The healthiest canned tuna prioritizes lower mercury (skipjack/light), packed in water or olive oil, with minimal sodium, and sustainably caught (pole/line), with Safe Catch, Wild Planet, and American Tuna often praised for low mercury/sustainability, while Skipjack is best for mercury, and Albacore offers more Omega-3s but higher mercury. Look for certifications like MSC and choose skipjack for lower mercury, albacore for omega-3s, and water-packed for fewer calories/fat.
The bottom line
Choosing pole-and-line-caught light skipjack tuna is your best choice for a low mercury and sustainable option.
Sirena tuna is considered good because of its premium quality, using pole-and-line caught yellowfin tuna, which results in a richer flavor, firm chunky texture, and lower mercury levels compared to other brands. Consumers praise its superior taste, often packed in quality oils or springwater, making it versatile for salads, sandwiches, and meals, despite being a pricier option.
The FDA offers specific guidelines to limit some varieties of canned tuna when pregnant and breastfeeding. To limit mercury intake from tuna, here are the guidelines: Best choice: Eat 2 to 3 servings per week of canned light skipjack tuna. Good choice: Eat 1 serving per week of yellowfin tuna or white albacore tuna.
Yes. It is safe for everyone (including pregnant women) to consume canned tuna as part of their fish intake.
Safe Catch is the ONLY brand mercury testing Every Tuna, Every Time. Lowest mercury of any brand, guaranteed. Always wild, sustainably caught. The best seafood nature has to offer.
Some tuna cans that say do not drain because they don't add oil, water, fillers, preservatives, and GMO soy broth. Cans that say do not drain contain only tuna or sometimes salmon. They only have natural occurring fish oils and juices and those are rich in omega threes.
Because of our innovative testing method and strict mercury limits, Safe Catch Elite and Ahi are the only tuna brands to meet Consumer Reports' Low-Mercury Criteria for sensitive populations like pregnant moms and kids and has gained the respect and is the official tuna of the American Pregnancy Association.
If you're counting calories and maximizing omega-3 fatty acids, then tuna in water might make a great choice. On the other hand, if moisture, flavor, and vitamin D levels are your focus, then olive oil-packed tuna might be better. Whatever tuna you choose, it's important not to go overboard for this mild-flavored fish.
The concerns around daily intake stem from its mercury content. However, according to the NHS, which states a healthy, balanced diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, there's nothing there to say you can't eat tuna every day, unless you're trying for a baby, or pregnant.
The larger the tuna species, the more mercury it contains. I would avoid Albacore tuna, which has 3 time the levels of mercury compared to the smaller species, such as Skip Jack. Children up to age six shouldn't eat albacore more than once a month (3 oz. portions); children ages 6–12, twice a month (4.5 oz.
Top 10 Tunas
Tuna, salmon, sardines, mackerel, mussels, oysters: The healthiest types of tinned fish.
The Rankings: Tuna in Oil
The healthiest canned fish are small, oily varieties like sardines, mackerel, anchovies, and herring (SMASH), packed with omega-3s, protein, vitamin D, calcium (especially with bones), and lower mercury, with anchovies and sardines often topping the list for overall nutrition and lower cost; salmon is also excellent but choose smaller species like canned sockeye or chum.
5 Ways to Make Your Canned Tuna Healthier, According to Registered Dietitians
The healthiest canned tuna is typically chunk light skipjack packed in water, due to lower mercury levels and fewer calories than albacore, but for maximum omega-3s, opt for pole-and-line caught albacore (in moderation due to mercury). Look for "no salt added" for sodium control, sustainable sourcing (pole-and-line/FAD-free), and brands that test for mercury (like Safe Catch or Wild Planet https://www.asweetpea).
Apparently, the safest tuna to eat is Skipjack.
You would have to eat around 25 tins (at 95g a tin) of it a week before you hit the maximum tolerable intake of mercury. For pregnant people (or people trying to get pregnant), the limit would be around 12 tins (at 95g a tin) a week. It is unlikely many consumers will reach these limits.
Nothing Added, Nothing Drained
Have you ever wondered, “Why do I have to drain a can of tuna?” We did too, so that's why Safe Catch Ahi tuna never adds water or oil fillers. We take pride in carefully preparing the best tuna nature has to offer, for you.
Buy skipjack and yellowfin tunas labeled pole-caught, pole-and-line, troll-caught, or FAD-free from the Atlantic or Pacific. Avoid all bluefin tuna, except if you confirm it's Pacific bluefin tuna from a yellow-rated source (scroll down for more information). Avoid tuna caught in the Indian Ocean.
AKA: false albacore, albacore, little tuna, bonito, Fat Alberts. Description: Little tunny is a tuna-shaped fish that is steel blue on top and silver below with wavy stripes along the posterior portion of the back.