Yes, We Can!

Canned is just as good as fresh?

That’s what the California Cling Peach Board says, citing a new study by Oregon State University and the Linus Pauling Institute. The multiyear-long study concludes that California canned peaches are nutritionally equivalent to their fresh counterparts, and that some nutrients increase thanks to the canning process.

Just as lycopene levels increase when tomatoes are cooked or canned, researchers say, so too do key nutrients found in fresh cling peaches. The OSU study found that antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin C all increased and that folate levels in canned peaches were up 10 times compared to their fresh counterparts.

“We always knew that our canned peaches are nutritious,” said second-generation peach grower and California Cling Peach Board Chairman Sarb Johl. “Now we have the science to back up our claims. This is great news for our industry and should go a long way in dispelling misperceptions about canned fruit nutrition.”

That’s also great news for grocers looking for something new to help pull more shoppers through center store. Folks looking to stock up on foods with a healthy profile but wary about fresh produce prematurely going bad on their counters or in their fridges can look to canned goods as a solution, and grocers would do well to leverage this study in their center store marketing.

There were plenty of great center store products submitted for PG’s annual Editors’ Picks contest, the results of which will appear in our August issue. We’re finishing up our evaluations now, so watch this space for my personal insights on this year’s best products!