#03.02.2016 Steel packaging backed for preserving vegetables
Happy New Year from everyone here at APEAL.
I hope all our subscribers and stakeholders have had a fantastic break.
I want to start off 2016 by highlighting interesting recent research from Germany which is great news for steel as a packaging solution.
The research, carried out by SGS Fresenius Institute, has confirmed that vegetables’ stored in steel cans contain vitamin and mineral levels that are just as high as freshly cooked vegetables.
Carried out on behalf of “Initiative Lebensmitteldose” (food can initiative) – a partnership between 10 German manufacturers in the food and packaging industries with the goal of informing consumers and nutrition experts about the benefits of canned food – the report showed that in some cases, nutrients were even higher within canned vegetables than their freshly prepared counterparts.
In addition, it found that steel cans not only protect valuable mineral nutrients, they also help retain product freshness as well as flavour and provide an unrivalled shelf life of up to three years without adding preservatives.
These findings come as no surprise to APEAL, of course; it only cements the arguments we’ve been making for some time.
However, it could prove another vital step in getting this information across to brands and, ultimately, consumers.
People across the globe are now making healthier and more ethical choices when it comes to food and we want to ensure they recognise the benefits steel packaging can provide.
With manufacturers and packaging experts recognising this desire for health and ethical information, we hope to see more manufacturers begin to accentuate these factors both on their packaging and in their marketing materials.
It’s all very welcome news for steel as we kick off what is set to be a very interesting 2016.
I wish you all a successful year.
For more information on the report, visit www.initiative-lebensmitteldose.de