Recommended items: canned luncheon meat, canned spicy luncheon meat, canned garlic luncheon meat, canned smoked luncheon meat, canned fish luncheon meat, canned beef luncheon meat, canned ham pork, canned refined luncheon meat, canned ham, canned ham and pork
 
Shanghai Meilin (Meilin Zhengguanghe), formerly known as Shanghai Meilin Canned Food Factory, was founded in 1930 and is one of the earliest and most famous canned food manufacturers in Shanghai. In the domestic canned luncheon meat market, Shanghai Merlin's hegemony is undoubted, and its classic luncheon meat products can be called "national luncheon meat". In the process of formulating national standards for many canned food industries, Shanghai Merlin is one of the main drafting units, and its industry status can be seen.
 
There are many types of Merlin luncheon meat, and the quality is different, and the low-end products perform poorly. Among them, the classic canned luncheon meat well-known to domestic consumers is positioned to the lower to medium level, with more starch content, more fat and less lean pork input, and the fat content is significantly higher than that of other brand products. In addition to the classic model, it has also developed a variety of flavors such as spicy luncheon meat, garlic luncheon meat, smoked luncheon meat, fish luncheon meat, and beef luncheon meat. The Merlin Classic series is worth a lot of people, and the price of the 340g pack is about 15 yuan, but the performance of this series of products is not convincing, and if the budget is sufficient, the classic model may not be a good choice.
 
Merlin's "refined canned luncheon meat" is an upgraded version of the classic model, with an increase in lean meat and a significant reduction in starch, and the price is slightly higher than Merlin's classic luncheon meat, with a price of about 23 yuan for a 340g pack, but the flavor has been significantly improved. For the average consumer, refined canned luncheon meat is the most decent one of Merlin's luncheon meat products, and there is no significant defect of the classic model.
 
At a price point similar to canned refined luncheon meat, there is also Merlin's canned ham. This can is available in two sizes: a standard 340g can and a horseshoe can 454g, with different packaging shapes but the same contents. "Canned ham" has in fact gone beyond the category of luncheon meat, but Merlin's product has a great improvement in the meatiness compared to the same brand products, basically made of pure pork, and the fat content is the lowest in the brand, only 9%, so it is favored by consumers. After opening the can, it can be seen that there is a large amount of meat jelly precipitated on the surface, the taste is tender, the meat juice is rich, the texture of the meat is uniform, and the aroma is full. However, due to the small amount of starch thickener, the tissue structure of this canned food is not tight enough, and the boiled shabu-shabu is easy to scatter, so it is better to eat it directly cold. The 454g bottle of horseshoe can is only 24 yuan, which is very cost-effective.
 
Canned ham and pork is the most expensive product in Merlin, with a 340g price of 29 yuan. The Merlin Gold Jar is claimed to be made using the "massage and tenderization" process, and the texture of the meat is more compact and dry, rich in ham and lean meat, and the taste is more chewy and fibrous. The lid of the Merlin Gold Jar is additionally equipped with a dust-proof cap, which can be opened and reused for easy storage.
 
It should be noted that due to historical reasons, the "Meilin" trademark has been jointly owned by Shanghai Merlin and COFCO since 1959, and at present, COFCO also produces "Meilin" brand canned luncheon meat, but it has nothing to do with Shanghai Merlin. On some e-commerce platforms, there are even two Merlin flagship stores competing against each other. Due to the average quality of COFCO Merlin's luncheon meat, it is not recommended in the list, and it is recommended that consumers look for Shanghai Merlin products when purchasing goods. At present, Shanghai Merlin has adopted a new trademark image, adding the "B2" logo on behalf of Shanghai Merlin on the basis of the old shield trademark, while COFCO Merlin has adopted the original shield trademark.