When Was Canned Food Invented?

Canned food is an important part of our lives today, with many households having a variety of canned foods in their cupboards. But it wasn’t always this way—in fact, it wasn’t until the early 19th century that the technology to can food was developed.

The person credited with inventing canned food is Frenchman Nicolas Appert, who developed a process for preserving food in airtight containers. Appert’s invention was based on the knowledge that air caused foods to spoil and by removing the air, he was able to preserve them. He experimented with different methods of sealing bottles and jars and eventually developed a method of sealing them with cork and sealing wax.

In 1810, Appert submitted his invention to the French government who was looking for ways to preserve food for their troops during war time. He won a prize of 12,000 francs for his invention, which he used to open the world’s first canning factory in 1812. This factory produced some of the first commercially available canned foods such as vegetables, soups and sauces.

Appert’s process was improved upon over the years by other inventors and engineers including Englishman Peter Durand who patented a method of preserving food in tin cans in 1810. This new technology allowed for foods to be preserved for much longer periods of time than Appert’s original glass jars had been able to do before.

Since then canned food has become an integral part of our diets across the world, providing us with a convenient way to store and access essential nutrients without having to cook from scratch every day. Many canned goods are also fortified with vitamins and minerals which are beneficial for our health as well as being delicious!

To conclude, canned food has come a long way since its invention in 1810 by Nicolas Appert and Peter Durand’s patents on tin cans made it possible for us to enjoy this convenient staple today!