Canned fruit availability in the United States declined substantially across the historical series, from 25.1 pounds per person in 1970–74 to 14.2 pounds in 2010–14. The category also became more concentrated: in 2008, apples and applesauce, pineapple, peaches, and pears together represented 91.0 percent of the listed canned-fruit categories. Pineapple provides a more recent example of changing preservation habits, with fresh fruit accounting for two-thirds of total U.S. pineapple availability in 2024.
Contents
- Long-term U.S. canned fruit availability
- Fruit-by-fruit availability from 1970 to 2008
- How the category changed by 2008
- Canned fruit compared with fresh fruit
- 2010–14 canned fruit benchmarks
- Pineapple’s shift toward fresh fruit
- How to read these statistics
Long-term U.S. canned fruit availability
The USDA Economic Research Service reported average U.S. canned fruit availability of 25.1 pounds per person in 1970–74. That average fell to 21 pounds per person in 1990–94 and to 14.2 pounds per person in 2010–14. These are period averages, so they describe broad five-year benchmarks rather than a single year’s household purchases. The figures come from Apples/applesauce and pineapples accounted for 56 percent of canned fruit availability in 2010-14 (USDA ERS).
| Period | U.S. canned fruit availability per person |
|---|---|
| 1970–74 | 25.1 pounds |
| 1990–94 | 21.0 pounds |
| 2010–14 | 14.2 pounds |
The longer decline is also visible in the USDA ERS historical table. Total canned fruit availability was 16.7 pounds per person in 1970, 10.8 pounds in 2005, and 10.0 pounds in 2008. The historical source reports that total canned fruit availability fell 40 percent from 1970 to 2008. Those annual observations and the reported change are from Canned Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the United States (USDA ERS).
The two series should be kept distinct when comparing them. The 1970, 2005, and 2008 observations are annual product-weight availability figures adjusted for loss in the older canned-fruit table. The 1970–74, 1990–94, and 2010–14 observations are period averages from the newer USDA ERS chart. They indicate the same broad direction, but they are not identical measurement points.
Fruit-by-fruit availability from 1970 to 2008
The historical USDA ERS table provides comparable annual observations for seven listed canned-fruit categories. Apples and applesauce were available at 3.8 pounds per person in 1970, 2.8 pounds in 2005, and 3.0 pounds in 2008. Pineapple moved from 3.5 pounds per person in 1970 to 2.4 pounds in 2005 and 2.2 pounds in 2008.
Peach availability was 4.7 pounds per person in 1970, then 2.4 pounds in 2005 and 2.1 pounds in 2008. Pear availability changed from 2.8 pounds per person in 1970 to 1.9 pounds in 2005, remaining at 1.9 pounds in 2008.
The smaller listed categories also changed. Canned olive availability was 0.8 pounds per person in 1970, 1.1 pounds in 2005, and 0.7 pounds in 2008. Cherry availability was 0.3 pounds in 1970, 0.2 pounds in 2005, and 0.1 pounds in 2008. Apricot availability was 0.7 pounds per person in 1970, then 0.1 pounds in both 2005 and 2008.
| Canned fruit category | 1970 | 2005 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples and applesauce | 3.8 lb | 2.8 lb | 3.0 lb |
| Pineapple | 3.5 lb | 2.4 lb | 2.2 lb |
| Peaches | 4.7 lb | 2.4 lb | 2.1 lb |
| Pears | 2.8 lb | 1.9 lb | 1.9 lb |
| Olives | 0.8 lb | 1.1 lb | 0.7 lb |
| Cherries | 0.3 lb | 0.2 lb | 0.1 lb |
| Apricots | 0.7 lb | 0.1 lb | 0.1 lb |
All values in this table are pounds of product-weight availability per person, not a direct survey of what each household ate. The source is Canned Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in the United States (USDA ERS).
How the category changed by 2008
The USDA ERS reported different rates of decline among the listed categories from 1970 to 2008. Apples and applesauce availability fell 22 percent, while pineapple fell 39 percent. Pear availability fell 31 percent, and peach availability fell 55 percent. Olives declined 8 percent, cherries declined 68 percent, and apricots declined 87 percent. Across the listed canned-fruit category total, availability fell 40 percent.
These percentages describe change over the same 1970–2008 period; they do not mean every category fell in every intervening year. The olive series illustrates why the endpoints matter: availability rose from 0.8 pounds per person in 1970 to 1.1 pounds in 2005 before reaching 0.7 pounds in 2008.
