Americans’ food choices have changed in the last 20 years, reflecting health issues that have been reported in the media. While health professionals recommend an increase in the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten by all segments of the population, it appears these recommendations have not been acted upon by the American public. Nutritional labeling has made more information available to consumers, but provides no comparative basis for making choices. The safety of canned foods is unquestioned, but their nutritional value is underestimated by consumers and health professionals alike.

In 1995, the University of Illinois Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition did a comparative nutritional analysis of a number of canned, fresh and frozen vegetables and fruits that received a great deal of attention. We have updated that study and provided additional information that can be used for consumer education and to answer the questions posed by the media, as well as health professionals.

In this current study, we have provided information about 35 canned fruits, vegetables, legumes, poultry and fish. The nutrient listings have been expanded and now include folate and fiber values for all of the products, as well as thiamin for the legumes. Canned foods can provide substantial contributions of folate, an essential vitamin that is not included on the nutritional label, but is present in fruits and vegetables. Fiber, another essential nutrient provided by fruits and vegetables in the diet, is as high in canned products as in its fresh counterparts. Our study confirms canned foods are comparable to, and sometimes better than, fresh and frozen varieties in their nutritional contribution to the American diet.

Key findings contained in this study include:

• Dietary Fiber – Many fruits and vegetables are important sources of dietary fiber. The canning process does not affect fiber content, making them comparable to fresh and frozen varieties. In fact, the heating process appears to make the fiber more soluble and, therefore, more useful to the body.

• Vitamin A – Many canned fruits and vegetables are high in vitamin A. Since little of the vitamin is lost during the canning process, canned products have vitamin A levels similar to their fresh and frozen counterparts. In some cases, such as canned pumpkin, the vitamin A levels actually are higher.
• Carotenes – Vitamin A is present in many fruits and vegetables as carotenes – antioxidants that provide protection for the body’s cells. Tomatoes, in particular, contain an important carotenoid called lycopene, which appears to be effective in cancer prevention. Some analyses show lycopene is effective when consumed after it is heated or canned.

• Folate – Beans are an excellent source of folic acid, which recent studies indicate plays a critical role during pregancy. Since folate holds up well during the canning process, making them similar to dried varieties that are cooked from scratch.

• Vitamin C – Apricots, asparagus, oranges, grapefruits, pineapple, strawberries, spinach and tomatoes are all significant sources of vitamin C. Although small amounts of the vitamin are lost during heat treatment, most of what is lost ends up in the liquid in which the product is packed. The vitamin C retained after canning remains stable during the one to two-year shelf life of the canned product.

• Protein – Canned poultry and fish – considered protein foods – are comparable to their fresh-cooked counterparts in nutritional value, since protein is not affected by heat treatment. This makes the canned varieties convenient alternatives to fresh-cooked, since they require much less preparation time.

Other advantages of canned foods are their convenience, as well as their safety. Knowing their nutritional value is as high as their fresh or frozen counterparts, we can use them with confidence either straight from the can or in recipes. We have provided five recipes for popular foods made with fresh or canned ingredients. The nutritional analyses for Chili, Tomato Vegetable Soup, Spaghetti Sauce, Peach Cobbler and Pineapple Upside-Down Cake show you can take advantage of canned foods’ convenience and safety to make delicious and nutritious recipes quickly.

Barbara P. Klein, Ph.D.
Professor of Food Science and Human Nutrition
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Rhonda Kaletz, M.S.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Links to Nutrition Study sections:

• Summary (current document)
• Background (19k)
• Study Methodology (6k)
• Study Findings (14k)
• References (4k)
• Nutrient Analysis of Recipes (40k)
• Explanation of Tables (14k)
• Index of Nutrient Tables (3k)