Canned food could play key role in meeting nutrition recommendations

Industry association says cans are viable option in IOM call for better school meals.

David Bellm -- Packaging Digest, 10/26/2009 10:13:55 AM

The Canned Food Alliance (CFA) welcomes and supports the timely recommendations aimed at increasing the nutritional content in school meals within calorie needs in this week's report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). Among the recommendations in its 2009 report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children, the IOM calls for increasing the amount and variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, along with reducing saturated fat and sodium.

"Aligning school meals with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and improving the healthfulness of school meals is a critical step in addressing the dietary needs for all children. It is noteworthy that the IOM Report considers that canned, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables all provide options and variety for planning nutritious meals," said Rich Tavoletti, executive director of the CFA.

As these recommendations move to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be incorporated as regulations, school districts should consider canned foods as viable options:

--  According to a University of California at Davis study, all forms of

      fruits and vegetables - canned, fresh and frozen - are nutritionally

      similar and contribute important nutrients that comprise a healthy

      diet.

  --  Canned fruits and vegetables are picked and packed at their peak of

      freshness, locking in nutrients until they are consumed. Thus, canned

      foods have an extended shelf life of at least two-years, making them

      affordable to buy in bulk and reduce waste.

  --  Schools can choose from over 1,500 types of canned foods available

      today, including more products than ever before, that are packed as

      no-salt added and reduced sodium options.

  --  The canning process does not require the use of preservatives; precise

      heating in the canning process and vacuum sealing maintain the

      quality, safety and integrity of the product.

  --  In some cases, nutrients in canned fruits and veggies are greater than

      in their fresh and frozen counterparts.  For instance, the body's

      ability to use the heart-healthy antioxidant lycopene found in canned

      tomatoes is increased because of the heat from the canning process.

  --  Canned fruits and vegetables do not contribute significantly to

      American's sugar and sodium intake.  In fact, all canned fruits and

      fruit juices contribute less than two percent of added sugars in most

      American's diets, and vegetables contribute less than one percent of

      sodium, according to "Food Sources of Added Sweeteners in the Diets of

      Americans," Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 2004.

  --  The majority of canned food is packed in recyclable steel cans. Based

      on Steel Recycling Institute data, steel cans are the most recycled

      food and beverage containers and contain a minimum of 25 percent

      recycled content.