International Can-It Forward Day

Categories:: Special Interest
Tags:: Activities American Food
Where:: International
Date change rule:: Every August 1
Holiday emoji:: 🥫

International Can-It Forward Day arrives every August 1, celebrating the timeless tradition of home food preservation. This day encourages everyone to embrace canning as a way to enjoy fresh produce year-round and reduce waste. Learn new techniques, share your creations, and connect with fellow canners.

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Expected International Can-It Forward Day Deals

While we wait for official 2027 promotions to drop, history shows that retailers often offer deals on canning supplies and fresh produce. Look for savings on canning jars from brands like Ball and Kerr, pressure canners from Presto, and preserving kits from Norpro. Grocery stores such as Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe’s may feature discounts on bulk fruits and vegetables perfect for canning. Specialty kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma often host workshops or offer bundles on canning equipment. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as August 1 approaches.

Platform Guide for International Can-It Forward Day

Instagram

Tag @nationaltoday_ and use #CanItForwardDay. Share vibrant photos of your canned goods, from colorful jams to pickled vegetables, or document your canning process.

TikTok

Tag @www.nationaltoday.com and use #CanItForwardDay. Create short, engaging videos showcasing quick canning recipes, tips for beginners, or a ‘day in the life’ of a home canner.

Facebook

Mention National Today (facebook.com/nationaltoday) and use #CanItForwardDay. Join canning community groups, share your favorite family recipes, and organize local produce swaps.

International Can-It Forward Day Hero

Nicolas Appert

Nicolas Appert (1749–1841) was a French confectioner and chef widely regarded as the 'Father of Canning.' In response to a prize offered by Napoleon for a method to preserve food for his army, Appert developed a process of sealing food in glass bottles and heating them. His innovation, published in 1810, revolutionized food preservation and laid the groundwork for modern canning techniques, ensuring soldiers and civilians had access to safe, nutritious food.

History of International Can-It Forward Day

Canning was developed as part of a concerted effort made by the French government, which offered a significant cash award to anyone who could invent a way to preserve food in large amounts. The discovery that food cooked inside a jar wouldn’t spoil was the beginning of canning, and food began to be preserved in glass jars.

Over time, the glass jars evolved into tin cans. Initially, the process was laborious and time-consuming, making canning quite expensive. Only people who could afford to spend money on expensive glass jars and metal tins would be able to can their produce. Still, the preservation method was valuable, especially for the armed forces who needed supplies that would last for long periods.

Middle-class households in Europe took to canning as a novelty, but it wasn’t until the mechanization of the canning process that the method became a popular way of preserving food. Soon canned food spread out of Europe into America, and while it was popular during wars, it was also an easy and cheap way to keep a variety of food conveniently accessible.

Today, canning has spread beyond the industrial process and become accessible to the average home gardener and food enthusiast, with several home canning tools and products becoming readily available. With the growing interest in home canning, companies producing canning tools began to actively celebrate fresh canning and started the International Can-It-Forward Day.

International Can-It Forward Day timeline

1809

Canning Is Discovered

Nicolas Appert, a French confectioner, discovers that food cooked and sealed in jars does not spoil as part of the French government’s efforts to find a way to store food.

1811

Food Is Stored in Sealed Cans

Bryan Donkin of the United Kingdom develops a way to seal food and produce in airtight cans.

1900s

Canned Food Becomes Popular

Canned food starts to be seen as a convenient and easy way of keeping a variety of food on the shelves.

2000s

A Day to Celebrate Canning Emerges

Due to the growing popularity of canning, the International Can-It-Forward Day emerges.

How Businesses Can Celebrate International Can-It Forward Day

Local businesses can celebrate International Can-It Forward Day by hosting canning workshops or demonstrations, partnering with local farms to offer bulk produce discounts, or featuring preserved goods made in-house. Restaurants could offer special menu items highlighting seasonal ingredients preserved through canning, such as pickled vegetables or fruit chutneys. Kitchen supply stores can run promotions on canning equipment and ingredients, while farmers’ markets can organize ‘can-it-forward’ events where customers can learn about preservation and share their bounty. Encourage community involvement by collecting canned goods for local food banks.

International Can-It Forward Day FAQs

When is International Can-It Forward Day?

International Can-It Forward Day 2026 falls on Saturday, August 1. It’s the perfect weekend to gather fresh produce and start your home canning adventures, sharing the bounty with others.

How many people practice home canning?

Home canning has seen a significant resurgence, with millions of households in the U.S. and globally engaging in the practice. Estimates suggest that over 20% of U.S. households participate in some form of home food preservation, with canning being a primary method.

What are the benefits of home canning?

Home canning offers numerous benefits, including preserving seasonal produce at its peak freshness, controlling ingredients for healthier meals, and saving money on groceries. It also reduces food waste and provides a sense of accomplishment.

What is the difference between water bath and pressure canning?

Water bath canning is used for high-acid foods like fruits, jams, jellies, and pickles, where jars are submerged in boiling water. Pressure canning, conversely, is essential for low-acid foods such as vegetables, meats, and seafood, as it reaches higher temperatures necessary to kill harmful bacteria.

International Can-It Forward Day Activities

Start canning produce
If you’ve wanted to try canning for a while, the International Can-It-Forward Day is the best day to start. Get started by watching videos and blog posts on the topic. Then, apply your newfound knowledge to your fresh produce.
Share canning recipes
If you’ve been canning for a while, you likely have your own recipes. Share your unique recipes with everyone on the International Can-It-Forward Day.
Build a canning community
Canning is a great community activity. Meet your neighbors, exchange recipes and fresh produce from each other’s gardens, and start canning together.

5 Facts About Canning That Will Surprise You

Canned produce is edible for long periods
Freeze-dried canned produce has been found to be edible for over thirty years with proper storage.
Canning was seen as a status symbol
In the early 1800s, when canning was still expensive, middle-class households saw canning food as a novelty and a status symbol.
Early canning was done using lead
Using lead cans caused poisoning in many people, mainly soldiers, who consumed canned produce.
The quality was improved for morale
The quality of canned food was improved to ease the complaints of soldiers in World War I and improve overall morale among the troops.
Canned food preserves nutrition
Canned food typically has more nutritional value than food that has been preserved using other ways like freezing.

Why We Love International Can-It Forward Day

It is fun
Canning is a great way to preserve and share food. So, get everyone involved in the fun. It is not as hard as it looks.
It prevents food wastage
Canning food is a great way to use produce that would otherwise go to waste. It can help you make sure you’re not contributing to scarcity.
It makes food accessible
Fresh canning is a great way to spread traditional foods worldwide, especially produce that can only be grown in specific climates. Go shopping and see what foods you can find that would not ordinarily be available in your country.