CANNING IN ENGLAND.

Auckland Star, Volume LXI, Issue 97, 26 April 1930, Page 6 (Supplement)

CANNING IN ENGLAND.

The canning industry has developed to an enormous extent until one can get almost anything from elephant's toes to pig's squeals in a tin. The Royal Agricultural Society of England in the handbook "Agricultural Research in 1928" gives some interesting figures regarding the canning industry in England. Before the war, it is stated, importations of canned and bottled fruits were valued at just over a million pounds sterling and vegetables at about half a milfion. At the present time the values are about six million pounds for fruit and one million pounds for vegetables. The pre-war imports consisted largely of pineapples, peaches and apri- j cots, but the nation's taste at the present time is as cosmopolitan as that of the inhabitants of the U.S.A., and many kinds of fruit and vegetables which could be grown and canned in these islands are included in the imports of to-day. This being the case, it is gratifying to know that the canning industry has already made a fairly strong—and certainly promising—start in England. There are already thirty canneries in-, existence in the British Isles,-the opera-' tions of which are likely to give a considerable impetus to the canned fruit and vegetable industry in the near future.

France, Belgium and Italy have considerable industries and in the United States the pea stands next in importance a canning article to the tomato and Indian corn. During 1928 the home canners took the produce of about 2000 acres of peas, but they expect to need before long 10,00.0 acres every year. From these brief'-details it seems safe to say that a strong canning industry can rapidly, be built up in this country and excellent new markets offered for produce, if a suitable organisation or co-operation can be effected; the responsibility for this is now mainly upon the growers, who must be prepared to reorganise their methods and arrange their crops to suit the demands of the ca nners. v ' Strawberries promise to be one. of the most popular forms of canned fruit, and in the year under review—l 928 —the canneries could have taken 1000 tons more fruit than was available, and, inasmuch as the strawberry acreage has undergone a considerable shrinkage since. 1924, there appears to be a clear inducement to growers to ' expand their plantings, while "the certification of runners by the Ministry of Agriculture should further encourage those who have facilities for producing more strawberries." Raspberries, too, hold great promise and the planting of suitable varieties may certainly be recommended. Loganberries, gooseberries, plums, damsons and apples are all described as promising canning fruits, but in regard to the growing of soft fruits for canning it should always be borne in mind that rapid deterioration after packing makes easy access to the cannery a vital necessity. "It may well be doubted," runs the report, "whether any other country can rival our own in the flavour of its peas and yet, while pea-canning is carried out at only four centres in England.