Households making repeat weeknight meals
If tuna regularly goes into pasta, jacket potatoes, sandwiches or salads, a multipack keeps separate tins ready for those meals. Check the drained quantity and liquid in the particular pack you choose.
Who are these packs for?
Cooks who want to skip draining
A no-drain pack removes a preparation step when assembling a sandwich or salad. Check its tin count and size against the amount you expect to use across several dinners.
Shoppers comparing labels and sourcing
If salt, ingredients or fisheries certification affect your choice, use the details on the exact product. A spring-water description or a familiar brand name does not establish those details for every variant.
What should you check before choosing?
Start with how many meals the pack needs to cover, then compare usable tuna and the handling and label details that matter for those meals.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Usable quantity | Compare the number of tins, their stated size and drained weight. Tesco Groceries lists 4 × 102g drained for its 4 × 145g spring-water pack; its Princes spring-water listing gives the same drained quantity for that particular pack. | I want separate tins for several dinners and need to know how much tuna remains after draining, not just the weight printed on the front. |
| Preparation | Check whether the exact variant is labelled no-drain and whether its pack size suits your meals. John West describes its No Drain brine three-pack as 3 × 100g; a standard four-tin pack is a different format. | Skipping the draining step would make it easier to put together a quick salad or sandwich, but I still need enough tins for the meals planned. |
| Salt and liquid | Read salt per 100g on the same stated basis and check whether the tuna is in spring water or brine. The cited Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries spring-water listings each state 0.90g salt per 100g drained; Sainsbury’s lists 0.12g per 100g drained for its cited pack. | Salt matters to my choice, so I would compare the exact tins rather than assume that every spring-water product has the same nutrition panel. |
| Sourcing | Look for a certification mark or sourcing statement on the individual product and its current pack. Do not extend one variant’s statement to an entire brand range. | I want the sourcing claim to apply to the multipack I am buying, rather than to tuna products in general. |
| Leftovers | Check the pack’s instructions for transferring, refrigerating and using tuna left after opening. The cited Sainsbury’s listing says to use it within one day; the cited Tesco and ASDA listings say within two days. | If one tin will cover more than one meal, I need a plan for the unused tuna after opening it. |
Common buying mistakes
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Counting packing liquid as tuna
A 4 × 145g label does not mean 580g of drained tuna. Tesco Groceries states 4 × 102g drained for its cited Tesco and Princes spring-water multipacks.
Use the drained quantity when deciding how far a pack will go across your meals.
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Assuming spring water means the same salt level
The cited Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries spring-water packs each list 0.90g salt per 100g drained, while Sainsbury’s lists 0.12g per 100g drained for its cited spring-water pack.
Check the nutrition panel on the exact variant you intend to buy.
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Treating no-drain as a like-for-like four-pack
John West’s cited No Drain format contains three 100g tins, rather than four 145g tins. Avoiding draining and keeping more separate tins available are different priorities.
Count the meals you want the pack to cover before choosing the handling format.
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Overlooking guidance when stocking up during pregnancy
The UK Food Standards Agency says people who are pregnant or trying for a baby should have no more than four cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week because tuna can contain mercury.
If that guidance applies, consider tuna eaten across all meals when planning how you will use a multipack.
Brand and product-line references
These details describe the cited products, not every tuna pack sold under each name.
Tesco
Tesco’s cited own-label spring-water tuna comes as four 145g tins.
- Tesco Groceries states a drained weight of 4 × 102g and 0.90g salt per 100g drained for this product.
- Check the current label before applying these figures to another Tesco variant.
Princes
The cited Princes spring-water chunks are a four-tin format for meals such as pasta and salads.
- Tesco Groceries lists 4 × 145g tins, 4 × 102g drained and an MSC certification statement for this pack.
- Princes brine and spring-water packs are separate variants; check which one the label describes.
John West
John West’s No Drain line offers a three-tin alternative to the cited standard four-tin formats.
- John West describes its cited 3 × 100g No Drain brine pack as ready to open and use without draining.
- Check the exact liquid variant and pack size; a John West spring-water four-pack is not necessarily a No Drain product.
Sainsbury’s
The cited own-label spring-water chunks come in a 4 × 145g multipack.
- Sainsbury’s lists 0.12g salt per 100g drained and says the cited product comes from MSC-certified fisheries.
- Its cited storage instructions say to refrigerate unused tuna and use it within one day of opening.
Asda
Asda’s cited own-label spring-water chunks are sold as four 145g tins.
- ASDA Groceries lists 0.90g salt per 100g drained and an MSC certification statement for this product.
- Use the current tin or listing for the details of the variant being bought.
M&S
M&S describes its cited spring-water tuna chunks as a store-cupboard four-pack.
- The M&S product page describes the tuna as sustainably sourced and lists 0.75g salt per 100g.
- Check the product label and local store listing for the particular pack.
Tuna multipacks on Joybuy
These packs cover several ways to keep tuna for quick meals: spring-water and brine multipacks, a larger stock-up bundle and a smaller no-drain option. Compare the stated pack format with the number of tins you expect to use.
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Morrisons Fad Free Tuna Chunks in Spring Water, 6 × 145g
Six separate tins suit keeping tuna on hand for repeat pasta, salad or sandwich meals. Check the drained weight on the pack when comparing the quantity you can use.
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John West Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 4 × 125g
This four-tin spring-water pack is an option for several salads, sandwiches or pasta meals. Do not assume it has the handling format of John West’s separate No Drain range; check the pack if that matters to you.
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Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine, 12 packs of 4 × 145g
This bundle suits households planning frequent tuna meals rather than a single week of dinners. The stated format is twelve four-tin packs in brine; check that the quantity fits your cupboard space and intended use.
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Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine, 4 × 145g
Four tins give you separate portions to open for pasta, sandwiches or salads on different days. This is the brine variant, so check its own label rather than using details from a Princes spring-water pack.
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John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 3 × 100g
The no-drain format suits quick sandwiches or salads when you want to skip that preparation step. Its three 100g tins make it a different stock-up quantity from the four-tin and six-tin packs above.
Questions about buying and using tinned tuna
Should I compare tin weight or drained weight?
Use drained weight to compare how much tuna is available after removing the packing liquid. Tesco Groceries states 4 × 102g drained for each of its cited Tesco and Princes 4 × 145g spring-water packs.
Do spring-water tuna packs have the same salt content?
No. The cited Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries spring-water packs each list 0.90g salt per 100g drained, while Sainsbury’s lists 0.12g per 100g drained for its cited pack. Read the panel on the exact product you choose.
What should I do with tuna left after opening a tin?
Transfer unused tuna to a suitable non-metallic container, cover it and refrigerate it, following the time stated on its pack. The cited Sainsbury’s listing says to use leftovers within one day; the cited Tesco and ASDA listings say within two days.
Does pregnancy guidance affect how I use a multipack?
Yes. The UK Food Standards Agency says people who are pregnant or trying for a baby should have no more than four cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week because tuna can contain mercury. That limit concerns tuna eaten across meals, not just tins from one multipack.
How can I check a tuna pack’s fisheries certification?
Look for the certification mark or statement on the exact product page and physical pack. A sourcing statement for one spring-water or brine variant should not be assumed to cover every product from the same brand.