WESTERN PRODUCER — Bernardin, the company that makes canning jars, metal snap lids and bands, has announced it will discontinue production of its 78-millimetre gem lid this spring.
It’s a repeat of 20 years ago, when the Muncie, Indiana-based factory shut down production for the same-sized lids, leaving many canners in Western Canada livid.
The lids in question only fit gem jars that have not been in production for more than 20 years. However, without the proper-fitting lid, thousands of Canadian canners will be left with glass jars they cannot safely use.
Rural canners in the West could be especially affected because they preserve more than others. Many of their gem jars have been passed down from previous generations.
As in 2002, the decision is creating a stir in canning circles, once again leaving many seasoned and passionate food preservers with hundreds, even thousands of jars with potentially no future purpose.
“We’re going to be in a pickle without those gem lids,” said Marla Rauser, who farms near Lloydminster and helped spearhead a successful national letter-writing campaign two decades ago to petition and lobby the company. Bernardin resumed making the 78 mm lid about a year after that protest.
“Here we are again, 20 years later. Déjà vu, and the exact same rhetoric that they gave us 20 years ago, literally word for word,” said Rauser.
Karen Clark, who farms east of Calgary, is also angered by the move.
“I just remember the last time they pulled this stunt and how it created a fiasco and they’re back at it. Likely the people that are in the higher up at the office were probably not even there when they tried this before.”
Rauser and Clark have voiced their concerns to Bernardin.
Rauser received an email from the company that said it is giving priority to increased production of its more popular regular and wide-mouth lids as a way to address product shortages driven by the pandemic.
“We understand the significance of gem jars and lids and appreciated that you have been able to pass them down as well as your passion of canning along to your daughter.
“We apologize for the frustration and inconvenience that this decision has caused and hope that you can repurpose your gem jars in other ways,” Bernardin wrote.
In an email to The Western Producer, Bernardin said it was important to give customers plenty of notice so they can stock up on gem lids and bands.
“While we know this is a beloved product, we want to focus production on (the) most popular regular and wide-mouth lids and bands…. It will allow us to increase overall canning lid production for our Canadian customers and make our high-quality canning lids available in larger quantities to support growing demand,” the statement said.
According to Bernardin’s website, there has been greater demand in the past year and lid production has surpassed pre-COVID-19 numbers.
Gem jars are shouldered Mason jars that used to be made in imperial sizes of pints, quarts and two quarts. The unique mouth size of 78 mm falls between the now standard sizes of 70 mm (regular) and 85 mm (wide mouth).
With its slightly larger mouth size, the 78 mm has been more popular in Western Canada than the regular 70 mm size. The jars are popular in Hutterite communities where there is canning on a massive scale.
Michael Walter and his wife, Julia, oversee the vegetable garden at Cayley Hutterite Colony south of Calgary.
The colony routinely cans at least 4,000 jars per year and has been struggling with a shortage of lids for about two years. Some lids have been reused several times, though that is not recommended.
“With the amount of jars that we put in, if we had to go buy lids for a jar every year, it won’t be feasible. You’ll be spending way too much money,” said Walter.
Last year they followed the lead of another colony to buy 288 new jars and lids, some 24 cases, that are made in China. They expect to do that again after Bernardin stops production of gem lids.
“We bought enough last year hopefully that we don’t need any jars this year. But if there is a deal that comes up that we can get jars, we’ll just grab them and put them into storage now that we know there is a jar shortage and lid shortage,” he said.
Lexie Spahich, who farms near Lloydminster, is also unhappy and said she has lost trust in the company.
She has received thousands of gem jars from her mother, Paulette Lysyshyn, who joined Rauser years ago in the fight to reverse Bernardin’s course.
“I don’t even know if they’re making decisions based on profit. Last time they said they were, and when actually more investigation was done it wasn’t that because the lids are very popular,” she said.
On its website, Bernardin is offering a digital and printable coupon for $5 off the purchase of one 12-pack case of jars.
Spahich expects there will be a lot of stockpiling of the 78 mm lids while supplies last but that’s not the path she will take.
“I haven’t been buying them and it’s something I won’t do. The last time Bernardin said they were going to discontinue them, they offered to do a one-time big sell and everyone can get as much as they want for years.
“But … we don’t want to deal. The reason is these lids don’t last forever. They have rubber on the lid and rubber breaks down over the years so you have to get new ones. You can’t just stockpile a whole bunch of them because they deteriorate over time,” she said.
“They need to either keep making or they need to allow other companies to make for us because it’s something we do need. We’ll have thousands of dollars of jars that we can’t use anymore and our pantries are going to empty.”
