Practically all packaged coconut is dried. With most of the water taken out of the coconut, dried has higher concentration of sugars, calories and fat.

To keep that dried coconut from being a perishable, preservatives and whiteners are often added.

It makes sense that fresh coconut isn’t as sweet. But you gain a freshness and moistness you can enjoy by itself or enjoy topping or adding to a recipe. The freshness you gain in a recipe is hard to achieve by any other means.