The need for food has always been one of man's greatest concerns. Whole tribes and even nations have been known to migrate in search of something to eat.

In time, man learned to cultivate the land, but even after a good harvest, surviving the winter could still be a problem. If anything happened to the crops, famine would be inevitable.

The need to store food was obvious, but much of it would quickly deteriorate. Lack of food would cause starvation, malnutrition and disease. It took the fact that armies could not arrive on the battlefield without nutrition for the first idea in food preservation to be conceived.

In 1809, the French government made an official request to develop methods of food preservation. One Nicolas Appert responded to the call, with his process of cooking and bottling – in glass bottles with a cork stopper. Appert went on to write an award winning publication on the subject.

A copy of his book ended up in the hands of a certain Peter Durant, who requested the patent in 1810. "The first thing is to put the food in bottles or other glass containers, tin pots or containers made of other suitable materials." His comment represented the first time that containers coated with tin, the future tin can, were suggested for use in food preservation.

Durant sold the patent in 1811, to London firm Donking, Hall & Gamble, who concluded that glass was too fragile and natural cork too porous. So they started to use containers made of tin coated iron – which were in fact, the first cans to be produced! Canned food quickly became a big hit with sailors.

The first canned foods, which included tomatoes, peas and sardines, didn't arrive in shops until 1830; but sales were slow, mainly due to the high price of the products, availability of fresh food and the difficulty of opening the can; which then required a hammer and chisel.

The high price of cans was attributed to low market demand and very unsophisticated methods of manufacturing and canning.

Real development of the can's structure started in 1824, with Englishman Joseph Rhodes, who came up with a practical method of attaching the lid and base – clinching, which didn't become widely used until many years later.

In 1825, Kansett, who manufactured foods preserved in jars with cork lids, got the patent for metallic containers, i.e. cans. Until then, cans were made by tin-plating iron; and not steel, which is the material used today.

At this time, most canned products were destined for the shipping companies, but soon, stagecoaches and trains began to stock canned food for long journeys – it was gradually becoming accepted as part of our dietary habits.

The American Civil War was another important factor in the growth of canned food, as the government sent all its available food to the armies on the frontline.

Increased demand naturally led to further enhancements in the manufacturing and canning processes. The big breakthrough came in 1847, with the invention of a graphic printing press for the can bodies. This was followed by the invention of machines to wash the cans and conveying systems between the various production processes.

In 1896, Max Mas and Julius Brezinger realized that the canning industry would require faster and more modern methods. After just one year, they patented a process capable of producing 20.000 cans/day, dispensing with the need to weld lids and bases, in addition to increasing strength. This opened the way for the development of high-speed production lines.

In 1874, AK Scriver invented autoclaving, which considerably reduced food cooking times. In 1892, Hawaii canned its first pineapples. Between 1870 and 1900, the number of canning companies rose from less than 10 to around 1800. By the 1930's, cans really started becoming popular. In 1935, the first canned beers were launched. Today, there are millions of cans produced and consumed all around the planet – everyday!

Cans are almost 200 years old and yet they continue to be used more and more. Practical, safe and cheap, they are part of our everyday lives. Each day, steel can production continues to be perfected in order to offer the best choice to the final consumer.