Want cheaper, healthier foods? CAN DO

With the price of food going through the roof, Tanith Carey finds out why buying tinned goods may not just save you money... it might be better for you, too

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There was a time when tinned food was relegated to the back of the cupboard and opened up only when the fridge was bare.

But with food inflation still rising - and expected to increase another 4.2% by the end of the year, according to the British Retail Consortium - canned fruit and vegetables, which are often only half the cost of fresh food, are enjoying a revival.

Tins have also shaken off their fuddy-duddy image and become the stars of hundreds of money-saving recipe videos on Tik Tok.

Beyond the lower price tag, canned foods are a more sustainable option too. They're cheaper to transport, easier to recycle, and their long shelf lives - up to five years for some kinds - help cut waste.

They might also be a smarter choice for your health. Canned fruit, vegetables and beans all count towards your five a day and in some cases can contain more nutrients than the fresh versions that have been sitting in your fridge for days. Although some heat-sensitive vitamins (like C and B) are reduced during the canning process, others, such as vitamins A, D, E and K, are preserved or even enhanced.

Nutritionist Fiona Hunter, author of Simply Nutrition: For Complete Beginners, says: "The canning process can actually make it easier for the body to absorb some of the vitamins and phytochemicals in plants.

"This is because it breaks down tough cell walls that otherwise lock the nutrients inside and prevent our bodies from accessing them."

So how do tinned foods stack up pricewise against fresh, and which are the healthiest choice to stock up on? Here's our guide.

TOMATOES

The mainstay of many a kitchen cupboard, tinned tomatoes are always useful as an ingredient for pasta sauces, soups and stews. But tinned versions of the fresh fruit are around only HALF the price. As they are often packed at the peak of ripeness, and served with tomato juice, they can contain more vitamins than fresh tomatoes.