Grocery prices stayed elevated across the U.S. in 2024 and 2025, according to federal inflation reports, pushing more shoppers toward shelf-stable staples. In that context, registered dietitians say a short list of canned foods, including tomatoes, pumpkin, beans, and fish, can be a healthier pick than fresh in specific cases.
Dietitians are pointing to 4 canned foods with clear nutrition advantages
Registered dietitian Toby Amidor said canned tomatoes are a standout because processing increases the availability of lycopene, an antioxidant linked to heart health. The U.S. Department of Agriculture lists canned tomato products as a significant lycopene source, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health has also noted that cooking tomatoes can make lycopene easier for the body to absorb.
Dietitians also regularly point to canned pumpkin. The USDA database shows canned pumpkin is dense in vitamin A from beta carotene, and many brands pack pumpkin shortly after harvest in the fall season. Unlike fresh carving pumpkins sold in October, canned pumpkin typically uses sugar pumpkin varieties that are bred for eating, not decoration.
Beans are another example nutritionists mention by name. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has stated that canned beans provide fiber, plant protein, folate, and iron, and rinsing them can reduce sodium. Canned salmon and sardines also make the list because the soft edible bones add calcium and vitamin D, according to the National Institutes of Health and USDA nutrient data.
What this means for shoppers across the U.S.
For shoppers in states from California to Florida, the most immediate impact is practical: canned can be a strong backup when fresh produce is expensive, out of season, or spoils too fast. The USDA has long recognized canned, frozen, and fresh foods as valid parts of a healthy diet, and that matters as food budgets remain tight in 2025.
What is confirmed is that canned versions can sometimes hold more usable nutrients after processing or storage. What is not true in every case is that canned always beats fresh. Registered dietitian Joy Bauer has said nutrient differences depend on the food, how long fresh produce sat in transit, and whether the canned product includes added salt, syrup, or heavy sauces.
Label details matter most at the store. Dietitians generally advise choosing fruit packed in juice, beans labeled low sodium or no salt added, pumpkin with no added sugar, and fish packed in water or olive oil. The company has not released a single national standard for all canned labeling terms because nutrition claims vary by brand and product line under federal rules.
Why canned sometimes comes out ahead
The main reason is timing. Many canned fruits and vegetables are processed within hours of harvest, according to the Can Manufacturers Institute and university extension nutrition guidance, which can preserve nutrients near peak ripeness. Fresh produce shipped hundreds or thousands of miles can lose quality over time, especially delicate items stored for days in transit and on shelves.
Heat used in canning can lower some nutrients, especially vitamin C, but it can improve others. Michigan State University Extension and Harvard nutrition guidance both note that heat can increase bioavailability of compounds such as lycopene in tomatoes. That is why nutritionists do not treat all vitamins the same when comparing fresh and canned.
For customers, the takeaway is narrower than the headline suggests. Dietitians are not saying canned replaces all fresh food. They are saying 4 categories come up repeatedly in counseling and public guidance because they are affordable, widely available in U.S. stores, and nutritionally solid in 2025 when shoppers read the label and compare sodium, sugar, and packing liquid.
