Why Ocean Spray Intentionally Labels Its Cranberry Sauce Upside-Down

The mystery of the Thanksgiving staple has been solved

By Lisa Lacy

Thanks to Al MacR.

When it comes to Thanksgiving favorites, research shows Americans rank cranberry sauce squarely in the middle between all-stars like turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, and less popular dishes like turnips and tofu.

This still translates to more than 67 million cans of Ocean Spray’s jellied cranberry sauce sold each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas. (Ocean Spray dominates the market with roughly 70% share.)

If you’re among the 76% of American consumers who have purchased cranberry sauce for the holidays, per Ocean Spray, you may have noticed you have to flip the can over to open it. For years, I’ve wondered why. This year, I finally got to the bottom of it.

One whole log

A spokesperson for Ocean Spray told me this is no accident. The cans are intentionally filled and labeled with the rounded edge on the top and the sharper edge on the bottom because “there’s an air bubble vacuum on the rounded side, which makes it easier to get the sauce out in one whole log” after the can is flipped.

You read it here first: “Head space” remains at the top of the can as the sauce gels, which is vital to easily removing it later.

“The consumer then can swipe the edge of the can with a knife to break the vacuum and the log will slide out,” the spokesperson added.

The sauce gels thanks in part to cranberries’ natural pectin, a polymer that helps “glue the plant cells together,” as noted in this explainer on the science behind cranberry sauce.

“When cranberries are cooked, their pectin polymers tangle and interact, forming a net that traps dissolved sugar molecules so they can’t flow,” Scientific American explained.

In fact, pectin is commonly used as a thickener to set jams and jellies of all kinds. It’s also why cranberry sauce jiggles—and why it might otherwise be hard to get out of a can in one fell swoop.