For tuna mixed into toast, pasta, rice or salad, start with the drained weight of an individual tin: the Tesco and Princes 80g spring-water examples each contain 56g of tuna after draining. Choose an olive-oil tin if you want oil in the meal, but compare its per-tin nutrition with a spring-water option; if preparation matters more, check the exact pack for an easy-peel, twist-open or no-drain feature. Several small tins are sold in multipacks, so eating one tin does not necessarily mean buying one tin.
If the tuna is going onto toast or into pasta, rice or salad, the drained amount matters more than the weight printed prominently on the tin. Tesco Groceries lists 56g drained tuna and 13.9g protein per can for its 3 x 80g spring-water pack.
Spring water leaves you to add your own dressing or sauce; olive oil adds oil to the dish. The cited Tesco spring-water can lists 61 kcal and 0.6g fat, while Sainsbury's Groceries lists 106 kcal and 5.7g fat for its drained olive-oil can. Check the figures for the particular tins you are comparing.
An opening feature can help when making a quick supper, but it belongs to a specific pack, not every tin from a brand. Sainsbury's Groceries describes the cited Princes pack as Foil Easy Peel and the John West ECOTWIST pack as twist-open.
Decide how much tuna you want to use, then compare the packing liquid and opening instructions on the exact pack.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion size | Compare net weight with drained weight and servings per tin. Tesco Groceries lists 56g drained per can in its 3 x 80g pack; Sainsbury's Groceries labels its 145g spring-water tin as two servings. | For tuna mixed into another food, one small can may be enough for my planned dish. If tuna is the main ingredient, I need to check the amount I will actually use. |
| Packing liquid | Check the liquid and nutrition per drained can, using the same basis where possible. Tesco Groceries lists 61 kcal and 0.6g fat for its spring-water can; Sainsbury's Groceries lists 106 kcal and 5.7g fat for its olive-oil can. | I might add my own sauce to spring-water tuna, or use an olive-oil tin when I want oil in the dish. |
| Opening and draining | Look for the opening method and any no-drain instruction on the exact variant. The cited Princes 3 x 80g pack has a Foil Easy Peel lid; the John West ECOTWIST 4 x 125g pack has a twist-open SmartStrip, according to Sainsbury's Groceries. | When preparation time matters, I want to know whether I need a can opener or need to drain the tuna before serving. |
| Leftovers and labels | Check the fish-allergen declaration and the opened-pack storage directions. Tesco Groceries and the cited Princes listing specify use within two days after refrigeration; the cited Sainsbury's own-label products specify one day. | If I will use only part of a tin, I need to know how the particular product says to store the rest. |
Tesco Groceries and the cited Princes listing each give 56g drained tuna per can for their 80g-format products. Planning a meal around 80g of drained tuna would therefore overstate what those cans contain.
Compare drained weight and servings per tin, especially if one can needs to supply most of the tuna in your supper.
The cited Sainsbury's olive-oil can lists 106 kcal and 5.7g fat per drained can, compared with 61 kcal and 0.6g fat for the cited Tesco spring-water can. These are figures for those products, not every tin in either liquid.
Choose the liquid for the dish you plan to make, and compare nutrition using the stated serving or drained-can basis.
The Food Standards Agency says its advice for people who are pregnant or trying for a baby is based on a medium can of around 140g drained tuna. That is a different size from the cited 56g-drained cans. The NHS also states that canned tuna does not count as oily fish.
Check drained weight rather than treating small and medium cans as interchangeable. For pregnancy or when trying for a baby, consult the Food Standards Agency guidance for the applicable weekly limit.
The cited Tesco and Princes products specify use within two days after refrigerating leftovers, while the cited Sainsbury's own-label products specify one day.
Transfer unused tuna to a suitable container, refrigerate it and follow the instructions on the pack you opened.
These examples describe particular tins and packs; the name on the label alone does not establish their portion size or opening method.
Tesco's cited spring-water product is a 3 x 80g pack of individual cans for adding tuna to another food.
The cited own-label products include tuna in olive oil and tuna in spring water, in different tin sizes.
The cited Princes spring-water product combines small individual cans with a foil easy-peel lid.
John West has cited packs with different opening and draining formats, so the particular variant matters.
These options include individual cans sold in multipacks and one 145g tin. Compare the stated pack format and check the tin's drained amount when deciding how much to open for supper.
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For a quick supper add-in, the listed no-drain format avoids a draining step. This is a pack of three individual 100g cans, not a single-can retail pack. Check the can's drained amount if the portion size matters to your meal.
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If you want oil in the dish and less preparation, this listing describes a no-drain format and a twist-open SmartStrip. It contains three individual 100g cans packed in sunflower oil, not olive oil. Check the per-can portion and nutrition on the pack when comparing it with spring-water tuna.
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This spring-water tin is an option when you want tuna for a simple meal without buying a multipack. Its stated net weight is 145g; check the drained weight and servings to decide whether you will use the whole tin. If there are leftovers, the product description directs you to transfer them to a container, refrigerate and use within two days.
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These spring-water cans suit a supper where you plan to use a 125g-format tin rather than a smaller 80g-format one. The retail pack contains four individual cans. Check the drained weight for your portion, and check the exact pack instructions if opening or no-drain use matters.
It can be an addition to toast, pasta, rice or salad, but check the drained weight before treating it as the main ingredient. Tesco Groceries lists 56g drained tuna in each can of its 3 x 80g pack; the NHS describes a fish portion as around 140g.
Choose according to whether you want to add your own sauce or have oil from the tin in the dish. For the cited drained cans, Tesco Groceries lists 61 kcal and 0.6g fat for spring-water tuna, while Sainsbury's Groceries lists 106 kcal and 5.7g fat for olive-oil tuna; check the figures on any other tins you compare.
Yes, if you follow the particular pack's storage directions. The cited Tesco and Princes products direct you to transfer leftovers to a container, refrigerate and use within two days; the cited Sainsbury's own-label products specify use within one day.
No. The NHS states that fresh and canned tuna do not count as oily fish in its UK dietary guidance.
The Food Standards Agency says people who are pregnant or trying for a baby should have no more than four medium cans of tuna a week or two tuna steaks a week. Its medium-can basis is around 140g drained per can, so check the drained weight when comparing that guidance with smaller tins.