Is self-heating food the future? ... The target market seems obvious; a rival manufacturer says that its self-heating packets are suitable for mountain rescue teams, police forces, emergency response teams, schools and, rather specifically, "flood defence workers" and "emergency planning units of local authorities". The word "emergency", come to think of it, hovers over HotCan like a mushroom cloud; in the event of a Threads-esque catastrophe, it would be good to have something like them in the bunker, though they're probably too bulky for soldiers.
But the company has bigger plans. Its promotional literature makes much of its aim to become "the next Red Bull", and the managing director recently said they want to target students and the supermarket ... market. HotCans currently cost four quid a go, which I suspect is far too much for most students when a tin of Beanz Meanz Heinz costs 68p and a few pennorth of fuel. You also wait a bit longer for your food than you would if you were using a stove. HotCan currently sells 25,000 tins a month but they hope to raise this to 500,000, which should help lower the price ...
Guardian, 23/03/12. 
