China is the world's largest producer of canned food, exporting millions of tons of canned food every year,** to more than 150 countries around the world.
The Chinese themselves rarely eat canned food, and the per capita annual consumption is only 1kg, which is in sharp contrast to the average consumption of 90kg in the United States and 50kg in Europe.
On the one hand, China considers itself the world's factory, producing canned food in large quantities and exporting it overseasChinese, on the other hand, stay away from canned food.
Is there some historical or cultural reason behind this seemingly absurd phenomenon?
China's Canning Industry: The Consumption Gap Behind the World's Largest Production.
The history of China's canning industry can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, when the first canning factory was born in Guangzhou, and its main products were tempeh and anchovies.
Subsequently, canning factories began to appear in some cities such as Shanghai and Chongqing, but due to years of war, the development of the early canning industry was not smooth.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the domestic environment was stable and the canning industry was developed, but it was mainly used for military needs. During this period, canned food was not a staple food for the common people**, but a luxury for the wealthy, and most people still relied on a subsistence small-scale peasant economy.
After the reform and opening up, with the technological progress and cost reduction of the manufacturing industry, canned food has gradually changed from a luxury product to a mass consumer product, but the consumption of canned food in China is still very limited.
Data show that the average person consumes only about 8 kg of canned food per year, which is still far from the average consumption of 50-90 kg in Europe and the United States. This is mainly due to the difference in household income levels and eating habits in our country.
Different from the sluggish domestic market demand, China's canned food production has achieved explosive growth after the reform and opening up. According to statistics, China's canned food production has reached 4.54 million tons in the first half of 2021, making it the world's largest canned food producer.
The main reason is that China has begun to export a large number of canned food, which has covered more than 150 countries, and canned oranges account for 80% of the world's similar products. The scale advantage and the best advantage of "Made in China" make it the world's factory and support the global demand for canned food.
It can be said that the development of China's canned food industry is largely driven by exports, rather than domestic market demand. This export-oriented economy-driven industrial model also reflects the differences in consumption structure and income levels between China and developed countries.
So, why exactly is canned food not popular in China?
The reason why Chinese don't eat canned food.
Freshness can't be compared to fresh ingredients.
Chinese advocate cooking fresh ingredients, believing that freshness directly determines the nutritional value and deliciousness of food. Canned food, on the other hand, needs to be sterilized at high temperature during the production process, and then canned for a long time, making it difficult to maintain the freshness of the ingredients. Many people think that canned food is simply "dead food" compared to fresh ingredients.
Take fruit, for example. The fresh fruit is juicy and refreshing, and you can feel the crispiness of the flesh immediately in your mouth. However, after high temperature treatment, the canned fruit loses serious water, the flesh becomes soft, and it completely loses its proper taste. Not only is the taste not as good as before, but the nutritional value will definitely be affected.
Take meat, for example. Raw pork is bright in color, tender in quality, and has the aroma of raw meat in one bite. On the contrary, canned meat is pale and aging in color, completely losing its original flavor and nutritional value is far inferior to fresh meat.
It can be seen that compared with fresh food, canned food loses a lot in taste and nutrition, which is one of the important reasons why Chinese do not like canned food.
Preservatives can cause health problems.
Many consumers believe that canned food can be stored for a long time because of excessive preservatives, which also leads many people to doubt the health of canned food.
Although the industry categorically denies the addition of any preservatives, consumers' concerns are not unreasonable, because according to the random inspection of the relevant regulatory authorities, individual unscrupulous manufacturers do add excessive preservatives to canned food, which undoubtedly increases the health risk.
What's more, even without the addition of preservatives, it is impossible to completely eliminate the activity of microorganisms by high-temperature sterilization and sealing alone. Under long-term storage conditions, the food itself will deteriorate to a certain extent, which is one of the reasons why consumers are not at ease.
The eating habits of the Chinese are not suitable for canned food.
In China's food culture, people advocate freshness and pay attention to cooking skills, and canned food, as a fast food, is incompatible with the eating habits of Chinese.
Chinese are very keen on manual cooking, from material selection, cutting to cooking, every link must be carefully operated and poured into the effort to present a delicious food with full color and flavor. In contrast, canned food can be simply heated and eaten, which does not meet the culinary intentions of Chinese people.
At the same time, Chinese do not have the habit of eating fast food as often as in Western countries. Even when going out to eat, choosing fresh ready-made food instead of buying canned food specifically leads to canned food not having a place on the table of Chinese.
Consumption inertia has not been formed for a long time.
The last factor is that canned food does not have a long history in China. Before the reform and opening up, canned food was still a luxury for a few people. Although it is gradually accepted by ordinary people, it is still difficult for the older generation to eliminate the strangeness. The inertia of this consumption habit is still affecting people's perception of canned food.
So why do Westerners love canned food so much?
Why do Westerners love canned food so much?
Canned food is deeply loved by people in Western countries, which is not unrelated to its unique historical origin and cultural habits.
In the 19th century, Napoleon expanded his armaments and warfare, and was in urgent need of long-term storage of military rations. In 1810, the French businessman Nicolas Appel solved the problem of military supplies by inventing the method of canning and autoclaving food.
During the First World War, Britain, France and the United States mass-produced military canned food, which not only greatly increased production capacity, but also greatly reduced unit costs, transforming canned food from a luxury to a mass commodity. Subsequently, a large amount of surplus canned food for the military entered the civilian population, helping the people of Europe to survive the difficult period after the war.
During the Great Depression in the 30s in the United States, low-priced canned food saved thousands of families. This memory of "living on canned food" made a deep impression on Americans.
At the same time, with the improvement of technology, the quality of canned food is also improving day by day, and the trust of consumers in it is gradually increasing. To this day, canned food remains the protagonist of the Western table.
In addition, the fast-paced city life has made Westerners keen on simple food, and it is faster and more reliable to open canned food at noon than to order takeout. The market situation of high prices and relatively cheap meat has also made canned meat, which can be eaten open, become popular and have become a common food choice in the West.
Westerners have a soft spot for canned food, which also stems from their unique food culture. Western food is simple and fast, and three meals are often combined into one. Compared to the complex cooking of Chinese food, opening the can can save a lot of preparation time.
In addition, the West advocates individualism, eating out is not as convenient as opening canned food at home, and there is a spirit of openness to try new things, which makes them happy to accept canned food, which is relatively fresh at that time.
In today's society, the image of canned food is becoming more and more positive, and it is no longer the image of inferior food in the minds of many people in the past. The complete industrial chain guarantees its freshness, and the vacuum and aseptic sterilization also enhance hygiene and safety. These objective conditions have driven the popularity of canned food in the West.
It can be said that the key reason why canned food has taken root in the West is that it has accompanied the people through war and economic difficulties, and has become a high-quality and affordable food in the eyes of the public.
This accumulation of historical origins and cultural habits, coupled with the influence of the progress of the times, has created a love for canned food in the West.
The development of canned food in the Chinese market is not only facing the challenge of cultural differences, but also contains opportunities.
The key is for companies to understand consumers deeply, adapt products to local tastes, and build brand image through effective communication.
Consumers in China generally believe that canned food is not fresh and unhealthy, and it will take time to change. However, with changes in lifestyles and dietary concepts, consumers are gradually embracing convenience foods.
If China's canning industry can seize this trend in the future, strengthen innovation, meet the needs of consumption upgrading, and realize product localization, it may no longer be a dream. Of course, there is still a long way to go, and it remains to be seen whether it will succeed in the end.