Canned vegetables 'as nutritional as freshly cooked'

The research project, carried out by the SGS Fresenius Institute in Berlin on behalf of ‘Initiative food can’ (a collaboration of German manufacturers to promote food in cans) found that the vitamin and mineral levels of canned vegetables were at least as high as freshly cooked ones.

Cooking recommendations​

While the canned vegetables were heated according to the recommendations of the manufacturer, the fresh vegetables were cooked “according to regular household practice”​. After, both canned and freshly prepared vegetables were examined for their mineral nutrients such as potassium, magnesium and calcium, as well as for levels of vitamin B1, B6, C, A (beta-carotene) and folate.

According to the study, two canned vegetables achieved optimum values sauerkraut and tomatoes. The canned varieties of both were found to have contained one-third more vitamin C than the freshly-prepared alternative.

Top marks​

Canned tomatoes also received top marks for their vitamin A and lycopene levels, the institute found. Canned tomatoes also contained as much as four times more lycopene compared with fresh tomatoes.

The institute said the findings of the research “highlight steel's exceptional performance capabilities once the food is canned, a loss of nutrients is practically impossible”​.

As food cans are made of steel, the material delivers unrivalled protection, it added.