seamer for a renowned company specialising in canned meat.
As you’re likely aware from previous articles, we aim to highlight two essential aspects of our work: the on-site support ZACMI provides to businesses (including installations, initial start-ups, extraordinary maintenance, troubleshooting, and staff training) and the significant role that products processed by our machinery play in shaping contemporary food culture.
Today, our focus is on canned meat—an iconic product with a captivating history, brimming with unique features that have even earned it a place in popular culture.
So, sit back and relax, as we dive into the fascinating world of canned meat!
Filling Milk for Canned Meat? ZACMI Has It Covered
We departed from Italy after sending two of our best machines to Poland: a vertical valve filler, an eclectic product capable of filling various types of items—from liquids to viscous products, with or without chunks, including soups, purees, pâtés, pet food, condiments, sauces, and, of course, canned meat—and a seamer, whose fully revamped model was launched at the end of 2024.
Our technicians proceeded with the installation and initial start-up, making the production line operational immediately.
For ZACMI, this is a significant step as it demonstrates how the company is firmly entering the canned meat market with its machinery, known for being robust, reliable, and particularly versatile. Now, these machines can even be preferred over more specific solutions.
But what do we know about canned meat? Why is it such an important market globally, and what are the origins of this product that has literally changed the course of human history?
Canned Meat: Market Numbers
It’s important to note that, from 2000 to the present, global meat production has reached 357 million tonnes, marking a 53% increase compared to the previous two decades.
On the other hand, the global canned food market was valued at approximately $102.72 billion in 2018 and is expected to reach $124.8 billion by 2026. Moreover, the canned meat market is projected to experience a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% from 2023 to 2031.
The major consumers of meat are the United States, China, and Europe.
However, one important aspect needs clarification. In recent years, the consumption of canned meat has undergone several changes, influenced by economic factors, food trends, and shifts in consumer habits.
Globally, the average per capita meat consumption nearly doubled between 1961 and 2014, rising from about 23 kg per year to 43 kg (with the United States leading this particular ranking with a staggering 99 kg). However, while consumption has significantly increased in emerging and middle-income countries like China—especially for poultry and pork—in more developed countries, growth has slowed, reflecting greater awareness of environmental issues and animal welfare.
But how did we get to canned meat? Let’s discover the history of food packaging.
Hermetic Preservation: A Historic Turning Point
The canning of food dates back to 1812, thanks to the studies of Nicolas Appert (1749-1841). He invented the method of hermetic preservation.
Appert was a pastry chef who, after years of experimentation, first presented his invention to the French government in 1810. He was given the choice between a patent or a prize of 12,000 francs and, perhaps lacking foresight given the strategic importance this food preservation method would later have, especially in military contexts, he chose the prize.
That same year, he published L’Art de conserver les substances animales et végétales, the first cookbook on the modern method of preserving food using hermetically sealed bottles. He then filled the bottles with a wide variety of foods, including meat, poultry, eggs, milk, and ready-made dishes. To do so, he removed the air, sealed the bottles hermetically with a cork, wrapped the bottles in cloth, and then immersed them in boiling water until the food was cooked.
Appert’s “House” became the first factory in the world to produce food in glass jars.
The Importance of Canned Food in Military Contexts
As mentioned, canned meat played a significant role in historical military operations, providing a practical and long-lasting way to feed troops in various conflicts. In particular, Appert’s process became strategically important during the Napoleonic campaigns, ensuring a more reliable supply for the troops.
Napoleon understood that an army capable of moving swiftly, equipped with sufficient food supplies and not forced to plunder the countryside, could operate much more effectively. To address the issue of food preservation, the French government offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could devise a method to extend the shelf life of food.
This is how Appert developed the canning technique, which involved removing the air from food containers and then immersing them in boiling water to cook them at varying temperatures depending on the contents. This method, known as “appertisation”, allowed food to be preserved for longer periods, making it suitable for consumption during military campaigns.
Napoleon approved Appert’s system and authorised its implementation for the military’s supply chain. Appert supplied the Grande Armée until 1814, when his factory was destroyed by soldiers invading the country after Napoleon’s defeat.
During the Crimean War (1854-1855), Piedmontese soldiers consumed canned beef produced by Giuseppe Lancia’s company.
The canned food industry then saw a significant increase in production for the armed forces during the First World War. Military plants produced about 173 million cans, with another 62 million entering the market from private industry.
During the Second World War, canned meat, particularly Spam (short for spiced ham, which we’ll discuss shortly), became a staple food for American troops in Europe. The efficiency of American logistics allowed soldiers at the front to quickly receive supplies, mail, and comfort items from their families.
These few data points and anecdotes help to illustrate how Appert’s invention, which was later developed and improved, was fundamental, first in military contexts, and then spread to the civilian market, becoming a true cultural phenomenon.
Spam: From Canned Meat to Unwanted Mail
As we mentioned, SPAM is a famous canned meat product produced by the Hormel Foods Corporation since 1937 and is undoubtedly one of the most well-known canned foods in the world. Its story is quite curious, leading it to become unexpectedly linked to the term we now use to refer to unwanted mail.
