Are Food Pouches Greener Than Cans?

January 3, 2008

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Foods like tuna and pet food, which used to be sold only in tin cans, are now widely available in pouches, but environmentally, those pouches may not be the best solution, Courant reports.

The plus side: The pouches do take up far less space and weight and are much easier to manufacture than cans, all of which means less costs in energy. But because the pouches are made from a combination of food-grade aluminum foil, plastic and adhesives, they’re almost impossible to recycle, according to the article.

On the other hand, the tin cans are not only easy to recycle but were also probably made with mostly recycled steel.

On a side note, Cook’s Country magazine did a taste test of albacore tuna from pouches and cans, and canned tuna took four of the five top spots.

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