Investor company members of the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) are celebrating 200 years of food can innovation and honoring households across America that incorporate canned food into recipes and meals.
SMDI notes that the steel food can—developed as a method of preserving and distributing food for the military—continues to be the most recycled food package, with a higher annual recycling rate (more than 65%) than aluminum, plastic, pouch, glass, and paperboard packages. Each steel can contains a minimum of 25% recycled content and is endlessly recyclable without a loss of strength or quality.
Production of food cans has remained relatively stable over time, according to SMDI, with more than 28 billion food cans produced each year in the United States. New innovations, such as easy-open cans with pull-tabs, resealable cans, and microwavable cans, offer the potential for market expansion.
The Canned Food Alliance (CFA), a consortium of steel manufacturers, can manufacturers, select food processors, and affiliate members, was formed in the mid-1990s to communicate the positive attributes of canned food to consumers, influencers, and policymakers.
“Through the partnership with our customers in the Canned Food Alliance, we are able to educate consumers that canned food offers tremendous value as it helps busy families who are looking for an easier way to put nutritious, affordable meals on the family table,” said Rich Tavoletti, Director of the Container Market for SMDI.
The Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) is a business unit of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) that grows and maintains the use of steel through strategies that promote cost-effective solutions in the automotive, construction, and container markets, as well as for new-growth opportunities in nontraditional steel markets. SMDI is comprised of nine member companies, including integrated and electric furnace steelmakers: AK Steel Corp., ArcelorMittal Dofasco, ArcelorMittal USA, Nucor Corp., Severstal North America Inc., SSAB Americas, Steelscape, Inc., United States Steel Corp., and USS-POSCO Industries.