It was during the period of the Napoleonic wars that the Frenchman Nicolas Appert found that food could be preserved against spoilage by first sealing it in an airtight glass jar, and then heating it. After many years of careful trials and experiments, he published a book on his process in 1810, which became a great success in many countries. By this time, Appert had set up his own factory to produce and distribute his preserved foods. The French government was so impressed by his discovery that they gave him an award of 12,000 Francs. Although Appert's method clearly worked, nobody knew exactly why at the time. It wasn't until the end of the 19th century that it was found that bacteria were the cause of food spoilage, and that these were destroyed by heating. Appert's discovery was taken up in England by John Hall, founder of the famous Dartford Iron Works, and his associate Bryan Donkin in 1811. As well as using glass bottles, they developed the use of metal canisters made of tinned iron to store the food, which were of course virtually unbreakable. Thus the world's first `canned' food was made in their new factory set up in Bermondsey, London.
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