ALUMINUM CANS AND FOIL
In the 1800s, aluminum was believed to be so rare that it was considered more valuable than gold or silver and used only for jewelry. This is surprising, since aluminum is the third most abundant element found on earth. In the early 1900s, extraction procedures had improved greatly, making aluminum widely available at reasonable cost. Ideas for using aluminum in food storage began to evolve because of the favorable prop- erties of this metal. Aluminum is lightweight, nontoxic, and easy to shape, it does not rust, and it can be easily recycled. These properties made aluminum an ideal material for packaging. In the 1950s, Coors Brewery partnered with a company called Aluminum International to develop an aluminum can for beer. This product was first marketed in 1958 and is the first commercial use of an aluminum beverage can. By 1964, a competing company, Reynolds Metals Co., became the first commercial sup- plier of twelve-ounce aluminum beverage cans that are still considered the standard today. Another development based upon the desirable properties of aluminum was thin foil. This aluminum foil was superior to papers and plastic because it protected contents from moisture and oxygen. Today, aluminum cans and foils are found with coatings of plastic to further protect the integrity of the stored product.
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