The 2008 mix shows which categories made up the listed total at that point. Apples and applesauce represented 29.7 percent of canned fruit availability, pineapple represented 21.5 percent, peaches 20.9 percent, and pears 18.9 percent. Olives represented 6.9 percent, cherries 1.1 percent, and apricots 0.8 percent. The source reports the listed categories as totaling 100.0 percent, with the source’s rounding retained.
Together, apples and applesauce plus pineapple represented 51.2 percent of the listed 2008 canned-fruit availability. Adding peaches and pears brings the four largest listed groups to 91.0 percent. This is a category-mix observation for 2008, not a current market-share estimate.
Canned fruit compared with fresh fruit
The USDA ERS chart comparing fruit forms places canned fruit within total U.S. fruit availability. Canned fruit accounted for 10.6 percent of total U.S. fruit availability in 1970–74. In 2010–14, canned fruit accounted for 5.6 percent. Over the same periods, fresh fruit’s share rose from 41 percent to 52 percent.
The period comparison pairs a lower canned-fruit share with a higher fresh-fruit share, but it does not by itself identify a single cause. It also does not mean that all other forms moved in the same way. The measurements are shares of total U.S. fruit availability for the stated periods, not percentages of canned fruit alone. The source is Apples/applesauce and pineapples accounted for 56 percent of canned fruit availability in 2010-14 (USDA ERS).
2010–14 canned fruit benchmarks
The newer USDA ERS chart gives several fruit-specific benchmarks for 2010–14. Canned apple and applesauce availability averaged 4.1 pounds per person. Canned pineapple availability averaged 3.9 pounds per person.
For longer comparison, canned peach availability was 6.5 pounds per person in 1970–74 and 2.7 pounds in 2010–14. Canned pear availability was 3.8 pounds per person in 1970–74 and 2.0 pounds in 2010–14. These benchmarks are period averages, not the same annual observations as the historical 1970, 2005, and 2008 table.
The chart title notes that apples/applesauce and pineapples accounted for 56 percent of canned fruit availability in 2010–14. That statement belongs to the 2010–14 comparison and should not be substituted for the 2008 category mix above. Both sources concern U.S. availability, but they cover different periods and present the data in different series.
Pineapple’s shift toward fresh fruit
Pineapple is the one canned-fruit-related category in the supplied recent USDA ERS observation. U.S. pineapple availability ranged from 10.9 to 14.6 pounds per person during 1995–2024. In 1995–97, fresh pineapple supplied about 17 percent of U.S. pineapple availability, or about 2 pounds per person annually.
By 2024, fresh pineapple availability reached a record 8.5 pounds per person. Total U.S. pineapple availability was 12.9 pounds per person, with fresh pineapple accounting for two-thirds. These 2024 observations are current-year measurements in the source’s series, not forecasts. They describe pineapple overall and should not be interpreted as a current total for all canned fruit.
Imports help show the geographic concentration behind the fresh-pineapple supply. The United States imported 2.92 billion pounds of fresh pineapple in 2024, and Costa Rica supplied almost 90 percent of that amount. The source is Pineapple availability pivots from processed to fresh (USDA ERS).
The pineapple series therefore supports a specific conclusion: U.S. pineapple availability shifted toward fresh fruit between the 1995–97 benchmark and 2024. It does not establish that the same shift occurred at the same rate for every canned fruit, nor does it provide a newer all-fruit canned-product total.
How to read these statistics
USDA ERS food-availability figures are supply-based proxies for U.S. consumption, not direct household intake surveys. They are useful for tracking long-run availability and the balance among fruit forms, but they should not be read as the exact amount eaten by an average person.
The older canned-fruit table reports product-weight availability adjusted for loss. The newer pineapple chart reports fresh-weight availability. Because the measurement bases differ, pounds from the two sources should not be combined into an unsupported total or used to calculate an unreported trend.
The 2008 mix percentages include only the listed canned-fruit categories and retain the source’s rounding. Finally, no reliable official source in this series supports a current all-fruit canned-product total newer than the historical USDA ERS series. The 2024 observation is consequently limited to pineapple: 12.9 pounds per person in total pineapple availability, including 8.5 pounds of fresh pineapple per person and a fresh share of two-thirds.