Pears can

2001 price: 49p

Comparison between the prices of canned goods is made more complex because in 1911 cans were sold by size, rather than by weight: the price given is for the larger of the two sizes in Sainsbury’s list. Canned pears were a luxury ‘high tea’ treat, perhaps for a Sunday, and were relatively expensive. Their cost today is relatively lower, mainly because of large-scale production methods, but also because of competition from fresh fruit, which transport and storage techniques have made available all the year round.