Blogs are increasingly showing that they have the power to transform entire sectors of the market, and the food industry is not an exception, according to a report in the Washington Post. When most people think of canning and preserving fruits or vegetables, older, rural folk with a strong sense of tradition come to mind. But it appears as though popular blogs about the food industry have started changing the habits of a much younger generation, who are turning to canning and preserving, even though most would have predicted only a decade ago that these activities were going the way of the dinosaurs. Zach Patton and Clay Dunn, a couple in their late twenties from Washington, DC, recently discovered the benefits of canning tomatoes and decided to write an article about this on their popular blog, The Bitten Word. </p> <p>As Dunn, Patton and a growing number of other young Americans turn to more natural and organic food options, the preponderance of blogs gives them a forum to discuss their changing lifestyles and thus influence the country?s consumer culture. In fact, major canning companies such as Ball Corp, the firm which produces jars used for preserves, has seen an impressive 30 percent spike in sales, over the course of the past year. Whereas in the past most people who purchased these canning products were typically pensioners from the countryside, Ball Corp found that most of its current clients are now actually urbanites between 35 and 50 years of age. This generation is one which has tuned in to the world of blogging and it is becoming clear what a crucial role bloggers can play in influencing lifestyle decisions. The rising prominence of private bloggers also points to the importance of developing corporate blogs, in order to ensure that a company?s message gets out in an undiluted format.<br />