The surprising reason why Ocean Spray cranberry sauce labels are upside-down (2024)

FAQs

The surprising reason why Ocean Spray cranberry sauce labels are upside-down? ›

If the can were stored with the air bubble on the bottom for an extended time, the cranberry sauce would “crush it,” rendering it useless. By turning the can upside down, meaning that Ocean Spray attaches the label upside down, consumers will store the can with the air bubble at the top.

According to Ocean Spray, that's intentional: It creates a seamless serving experience. The cans are “filled and labeled upside down with the rounded edge on top and the sharp can-like edge on the bottom to keep the jelly whole,” an Ocean Spray spokesperson told CNN Business.

Nearly 1 in 3 Americans surveyed said they dislike cranberry sauce.

Costs are up

That includes cranberry sauce, whose price is up about 18% compared to last year because cranberry crops are smaller this year, sparking a supply squeeze.

Reason for recall: Product may contain undeclared sulfites. PLEASE return products to any Reasor's for a full refund or replacement.

Try reducing the sauce down even further so more of the liquid cooks off and the mixture thickens. If that doesn't work, add a thickener like gelatin, pectin or a cornstarch slurry (cornstarch whisked into juice or water). Let the sauce cool before refrigerating to completely set.

That creates an air bubble on the rounded side (a.k.a. the top) so customers "can swipe the edge of the can with a knife to break the vacuum and the log will easily slide out."This process has been in use since the early 2000s.

And the least favorite side dish for Americans on Thanksgiving is -- green bean casserole. 31.4 percent of people surveyed do not like it.

If your cranberry sauce has an odd flavor, consider checking the quality of your cranberries, the amount of sugar and water used, and the cooking time and temperature. Ensure you're using fresh cranberries and following the recipe for sugar and water measurements.

It's perfectly fine to serve up cranberry sauce — whole berry or jelled — straight out of the can. But in my experience, heating the canned sauce up takes its flavor to the next level. Plus, it becomes a little more aesthetically pleasing.

Why is the label on cranberry sauce upside down? ›

Ocean Spray says this is to get the cranberry sauce out in one intact piece. “The rounded part of the can that looks like the bottom has an air bubble in it,” Ocean Spray's representative explains. The bubble is there so you can “break the seal the sauce makes with the can.”

Best Whole Berry: Ocean Spray Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce

For those who prefer a whole berry sauce, Ocean Spray was the clear winner.

5,062,500 gallons of jellied cranberry sauce are consumed by Americans every holiday season. 70 million is the number of cans of cranberry sauce Ocean Spray produces a year.

Cranberry juice is usually labeled "100% juice." Other fruits are sometimes added to balance the tart cranberry taste, but that label indicates that the product is made with 100% fruit juices. Cranberry juice co*cktail, meanwhile, has added sugars or high-fructose corn syrup for extra sweetness.

Cranberry sauce can be used with a variety of meats, including turkey, pork, chicken, and ham. Cranberry sauce is often eaten in conjunction with turkey for Christmas in the United Kingdom and Canada or Thanksgiving in the United States and Canada, and it is only rarely eaten or served in other contexts there.

As long as an unopened can of cranberry sauce is stored in a consistently cool pantry, it'll keep and taste good for at least a year beyond the date stamped on the can. (That date is the manufacturer's estimate of how long the cranberry sauce will remain at peak quality and is not a safety-related expiration date.)