Story: Farming in the economy

Canned roast mutton

Canned roast mutton

This label is for canned mutton produced by the Gear Meat Company in the 1880s. Meat canning began before refrigerated shipping was proven to be viable. It had the advantage of keeping well for extended periods of time, and cans were easier to transport than frozen meat. However, when stored and thawed correctly, frozen meat looks more like fresh meat and has a better flavour than canned meat.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: Eph-F-MEAT-Gear-014-2

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Robert Peden, 'Farming in the economy - Refrigeration and sheep farming', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/ephemera/17618/canned-roast-mutton (accessed 30 March 2024)

Story by Robert Peden, published 24 Nov 2008