The Time is “Ripe” for Canned Food
By Rich Tavoletti, Executive Director
As the executive director of the Canned Food Alliance, it’s my job to tout the many benefits of canned food. And as a partner of the Together Counts™ program for healthy, active living, and someone who enjoys celebrating life’s special moments with family and friends over a good meal, I appreciate the simplicity, nutrition and great taste canned ingredients afford year-round.
As we look ahead to winter there is no better time to incorporate canned ingredients into your meals and family celebrations. Consider:
- Canned foods are picked and packed at peak ripeness and quality. Come fall and winter, many fruits and vegetables are not in season. With canned foods, you can be sure of reliable, great-tasting ingredients to make your meals and snacks top-notch year-round.
- Fall and winter recipes are perfectly suited to canned ingredients. Chili, soup, casseroles, pasta dishes and dips all are enlivened with the addition of canned fruits, vegetables, beans, seafood and lean meats. And don’t forget broths and stocks.
- Canned foods are convenient and easy to use. How many of us have time to prepare a fresh pumpkin to make pumpkin pie? Or soak beans to make soup? Cans get you there quicker and easier, and often with the same, if not more, nutrition than fresh or frozen. Did you know canned pumpkin has three times more vitamin A than an equal amount of fresh ?
- Commercial canning follows the same simple steps as home canners have for generations. Just as past generations “put up” the summer harvest to enjoy throughout the colder months, commercial canning follows those same steps to ensure we all can enjoy tomatoes, corn, peaches and other produce anytime.
For hundreds of canned food recipes, new research and more information on the nutritional benefits of canned food, visit Mealtime.org. While there, sign up to receive Canned Food News, the CFA’s monthly e-newsletter.
Richard Tavoletti
Executive Director, Canned Food Alliance (CFA)
Director, SMDI Container Market Program
Rich Tavoletti was appointed director of the Canned Food Alliance (CFA) in November 2004. In addition to his role on the CFA, Tavoletti serves as the American Iron and Steel Institute’s (AISI) Director, Container Market Program, where he provides strategic leadership in the promotion of consumer packaging.
As Executive Director of the CFA, Tavoletti works to further expand the promotion of the nutritional value and convenience of canned foods to consumers and key influencers in the dietetic and culinary fields, as well as within government offices. Through a multi-industry membership the CFA is committed to enhancing consumers’ and key influencers’ perceptions of canned food.
For more winter inspiration, check out these other articles from Together Counts!