UK supermarket chain Sainsbury’s is switching its premium plum tomatoes from cans to cartons this week, and some industry experts believe cartons could eventually replace tin cans.

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New innovations in packaging design mean other traditionally tinned foods could soon be repackaged in cartons. The new Tetra Pak cartons are considered to be lighter than cans and easily recycled. The rectangular shape of the cartons is also more efficient for transportation and storage than cylindrical cans – for every 16 lorries needed to transport cylindrical cans, just one lorry is needed to transport the equivalent amount in cartons, reported The Guardian.


The secret Tetra Pak design also enables the carton to withstand sufficient temperatures to sterilise the contents after filling.


A switch to cartons could reduce the number of packaging-related accidents – on average two thousand people per year are injured whilst opening tin cans.

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