Canned food remains a substantial part of the U.S. food supply, especially in tomatoes, peaches, olives, pickles, and other preserved produce. USDA estimates show how much canned food was available per person, while supply tables show production, imports, exports, and food availability. Census data adds a 2024 view of the fruit and vegetable canning industry, and FDA guidance defines important acidity and water-activity thresholds.
Contents
- Canned fruit availability per person
- Canned vegetable availability per person
- Fruit supply, imports, exports, and availability
- Vegetable supply, imports, exports, and availability
- The U.S. canning industry in 2024
- Acidity and water-activity thresholds
Canned fruit availability per person
The USDA Economic Research Service estimated U.S. per-capita availability for selected canned fruits in 2021. These are national supply-based proxies for consumption, not direct measurements of household intake. The figures use product weight, so they should not be compared directly with the canned-vegetable figures below, which use farm weight.
The largest listed fruit categories were canned apples and applesauce at 3.260 pounds per person, canned peaches at 2.046 pounds, and canned pineapples at 1.944 pounds. Canned pears accounted for 1.026 pounds per person, while canned olives accounted for 0.948 pounds.
Smaller per-capita estimates included 0.096 pounds of canned cherries, 0.055 pounds of canned apricots, and 0.014 pounds of canned plums. The figures are published in the USDA ERS Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System: Fruit (canned) CSV, with all amounts measured for 2021.
| Canned fruit category | U.S. availability per person, 2021 |
|---|---|
| Apples and applesauce | 3.260 lb product weight |
| Peaches | 2.046 lb product weight |
| Pineapples | 1.944 lb product weight |
| Pears | 1.026 lb product weight |
| Olives | 0.948 lb product weight |
| Cherries | 0.096 lb product weight |
| Apricots | 0.055 lb product weight |
| Plums | 0.014 lb product weight |
For some canned-fruit commodities after 2017, USDA ERS notes that canned production is estimated from historical shares because USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service discontinued detailed canned-production reporting. The published 2021 figures therefore retain that limitation and should not be presented as direct household surveys or as independently verified production measurements.
Canned vegetable availability per person
USDA ERS estimated per-capita availability for selected canned vegetables in 2022 using farm weight. Canned tomatoes dominated the listed categories at 56.487 pounds per person. Canned chile peppers followed at 7.419 pounds, while other canned vegetables accounted for 4.389 pounds.
Cucumbers for pickles represented 2.994 pounds per person, and cabbage for kraut represented 0.973 pounds. Canned potatoes were estimated at 0.479 pounds per person. These are supply-based national proxies rather than direct measures of the amount individual households ate.
The farm-weight basis matters: these values describe the agricultural material represented in the supply system, not necessarily the packaged weight on a retail shelf. The underlying figures are from the USDA ERS Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System: Vegetables (canned) CSV, for 2022.
| Canned vegetable category | U.S. availability per person, 2022 |
|---|---|
| Tomatoes | 56.487 lb farm weight |
| Chile peppers | 7.419 lb farm weight |
| Other canned vegetables | 4.389 lb farm weight |
| Cucumbers for pickles | 2.994 lb farm weight |
| Cabbage for kraut | 0.973 lb farm weight |
| Potatoes | 0.479 lb farm weight |
Fruit supply, imports, exports, and availability
USDA’s 2021 supply table provides a broader view than per-capita availability. For canned apricots, the table recorded 14.596 million pounds produced in the United States, 4.316 million pounds imported, and 0.746 million pounds exported. The amount available for food was 18.166 million pounds.
For canned sweet cherries, U.S. production was 5.362 million pounds and imports were 6.508 million pounds. Exports totaled 2.538 million pounds, leaving 9.331 million pounds available for food.
The canned-olive supply was much larger. Production was 92.008 million pounds, imports were 230.385 million pounds, and exports were 7.738 million pounds. The table recorded 314.655 million pounds available for food. In this category, imports were a substantial part of the reported supply.
