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

Late last week, the Swedish government made clear that they were looking to phase out the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food and drink cans amidst concerns of the potential danger the chemical presents to humans. The move would make them the first in the world to do so.

The controversial chemical has been the subject of many scientific studies, many of which claim that it isn’t safe for human consumption.

The EU recently banned BPA in the production of baby bottles; this move could create a domino effect in the food packaging industry, it is believed. Good news is that glass still more than passes the test, being chemically inert,  it doesn’t interfere in any way with the content it’s holding.

Under new proposals put forward today by two official agencies, Swedish food processors and packaging companies would have to submit plans by the end of the year on how they intend to substitute current epoxy linings in cans with BPA-free alternatives – or get such a roadmap from their suppliers.

Importers and manufacturers would also be obliged to outline when such alternatives could come to market and be available to the food industry. They would also be required to deliver an assessment on the likely impact of the move on food production and manufacturing.

Via: Food Production Daily

Meet Melissa Gunning, a Canadian business woman and all ‘round super mum, in our opinion. She’s the founder of ‘Wean Green’, a company that offers eco-friendly baby food containers.

The Wean Green containers are made with durable, tempered glass, so they can easily be stored in the fridge as well as heated up in the micro, without worrying about contaminating the food. Smart clips lock all the food inside, and they glass cubed and stackable – fitting perfectly into your baby bag.

The idea popped into Gunning’s head eight years ago, when she started feeding her daughter solids. Though she used glass to store food for her and her husband, she froze her infant daughter Rayne’s organic homemade food in plastic ice cube trays – even though she worried about what the plastic might contain. “My friends make fun of how eco-friendly I am,” Gunning says. “But I think it’s extremely important to get rid of plastics for kids.”

By the time her second daughter was born, stylish, ecological choices were available for everything from cotton diapers to swaddling blankets – but not baby-portion glass containers good for freezing and reheating food.

So the former elementary school teacher started calling tempered glass container manufacturers, asking them to start making baby food containers. (The tempering process makes glass strong enough to withstand dramatic temperature swings.) Eventually, a Canadian glass manufacturer offered to help her reach a company that agreed to produce her design.

Wean Green’s cubes are now moulded at a factory in China that makes glass up to Gunning’s safety standards – no lead or cadmium. A factory in New York tempers the jars, making them strong enough to put in the hands of an infant.

From The Calgary Herald

Here’s a good read on the pro’s and con’s of glass and plastic milk bottles for baby.

Summarized:

The problem with glass bottles is pretty obvious — drop one on the floor in the center of a late-night feeding, and you’ll have a roomful of shattered glass to clean up. Glass is also heavy and cumbersome. On the upside, glass bottles are sturdy, and they needn’t contain any chemicals that could probably get into the baby’s formula.Plastic baby or child bottles are lightweight, strong, and unbreakable. However, concerns have arisen about the polycarbonate type of plastic bottles because they contain a chemical called bisphenol A (also called BPA).

Bisphenol A is also used in everything from compact discs to the lining of cans, as well as other customer products. A 2007 report by the organization Environment California showed that when heated, five popular brands of BPA-containing plastic newborn or child bottles leached high levels of bisphenol A.

In research of lab rats, low levels of BPA were linked to changes in the brain and reproductive system that research workers speak may donate to an increased risk of prostate and breast cancers and ovarian.

But of course, this research cited that the amount of BPA is not enough to be dangerous. However, early last year, we brought you news via the BBC that 6 manufacturers of babies’ bottles were ordered to remove the controversial chemical from their products following consumer demand. And it appears that Denmark and Canada have banned it completely.

What’s your view?

Parents in the US have had their voice heard: according to the BBC, 6 manufacturers of babies’ bottles in the US are to remove a controversial chemical from their products following consumer demand.

Bisphenol A (BPA) – a chemical widely used in plastic manufacture and commonly found in food and drink containers – has sparked growing concern that it could negatively affect babies’ health if, for example, plastic bottles are heated.

Parents are advised to not pour boiling liquid directly into plastic bottles, not to microwave them or use scratched or worn ones.

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