Investor company members of the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) are celebrating two hundred years of food can innovation and honoring households across America that incorporate canned food into recipes and meals. Canned food provides a safe, convenient way to deliver a healthy meal to the dinner table. The steel food can continues to be the most recycled food package, with a higher annual recycling rate than aluminum, plastic, pouch, glass and paperboard packages.

Developed as a method of preserving and distributing food for the military, the food can has grown into a contemporary container present in everyday lives. With more than 28 billion food cans produced each year in the United States, production has remained relatively stable over time. New innovations, such as easy-open cans with pull-tabs, resealable cans and microwavable cans, continue to have potential to expand the market for steel food cans.

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 many positive attributes of canned food to consumers, influencers and policymakers. Since the formation, the CFA has generated billions of media impressions and communicated the benefits of canned food and steel packaging with thousands of nutrition professionals and members of federal, state and local governments.

"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," Rich Tavoletti, director of the container market for SMDI, said.

Today, the steel food can has the highest recycling rate of any food package, with an annual recycling rate of more than 65 percent. Each steel can contains a minimum of 25 percent recycled content and is endlessly recyclable into new cans, cars, appliances, bridges, or any new steel product without a loss of strength or quality.

The Steel Market Develop Institute (SMDI), a business unit of American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) 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 non-traditional steel markets. Investors including ArcelorMittal USA, ArcelorMittal Dofasco, Severstal North America Inc., United States Steel Corporation and USS-POSCO Industries produce the high quality tin mill products used to make steel food cans that provide simple and nutritious mealtime solutions for families. For more information on the Canned Food Alliance, please visit www.mealtime.org.

SOURCE: American Iron and Steel Institute

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