Canned Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the United States: An Updated Report to Congress

This report updates the Canned Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the United States: Report to the United States Congress (September 2008), using more recent data through 2008, where available. Both reports were prepared and published in response to requests from Congress. We used data from the Economic Research Service’s Food Availability Data System, Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Expenditure Surveys, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food intake surveys to study U.S. consumption of and spending on canned fruits and vegetables. Data since 1970 suggest that the share of canned fruit out of total fruit consumed will continue to be fairly constant at around 6 percent in the short term, while the share of canned vegetables out of total vegetables consumed will continue to fl uctuate—but mostly decline—from the 24 percent share in 2008. The analysis tracks the changes in canned fruit and vegetable expenditures since the previous report, and breaks down these expenditures by demographic characteristics of households, including age and ethnicity.