We Graded Every Canned Vegetable A–F. A Cheap, Smart Way to Hit Your Veg.

Most of our report cards are an exposé. This one isn’t. Canned vegetables get written off as the sad, lesser cousin of fresh, but the grades tell a kinder story: canning locks in most of the nutrients, and a stocked pantry is one of the cheapest, most reliable ways to actually hit your vegetables. Peas and corn lead this list, and the spread is small. The only real laggard is cream-style corn, which bolts on added sugar until it reads more like a side of dessert. The universal watch-out is sodium — but draining and rinsing trims roughly 40% of it — so this report card is less ‘who failed’ and more a quiet endorsement of the canned-veg aisle.

The verdict

Peas and corn lead — Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Peas and Green Giant Whole Kernel Sweet Corn tied for the top at B (77), while Del Monte Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn came last at B- (70), dinged on added sugar, not the vegetable.

Top of the class B Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Peas 77/100

Bottom of the class B- Del Monte Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn 70/100

The full report card — all 5 canned vegetables, ranked

#	Canned vegetable	Grade	Score	Weakest link
1	Del Monte — Fresh Cut Sweet Peas	B	77	fiber (52/100)
2	Green Giant — Whole Kernel Sweet Corn	B	77	fiber (36/100)
3	Hunt's — Diced Tomatoes	B	76	fiber (42/100)
4	Del Monte — Fresh Cut French Style Green Beans	B-	73	fiber (36/100)
5	Del Monte — Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn	B-	70	fiber (36/100)

Worth a closer look

The two ends of the list tell the story. Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Peas tops the class at 77/100 (B); Del Monte Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn anchors the bottom at 70/100 (B-). 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 vegetable scored highest?

Peas and corn led, tied at the top — Del Monte Fresh Cut Sweet Peas and Green Giant Whole Kernel Sweet Corn, with Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes just behind. See the ranked table above for the exact order and each one’s weakest dimension. The spread is tight, so most plain canned vegetables here are a smart pick.

Why did the cream-style corn score lowest?

Del Monte Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn came last because the creamed style bolts on added sugar, and added sugar is one of our six dimensions. Plain whole-kernel corn grades higher for the same reason — it skips the sweetening. A clear case of the recipe, not the vegetable, setting the score.

Are canned vegetables healthy?

Yes — they’re a smart, cheap way to get your vegetables, and canning keeps most of the nutrients intact, which is why the category grades in the B range. The one thing to watch is sodium, and draining and rinsing cuts roughly 40% of it before it reaches your plate.

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.