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| Nutripack, 26 & 27 January 2000 in Paris |
| "STEEL FOR PACKAGING: INNOVATION, MARKETING & TECHNOLOGIES" |
1. SUSTAINABILITY OF STEEL PACKAGING IN THE HEAT PROCESSED FOOD AND BEVERAGE MARKETS
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a) Steel can market shares
The food market certainly represents the major output of the APEAL members' production of steel for packaging, followed by beverage and general line (a market covering mainly paint, industrial products and decorative cans), which respectively account for 18% and 17%.
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| Production of steel for packaging 1998: 4.5m tons |
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Food |
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Beverage |
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General line |
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AerosoIs |
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Closures |
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Non Packaging |
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| The heat processed food market comprises human food such as fish, vegetables, meat, fruits, ready meals and soups, as well as pet food. With 67% of the retorted food market, steel cans have a stabilised share of this overall market, and the leadership in nearly all the segments. |
| Heat Processed Food Market - 35 million units in 1997 |
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Steel Cans |
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Aluminium cans & trays |
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Glass Jars |
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Liquid cartons |
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Plastic Trays & Flexible packs |
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Others |
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| In the comparison between the various packaging materials used for beverage container sizes up to 50cl, glass containers account for 59% because of the strong use of refillable glass bottles in the Western European beer market, followed by cans with the split based on beverage can production capacities in Western Europe of 16% for steel and 13% for aluminium. |
| Production 1998 : 101bn units (up to 50cl) |
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R.Glass |
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NR. Glass |
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Plastics |
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Steel |
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Aluminium |
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Cardboard |
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| b) Why use steel to pack heat processed food and beverage products ? |
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There are two key conditions for the preservation of foodstuffs over a long period of time and in good conditions : |
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| (1) |
the thermal treatment: the equation heating time/heating temperature, necessary to destroy or inhibit all micro-organisms, toxins or enzymes, which could alter or make the retorted food unfit for preservation has much evolved in Europe in the course of the last decade. Indeed, the current trend is to increase the heating temperature while reducing the heating time, resulting in an improved preservation of the flavour, colour and nutritional value of the product. |
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| (2) |
a totally air and watertight packaging, which will prevent the migration of micro-organisms.
Thanks to its indisputable mechanical properties, steel for packaging has been used since the origin of the retorted food process and for over 30 years in Europe for all types of beverages. Moreover, steel for packaging has constantly been developed to comply with ever more stringent market requirements, particularly for brand differentiation, and still has a wide potential for future developments.
Steel packaging is :
- LIGHT : the thickness of steel for packaging has been much reduced over the last years both in the food and beverage applications, without modifying whatsoever its mechanical properties.
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