We Graded Every Canned Fruit A–F. The Packing Liquid Is the Whole Story.

Canned fruit gets unfairly lumped in with junk, but it keeps most of fresh fruit’s vitamins and fiber — the only real variable is what it’s swimming in. We graded the popular cans on the same 6-dimension Labelgrade, and the packing liquid sorted the whole list: fruit packed in 100% juice or a “lite” syrup leads, while heavy syrup bolts dessert-level sugar onto otherwise-fine fruit and anchors the bottom. It’s still fruit — naturally sugary, no protein — so even the best caps at a B-. Two honest moves cover almost all of it: choose “in juice,” and drain it.

The verdict

Packing liquid is the whole game: Del Monte Sliced Pears in lite syrup top the list at B- (73), while Del Monte Sliced Peaches in Heavy Syrup land last at C+ (67) — same fruit, dragged down by the added sugar in the can, not the peach.

Top of the class B- Del Monte Del Monte, Sliced Pears, Lite, Lite 73/100

Bottom of the class C+ Del Monte Foods Inc. Del Monte, Sliced Peaches In Heavy Syrup 67/100

The full report card — all 5 canned fruits, ranked

#	Canned fruit	Grade	Score	Weakest link
1	Del Monte — Del Monte, Sliced Pears, Lite, Lite	B-	73	fiber (41/100)
2	Dole Packaged Foods Llc — Pineapple Chunks In 100% Pineapple Juice	B-	72	fiber (36/100)
3	Del Monte — Del Monte, Fruit Cocktail In Extra Light Syrup, Lite	B-	71	fiber (36/100)
4	Dole — Mandarin Oranges In 100% Fruit Juice	C+	68	added sugar (20/100)
5	Del Monte Foods Inc. — Del Monte, Sliced Peaches In Heavy Syrup	C+	67	added sugar (16/100)

Worth a closer look

The two ends of the list tell the story. Del Monte Del Monte, Sliced Pears, Lite, Lite tops the class at 73/100 (B-); Del Monte Foods Inc. Del Monte, Sliced Peaches In Heavy Syrup anchors the bottom at 67/100 (C+). Click any product for its full fact sheet — the six dimension sub-scores, the per-serving label, and what would move its grade. Prefer to slice it yourself? Filter every graded product by the dimension you care about.

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How we graded these

Each product is scored on six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — combined into a 0–100 score and a letter grade. Every number comes from the product’s own label, verified against USDA FoodData Central. The grade is absolute (relative to all packaged foods), which is why a whole category can land in the same band. See the full methodology. Last graded 2026-06-04.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which canned fruit scored best?

The lite-syrup and packed-in-100%-juice cans led — Del Monte Sliced Pears (Lite) edged Dole Pineapple Chunks and the extra-light fruit cocktail. See the ranked table above for the exact order and each can’s weakest dimension. The pattern is simple: the lighter the liquid, the higher the grade.

Why did the heavy-syrup peaches score lowest?

Heavy syrup is mostly added sugar, and added sugar is one of our six dimensions. The Del Monte Sliced Peaches in Heavy Syrup carry the same good fruit as the rest, but the syrup adds dessert-level sugar that the score counts — so they landed at the bottom. Buy the same fruit “in juice” and the grade climbs.

Is canned fruit healthy?

Mostly yes — it keeps most of fresh fruit’s vitamins and fiber, and it’s cheap and shelf-stable. The catch is the liquid: “in juice” or “lite” is close to fresh, while heavy syrup tacks on sugar you don’t need. Even the best caps at B- here because fruit is naturally sugary and brings no protein — that’s the absolute scale, not a knock on fruit.

How is the grade calculated?

Six dimensions — protein density, ingredient quality, added sugar, sodium, fiber, and saturated fat — into a 0–100 score and a letter grade, from each product’s own label, verified against USDA data. See our methodology page.