Accessible and Affordable

Canned foods provide safe, quality and affordable food that’s convenient and readily available.

Canned food…

Canned vegetables can cost up to 50% less than frozen and 20% less than fresh with virtually no sacrifice to the nutrition profile.¹

To learn more, review the infographic about a Michigan State University analysis: Nutrition, Cost & Safety: The Case For Cans

Registered dietitians rate canned foods as important in helping both themselves (81%) and their clients (89%) prepare nutritious and affordable home cooked meals.²

Cooking with canned foods cuts down on prep time, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family.
A survey showed that nearly two-thirds of moms believe canned fruits and vegetables save time and help get a healthy, homemade meal on the table.³

An adult woman can prepare a week’s worth of healthy meals largely consisting of canned foods for $8.29 a day, on average, which falls within the USDA’s Moderate Food Cost Plan.⁴

To learn more, explore this fact sheet: Canned Food Menu Model

Access to affordable nutrition is vital for the 42.2 million Americans that live in food insecure households, including 29.1 million adults and 13.1 million children.⁵

More than 1,500 food items come in cans, making them a great source of variety, regardless of the season.

Many Americans (67%) say they have a great tasting, family-favorite recipe using canned proteins, like chicken, salmon, tuna, clams, beans and more.⁶
A survey showed that moms use cans for one in four servings of vegetables and one in five servings of fruit consumed in their homes.³

The canning process provides safe, quality, nutritious food with the longest shelf-life of any type of packaging.
The high-heat canning process is one of the safest processes for preserving food, preventing the growth of microorganisms that cause foodborne illnesses.
Canned food provides an important public safety benefit, considering approximately 128,000 Americans are hospitalized annually with foodborne illnesses.⁷
Canned food is easily stored, which is important for the 19 million Americans that live in food deserts.⁸

Health professionals and food service workers agree canned foods play an important role in supplemental food programs, such as WIC, SNAP and snack programs for school.^9, 10
Inclusion of canned legumes can increase intake of priority nutrients for WIC participants, including fiber, potassium, and folate.⁹

As some canned vegetables and fruit options are more economical than fresh, canned produce can increase the purchasing power of Cash Value Vouchers for WIC participants.
The use of canned fruits and vegetables may improve the availability of a variety of fruits and vegetables across the seasons for the nearly one in four U.S. households with children participating in the WIC program.^9,11
Nearly two-thirds of food service managers that participated in the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program pilot allowing the use of canned, frozen and dried options found the inclusion of these foods improved the quality and variety of fruit and vegetable snacks offered through this program.¹⁰

To learn more, explore this omnibus study: