It’s Not Just a Can of Meat, OK?
I kind of appreciate the simplicity of this old-school packaging from Del Monte, though I feel like someone should have pointed out that the font size and style really makes the word "MEAT" pop, so much so that it looks like this is just a can of meat.
I'm not really much of a canned food eater (too much sodium and other stuff I don't really like eating), but whenever I see "meat in a can" products like this, it gets me sincerely wondering– what do they have to do to meat products to can them and make them shelf-worthy? I would imagine the process has to do with many preservatives, but it always seems strangely acontextual to me to have something that should be perishable (like meat or chicken) just sitting there in a can on a shelf, frozen in time, and that you can pop it open and eat it. How old is that meat? Scientists had to use powerful chemicals to essentially stop the natural process of decay, and that can't be good for your body, right?
That makes me start wondering– how many tries did it take before they got this process right? That is to say, did they measure decomposition and bacteria levels of meat in a lab, or did they have test-eaters who were just willing to eat old meat in order to get to the perfect preservative combination? Everything about this is gross to me.
Also, I find it rather hilarious that a can of preserved meat and tomatoes would have a tout on the bottom that says "Natural Source of Antioxidants and Vitamins A and C." If it's vitamins A & C you're after, might I suggest a carrot and an orange rather than a can of preserved meat?