Tinned food and drink is big business: every day more (1)175,000 million tins are sold throughout the world. The process by (2)food products can be preserved in tins was invented in 1810 by a Frenchman (3)Nicholas-Francois Appert.

His father ran a small hotel, (4), Appert learned about preserving fruit and vegetables (5)a boy. He then became a cook and sweet-maker and grew fascinated by the idea of (6)able to preserve food for (7)than is naturally possible. He experimented with various foods and finally (8)in preserving vegetables, fruit juices and jams.

What he did (9)to put the food in glass containers which were then boiled for a long time.

In 1810 the French government offered a prize to (10)who invented a means (11)preserving high-quality food. The food was needed (12)feed Napoleon's rapidly expanding army and navy. Appert won the prize and with the money he received he set (13)a commercial food-preserving factory. At the(14)Appert used only glass jars and bottles but in 1822 he changed to metal containers. His achievements (15)widely praised and his method was soon in use throughout France and the (16)of the world.