Beanz Meanz Heinz
Preserving food in tin cans had been in practice in the Netherlands since 1772, but tin openers were not invented until 1855, so Fortnum and Mason advised their customers to use knives. The first tin openers were a variation on a knife and were not the easiest things to use. The 1855 version is still being manufactured today.
Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons
My parents had one very similar to it, and using it was always a hit and miss affair. Being of the ‘make do and mend’ generation, very little was ever thrown out, so the fairly crude opener remained in use for a long time. ‘Stabbing’ the tin was a difficult process, I remember, so the introduction of rotary openers was very welcome.
Although initially baked beans were produced in the USA and imported, the British public enjoyed them so much that the Heinz company opened its first UK factory in Peckham in 1905. During WWII, when so many foodstuffs were rationed, the Ministry of Food announced that baked beans were essential and thus exempt from rationing.
The largest food processing plant in Europe, and the largest Heinz facility in the world, is located at Kitt Green, Wigan. It was opened in 1958 and employs 850 people and manufactures more than one billion cans annually. The process involves sealing raw beans and sauce in tins, and placing them in huge pressure cookers, which thicken the sauce and guarantee a long shelf life.
Perhaps the most memorable jingle comes from the well-known slogan for beans, ‘Beanz Meanz Heinz’. It was set to music with the words, ‘A million housewives every day pick up a tin of beans and say, “Beans Means Heinz.”’ In fact, at the time, the number of customers was closer to 1.75 million, but that would have ruined the scansion of the jingle. It was created in 1967 by Maurice (Mo) Drake (1998-2021) and was voted the best slogan of all time in 2012. The music was written by Johnny Johnston (1919-1998)
In 2008, the spelling of beans changed, the word ending in ‘z’. Until I discovered that fact today, the spelling had not registered with me, and I have always considered myself to be observant! Clearly, mistaken there!
At the same time as the spelling was altered, the salt and sugar content was reduced in the ‘regular’ tins. Additionally, the ‘no added sugar’ beans contain less than half the amount of sugar.
The UK is the largest consumer of baked beans in the world, devouring 1.5 million tins every day. Heinz beans are not so popular in the States, not even featuring in the top ten of baked beans.
Our cats and dogs enjoy baked beans, when they have the opportunity. Usually, they simply lick out the tins. The other day, I opened some beans, emptied them into a container and put the tin in the sink, ready to be rinsed out. My attention was drawn elsewhere for something or other and when I turned back to wash the tin, I couldn’t find it anywhere. I even looked in the recycling bin, in case I had inadvertently put it in there, but with no success.
Then I noticed that, though Roxy was still in the kitchen, ‘helping’, Gilbert was noticeable by his absence. I discovered him in his bed, contentedly chewing the empty tin. He had been in possession of it for less than a minute, but had made an impressive impact on it, stripping off the paper and adapting the shape of it. He never minds giving up his projects, and, although I keep explaining to him, he still can’t understand why I take them away.
Today, I