Canned peaches also had a large supply table. U.S. production reached 482.277 million pounds, imports were 205.447 million pounds, and exports were 8.622 million pounds. The reported amount available for food was 679.102 million pounds.
| Canned fruit | Produced | Imported | Exported | Available for food |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apricots | 14.596m lb | 4.316m lb | 0.746m lb | 18.166m lb |
| Sweet cherries | 5.362m lb | 6.508m lb | 2.538m lb | 9.331m lb |
| Olives | 92.008m lb | 230.385m lb | 7.738m lb | 314.655m lb |
| Peaches | 482.277m lb | 205.447m lb | 8.622m lb | 679.102m lb |
The supply-table quantities retain USDA ERS’s product, farm, or processed-weight definitions. They are not a simple retail-sales series, and “available for food” is a supply-table measure rather than a direct count of servings consumed.
Vegetable supply, imports, exports, and availability
The 2022 vegetable supply table recorded 335.160 million pounds produced for cabbage used in sauerkraut, along with 27.702 million pounds imported and 38.279 million pounds exported. Cabbage available for food was 324.583 million pounds.
For cucumbers used for pickles, production was 975.826 million pounds. Imports added 158.187 million pounds, while exports were 135.542 million pounds. The reported amount available for food was 998.470 million pounds.
Tomatoes for processing were measured on a far larger scale. The table recorded 20,991.760 million pounds produced, 3,025.006 million pounds imported, and 5,745.441 million pounds exported. Tomatoes available for food totaled 18,840.356 million pounds.
| Vegetable input | Produced | Imported | Exported | Available for food |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage for sauerkraut | 335.160m lb | 27.702m lb | 38.279m lb | 324.583m lb |
| Cucumbers for pickles | 975.826m lb | 158.187m lb | 135.542m lb | 998.470m lb |
| Tomatoes for processing | 20,991.760m lb | 3,025.006m lb | 5,745.441m lb | 18,840.356m lb |
These 2022 quantities come from the USDA ERS Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System: Vegetables (canned) CSV. As with the fruit table, the values preserve the source table’s weight definitions and should not be interpreted as direct household-intake measurements.
The U.S. canning industry in 2024
The U.S. fruit and vegetable canning industry reported $28,411,400 thousand in sales, shipments, or revenue in 2024. Expressed in dollars, that is $28.4114 billion. The same Census Bureau summary reported $2,893,691 thousand in annual payroll, or $2.893691 billion.
Inventory data provides another view of the industry’s scale. At year-end 2024, total inventories were reported at $6,495,436 thousand. Of that amount, $837,507 thousand was valued using LIFO costing, and the reported LIFO reserve was $162,354 thousand.
The Census Bureau reported a 1.5% coefficient of variation for the industry’s year-end total-inventory estimate. That statistic describes the precision of the estimate; it is not a percentage change in inventory and should not be read as an inventory growth rate.
The sales and payroll figures are from the Census Bureau’s 2024 summary statistics for NAICS 311421. The inventory figures and coefficient of variation are from the Census Bureau’s 2024 inventory valuation statistics.
Acidity and water-activity thresholds
FDA guidance distinguishes canned foods using finished-equilibrium pH and water activity. FDA defines a low-acid canned food as having a finished-equilibrium pH greater than 4.6, subject to listed exceptions. The same definition specifies water activity greater than 0.85.
FDA defines an acidified food as having a finished-equilibrium pH of 4.6 or below, with water activity greater than 0.85. These thresholds describe regulatory categories; they do not by themselves provide a complete home-canning process or establish that a particular recipe is safe.
FDA technical guidance places the approximate minimum water activity for Clostridium botulinum growth at 0.93. The minimum can vary as high as 0.96 depending on product characteristics. This is a technical threshold from 1984 guidance, not a forecast or a measurement of every canned food.
For the regulatory definitions, see the FDA’s Acidified & Low-Acid Canned Foods Guidance Documents & Regulatory Information. The water-activity values are described in FDA’s Water Activity (aᵥ) in Foods technical guidance.