It all begins with the name itself: SPAM is short for “spiced ham” and was created to boost sales of the less popular pork shoulder cut. The product became particularly popular during World War II, when US troops consumed it in large quantities due to its long shelf life, low cost, and high nutritional value. It is estimated that over 100 million cans were sent to the Pacific during the conflict.
The connection between canned meat and unwanted mail, however, emerged in the 1970s thanks to the Monty Python comedy troupe, which formed in the 1960s and was known for its surreal and satirical humour. In one of their famous sketches, set in a diner, every item on the menu contained SPAM, and the word was repeated obsessively, so often that it became extremely annoying. The concept of SPAM as something omnipresent and unwanted thus made a lasting impact on the collective imagination.
In the 1990s, computer enthusiasts, many of whom were Monty Python fans, began using the term “spam” to refer to repetitive and annoying messages, such as chain letters and unsolicited advertisements that clogged forums and chats.
The connection became even more apparent in 1994 when two lawyers from Phoenix sent a promotional message to thousands of USENET users. The action sparked a wave of protests, and users began calling those messages “spam”, referencing the comedy sketch and its sense of intrusion.
Thus, a product originally designed as an affordable alternative to fresh meat ended up giving its name to one of the most hated digital phenomena of all time. How curious, sometimes, the cultural evolution of a concept can be!
Hammers, Chisels, Keys, and Can Openers
There is still one more anecdote we cannot overlook when discussing canned foods, especially the hermetically sealed meat in cans.
You should know that although metal cans were invented around 1810 (by Appert, in fact), for the next 50 years, opening them was very difficult because they were made of thick metal. Soldiers had to use hammers and chisels to open them.
In 1855, Robert Yates, an English manufacturer of cutlery and surgical instruments from Middlesex, patented the first can opener in history.
His model, a lever-style can opener with a fixed cutting blade and latch, is still in use today and has been adapted into numerous variants over time. It was a robust and effective design, featuring a straight handle with a metal grip, a short curved blade, and a lever bar.
In 1858, Ezra J. Warner, a grocer from Waterbury, Connecticut, patented the first American can opener. Warner’s opener featured a long curved handle, a long bayonet-shaped blade, and an interchangeable foot.
It was used by the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861-1865). However, it was unsafe for domestic use, and production was discontinued. The opening process was so difficult and dangerous that Warner sold the canned goods and opened them for customers in his store.
In 1865, a domestic can opener known as the “bull’s head can opener” was designed. Made of cast iron, it had a similar design to Yeates’ can opener but with a more artistic shape. This can opener was supplied with cans of salted meat known as “bully beef”. The production of the bull’s head design continued until the 1930s, and even a fish-head design was proposed.
In July 1870, William Lyman of Meriden, Connecticut, patented the first rotary can opener. His design featured a rotating wheel to cut the lid of a can. This design became more popular and widespread than the bull’s head design.
In 1931, the Star Can Opener Company from San Francisco, California, marketed the first electric can opener, an invention that made canned foods exponentially more widespread and popular, even in civilian life, due to its improved efficiency and speed, as well as its significantly reduced risk of injury.
The evolution of canned packaged foods was taken to the next level with cans equipped with keys, designed to provide an easier method of opening than using external tools like traditional can openers.
The opening mechanism relied on a tab located along the edge of the can near the top. At the points where the tab connected to the edge, two notches were present to serve as the starting points for the tear. From there, two parallel cuts ran along the entire perimeter of the container, allowing a strip of metal to be removed when opening the can.
To improve stability and facilitate the operation, small metal cords were added between the two cuts to give rigidity to the torn strip. In some more advanced versions, the system featured four cuts instead of two, allowing the tear to start from the outer cuts and converge toward the inner cuts in case of deviation.
The opening was made possible by a small steel wire key, usually soldered to the lid with a drop of tin. To use it, one simply had to insert it into the tab and rotate it: the metal would wrap around the key, splitting the can into two asymmetrical halves, leaving the lid and bottom intact.
This packaging system was particularly suitable for solid or pasty products like mortadella and corned beef and was used for containers of various shapes, from cylindrical to rectangular.
Corned beef, in particular, was one of the first foods to utilise this technology, with packaging in a truncated pyramid shape.
The idea of the key-opening mechanism dates back to 1866 when J. Ousterhoudt patented the design, and some cans of light meat still retain this feature today.
In 1917, the system found a different application with pocket-sized cans for aspirin, and the same year saw the introduction of the first coffee cans with key-opening.
Over the years, this method has gradually been replaced by more modern systems, such as pull tabs, but it remains an example of ingenuity in the evolution of food packaging.
Conclusions and Achievements
This concludes yet another chapter of the Worldwide Tour. We are particularly pleased with this episode because, as has happened before, anecdotes and curiosities have emerged that we often overlook, taking for granted results and achievements that, in reality, required great ingenuity and immense creative effort to attain.
Moreover, it is important for us to emphasise how our machinery is increasingly appreciated in the field of canned meat packaging, to the point that it has been chosen by one of the most important companies in the world for the production of its flagship product.
We look forward to seeing you in the next episode, in exactly 15 days!