BLOG IN A BOTTLE

The Facts:
Glass jars have been around since the 1800s but it wasn’t until the after 1900 that home canning was encouraged and seen as a way to provide better diets, preserve flavor, food longevity and reduce the cost of living. By the end of the century, the decline of the family farm, the low cost of commercially canned foods and the widespread use of freezers had made home canning more of a hobby than a habit.

The Trends:
In the new millennium, we have other things on our mind. With the growing concerns over global-warming, as well as our valid worries over food safety, the relationships between food, flavor, health, packaging and sustainability are now at the forefront of our thoughts.

A trend among consumers is emerging: the desire to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. This has been seen in the rapid rise of organic food and farming, the return to popularity of home-cooking and preserving, and an increasing awareness and interest in our foods’ sources and ingredients.

More and more of us are realizing that the future of our planet may very well depend on where we get our food, what we choose to eat and how we decide to store it.

The Research:
Commissioned by FEVE (the European Container Glass Federation), the InSites study asked over consumers in 17 countries across Europe what they thought about various packaging materials.
In a nutshell, the survey reveals:

-          65% of consumers prefer glass because it preserves taste,
-          63% perceive that it is safest health-wise,
-          50% say it is the most environmentally-friendly.

The same kind of survey was carried out in the States in 2006 with the same results:

'Glass is Life' Awareness Campaign, USA

Furthermore, glass is the only packaging material rated “GRAS” or “generally regarded as safe” by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.
(Newton Marketing & Research of Norman, Oklahoma)

Clearly, consumers agree that glass is their preferred packaging for consumer health and the environment.

Nutritious and Delicious
The InSites survey goes on to show that the preference for glass is particularly high when it comes to certain food and drink categories where flavor is everything, such as spirits, wines and beers. More than that, glass also preserves the natural aromas, tastes and textures, making it the perfect material to store fresh and perishable products as fruit juices, smoothies and tomato-based sauces.

Glass is the material of choice for chefs, in particular, Geir Skeie who knows that glass is a true food lover. The purity of glass ensures that food retains its great flavour.
WATCH THE VIDEO:

Recipes and Instructions
Why not give it a go? Here are some handy links to get you started:

Canning, The Epicurious Way
Canning Safely, Weck
Home Canning, Kaufmann Mercantile Blog
Meyer Lemon Marmalade Recipe, Kaufmann Mercantile Blog
How to Can, Fresh Preserving
Food in Jars Blog
Recipes, Saving the Season
Preserved Fruits and Sweetmeats, Jennie June’s American Cookery Book, by Jane Cunningham Croly. Google Books.
Kitchen Lighting Made From Weck Canning Jars, The Kitchn
Weck Canning Jars, Katy Elliot

Photo by: Dorling Kindersley/Getty Images

The German Association for Consumer Protection, Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), has filed a complaint of false advertising against Swedish Tetra Pak. DUH’s initial request to modify their advertising was ignored by Tetra Pak, leading to the action in the Wiesbaden Regional Court. DUH intends to halt Tetra Pak’s marketing efforts until the case is heard.

The complaint centres on Tetra Pak’s claim that it was among the most environmentally friendly beverage packaging materials and that it is 100% recyclable. However, DUH’s research showed that only about one-third of cartons sold in Germany are actually recycled. “Tetra Pak makes its products sound greener than they are,” says Dr Remo Klinger, a lawyer who will represent DUH in the dispute. “Such greenwashing is unfair and will not be tolerated by the courts.”

Figures from the European Association of Producers of Steel for Packaging (APEAL) would appear to back-up the DUH numbers. For 2009, the latest year for which statistics are available, APEAL reported that the recycling rate for beverage cartons was just 34% in Europe. According to the same figures, 67% of glass was recycled.

“Theoretically, almost everything is recyclable. But the practice is quite different as can be seen clearly in the case of beverage packaging. Tetra Pak’s statement that its packaging is completely recycled is simply wrong,” explained Maria Elander, Head of Economic Services at DUH.

Unlike Tetra Pak, which is down-cycled to produce cardboard and cartons, glass can be recycled over and over again without loss of properties. It’s only natural that glass is the clear choice for packaging!

A new campaign has been launched to encourage the use of glass. Known as Glass is Life™, the campaign is being rolled out across 12 countries in Europe, Latin America, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region simultaneously. The campaign will feature print and digital (banner) ads and will appear on social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

A number of posters and videos featuring a range of high-profile Voices for Glass have already been released. Voices include:

• Stefano Agostini, Chairman and CEO of San Pellegrino, says the green glass bottle used for the company’s lightly sparkling water reflects the quality of the San Pellegrino brand and ensures the same quality product is delivered to tables around the world.
• Zefferino Monini, CEO of leading Italian olive oil maker Monini who chooses glass because it preserves the flavour of his extra virgin olive oil.
• Celine Cousteau, environmentalist and documentary filmmaker, who champions glass because it is a natural and sustainable product that does no harm to the environment.
• Nic Lecloux, Co-founder of smoothie-maker True Fruits who says glass demonstrates the quality and sophistication of his premium product.
• Chef Geir Skeie, 2009 winner of the Bocuse d’Or (World Cuisine Contest), uses glass to preserve seasonal vegetables and fruits because it doesn’t affect the flavour of ingredients or his finished dish.

For more information visit the Glass is Life website.

Here’s a video campaign from our South African Friends of Glass, Consol. Makes you smile, doesn’t it?

And here’s a quickie for those who like their beer in a glass: Carlsberg recently redesigned their beer bottle (as we all know).

To announce that probably the best beer in the world now comes in a new bottle, more than 500 of those new bottles were used to form the Carlsberg logo on a number of advertising billboards in Belgium.

Did you see any? Photos welcome.

Hope there was a bottle bank nearby…