CROWN Food Europe, a business unit of Crown Holdings, Inc., has expanded its Easylift™ easy-open end technology. Now available in four diameters - 65mm (211), 73mm (300), 83mm (307) and 99mm (401) - the ends are compatible with a wider variety of food cans including ready meals, fruit and vegetables, fish, dairy and pet food.

Easylift™ easy-open ends offer a generous gap between the can lid and the ring pull. This feature significantly improves finger access under the tab, making it even easier for all consumers, including seniors, children and the physically impaired, to open canned food products without using a can opener.

"With today's fast-changing lifestyles, consumers connect more with brands that offer convenience," said Ana Neale, Marketing Director, CROWN Food Europe. "Easy opening is key for any package, and our research shows that consumers prefer using our new easy-open end in this competitive market. Printing directly onto the ends can also help clearly promote these benefits to consumers and increase brand awareness."

Easylift™ easy-open ends can be used on existing can production lines with only minor, one-off adjustments. This allows manufacturers to switch to the new end without incurring production downtime.

Crown's patented Easylift™ easy-open end has been hailed as "a step change in consumer openability for food cans." Since its launch it has won nine prestigious industry awards, including gold awards from StarPack, Can of the Year and Best in Metal. The latest achievement was two WorldStar Awards, which included a silver award in the President's "Best of the Best" category.