Cooks keeping an eye on salt
For tuna pasta, a jacket potato or a bake, compare salt per 100g across tins and check the amount going into the dish. A spring-water or no-drain description is not a substitute for the nutrition label.
Who is choosing?
Shoppers comparing water, brine and oil
Pack style can help narrow the choices, but compare the exact products. Marks & Spencer lists less salt per 100g for its spring-water chunks than for its sunflower-oil chunks; that result does not establish a rule for every water- or oil-packed tuna.
Quick-meal cooks using cupboard ingredients
If dinner also includes stock, sauce, cheese or condiments, consider those ingredients alongside the tuna. The NHS suggests herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon juice as ways to add flavour instead of extra salt.
What should you check?
Start with a like-for-like salt comparison, then look at the amount of tuna and the other ingredients in the dinner.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt on the label | Compare salt per 100g on the exact tins. NHS Inform defines low salt as 0.3g or less per 100g; spring water alone does not establish that a tin meets this definition. | I want to compare tins on the same basis rather than choose one because its pack says spring water. |
| Amount used | Check the tin size, any stated drained weight and the nutrition information for the amount you plan to use. Do not assume the per-100g figure is the amount in your portion. | For a pasta bake or jacket potato filling, the amount of tuna I add matters as well as its label value. |
| Rest of the dinner | Compare labels on sauces, stock and condiments too. The NHS suggests herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon juice in place of extra salt. | I may be mixing tuna with cheese, mayonnaise or a sauce, so I want to consider the whole dish. |
| Convenience | Check whether the exact tin needs draining and whether its salt figure suits your comparison. Tesco Groceries lists 0.80g salt per 100g for John West No Drain spring-water chunks, above the NHS Inform low-salt threshold. | A no-drain tin would make a quick dinner simpler, but I would still check its nutrition label. |
| Allergens and storage | Check the fish allergen declaration and follow the exact pack’s instructions after opening. Tesco Groceries says to refrigerate its listed John West No Drain spring-water tuna and consume it within two days. | If I am serving someone with a fish allergy or saving leftover tuna, these instructions affect whether and how I use the tin. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming spring water means low salt
Marks & Spencer lists 0.75g salt per 100g for its spring-water chunks, and Tesco Groceries lists 0.80g for John West No Drain spring-water chunks. Both exceed NHS Inform’s low-salt threshold of 0.3g per 100g.
Use pack style to narrow the choice, then compare the salt figures on the exact tins.
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Checking the tuna but not the recipe
Stock, gravy, sauces, mayonnaise and cheese can contribute salt alongside the tuna.
Check the other ingredients before adding salt; the NHS suggests garlic, herbs, spices, chilli or lemon juice for flavour.
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Relying on a different variant’s label
Salt figures for one pack style or product do not establish the value for another. A per-100g figure also needs to be considered alongside the amount used.
Read the current label for the exact tin and check the quantity your recipe calls for.
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Overlooking fish allergy and opened-tin instructions
The Food Standards Agency identifies fish as an allergen that can pose a risk to people with a fish allergy. Storage instructions also matter if some tuna is left after cooking.
Check the allergen declaration before serving and follow the pack’s refrigeration and use-after-opening instructions.
Brand and product-line references
These examples show why the exact variant matters; a brand name alone does not establish its salt content.
John West
Its No Drain range includes spring-water chunks and brine tuna steak in the listed UK examples.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.80g salt per 100g for No Drain spring-water chunks.
- Sainsbury's lists 1.0g salt per 100g of drained product for No Drain brine tuna steak. The two listings use different stated measurement bases, so check each exact label rather than treating the figures as a like-for-like comparison.
M&S
The listed tuna chunks include spring-water and sunflower-oil variants.
- Marks & Spencer lists 0.75g salt per 100g for its spring-water chunks, compared with 1.00g per 100g for its sunflower-oil chunks.
- The spring-water variant still exceeds NHS Inform’s low-salt threshold of 0.3g or less per 100g.
Princes
Tesco Groceries lists Princes tuna chunks in spring water, brine and sunflower oil.
- The different pack styles give shoppers variants to compare for a chosen recipe.
- Choose by the salt figure on the exact variant, not by pack style alone.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's own-label canned tuna is another option to assess by its current nutrition label.
- In a 2023 corporate statement, J Sainsbury plc described its own-label canned tuna as MSC certified and pole-and-line caught.
- That sourcing statement does not establish the salt content of an individual tin.
Tinned tuna on Joybuy
This spring-water tuna is an option to compare for a pasta dish or jacket potato filling. Check its current salt label before choosing it for a lower-salt dinner.
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Topical Sun Tuna Chunks in Springwater 160g
Spring-water tuna chunks in a 160g tin could be used in a pasta dish or jacket potato filling. Compare the salt per 100g on the current label and consider how much tuna the meal will use.
Questions about tinned tuna
Does tuna in spring water automatically count as low salt?
No. NHS Inform defines low salt as 0.3g or less per 100g, while Marks & Spencer lists 0.75g per 100g for its spring-water chunks and Tesco Groceries lists 0.80g for John West No Drain spring-water chunks. Check the exact tin’s label.
Should I rule out tuna in brine?
Not on pack style alone. Sainsbury's lists 1.0g salt per 100g of drained product for John West No Drain brine tuna steak, but that figure does not describe every brine-packed tin. Compare the exact labels and note whether their nutrition figures use the same basis.
How can I add flavour without adding more salt to a tuna dinner?
The NHS suggests herbs, spices, black pepper, garlic, chilli or lemon juice instead of extra salt. Check the labels of stock, gravy, mayonnaise and other sauces used in the same dish.
Can someone with a fish allergy eat tinned tuna?
No. Tuna is fish, which the Food Standards Agency identifies as an allergen that can pose a risk to people with a fish allergy. Check the exact product’s ingredients and allergen statement when buying for a household with allergies.
What should I do with tuna left after opening a tin?
Follow that product’s storage instructions. Tesco Groceries says to refrigerate its listed John West No Drain spring-water tuna after opening and consume it within two days; instructions may differ for another tin.