Who a multipack may suit

Parents planning quick meals

Individual unopened tins can be kept for planned sandwiches, pasta or salads. Check how much tuna is in each tin and whether you can use an opened tin within its storage instructions.

Shoppers comparing labels

If packing medium, ingredients or salt matter to your household, compare the nutrition information per 100g on the exact products. A spring-water label alone does not tell you the salt content.

Households planning tuna during pregnancy

When the person eating tuna is pregnant or trying for a baby, plan how often they will eat it, not just how many tins to buy. The NHS advises a maximum of four cans of tuna a week for that person.

What to check when choosing

Concern What to check Who this matters to
Quick meals without waste Check the number of tins, drained weight, whether draining is needed and the instructions for leftovers. If I am fitting lunches around caring for a new baby, I want tins I can open as needed without leaving more tuna than we can use. About 45% of consumers put ready meal ingredients and manageable portions first.
Ingredients and salt Compare the packing medium, ingredients and salt per 100g on the exact labels. When I use tuna in several dishes, I want to know what the fish is packed in and how its salt figure compares. For about 33% of consumers, checking ingredients and nutrition is the primary need.
Pregnancy-related intake Count tuna eaten across meals during the week; the NHS advises no more than four cans weekly if the eater is pregnant or trying for a baby. If that NHS guidance applies to me, a multipack should make meal planning easier without setting the pace at which I eat tuna. Keeping track of weekly intake comes first for about 22% of consumers.

Common buying mistakes

  • Reading net weight as the amount of fish

    Tesco Groceries lists its spring-water four-pack as four 145g tins, but gives a drained weight of four 102g portions. The larger figure includes packing liquid.

    Compare drained weights when deciding how much tuna a pack will provide for planned meals.

  • Assuming the packing medium tells you the salt figure

    For the cited Tesco Groceries four-packs, the spring-water tuna lists 0.90g salt per 100g drained and the brine tuna lists 1.00g. The cited Sainsbury's spring-water pack lists 0.12g per 100g drained, so the medium alone is not enough for a like-for-like judgement.

    Read the salt figure on each pack you are considering, using the same per-100g basis.

  • Opening more tuna than a meal needs

    Opened-tin instructions differ: the cited Sainsbury's pack says to use its contents within one day, while the cited Tesco Groceries and Asda packs specify two days after transfer to a non-metallic container and refrigeration.

    Open one tin at a time where practical, and follow the storage instructions on the product you bought.

  • Letting pack size set pregnancy meal plans

    A four-pack is a shopping format, not a recommended weekly portion. The NHS advises people who are pregnant or trying for a baby to have no more than four cans of tuna a week.

    If that limit applies to the eater, count tuna in sandwiches and other meals as well as tuna eaten straight from a tin.

Brands to consider

John West

The cited range includes conventional tuna chunks and a separate no-drain format.

  • Its brine four-pack gives nutrition information per 100g for label comparison.
  • Do not apply the brine pack's figures or the no-drain format's features to every John West product.

Princes

Princes appears in the research with tuna chunks and other prepared tuna formats.

  • Its spring-water four-pack is a conventional multipack option for comparing pack and drained weights.
  • Check the individual format and label rather than assuming all Princes tuna has the same ingredients or nutrition values.

Tesco

The cited own-label spring-water and brine packs are both four 145g tins.

  • Tesco Groceries lists four 102g drained portions for the cited spring-water pack, making its usable quantity clear.
  • The cited spring-water and brine packs list different salt figures; those figures apply to those products, not the whole range.

Sainsbury's

The cited own-label spring-water product is a four-pack of 145g tins.

  • Sainsbury's lists 0.12g salt per 100g drained and states pole-and-line catching for this pack.
  • Its instruction to use opened tuna within one day, and its sourcing statements, are specific to the cited product.

Asda

The cited own-label tuna chunks in spring water come as four 145g tins.

  • The cited product identifies tuna and spring water as ingredients and gives nutrition information per 100g drained.
  • Check the current pack label, as Asda notes that product information can change.

M&S

The cited range includes spring-water tuna in single-tin and four-pack formats.

  • M&S states that the cited single-tin product is pole-and-line caught.
  • A statement about the single tin should not be assumed to describe every pack in the range.

Tuna multipacks on Joybuy

These packs offer spring-water, brine, sunflower-oil and no-drain choices for planning household meals. They are food options for the household, not recommendations for feeding tuna to a baby. Compare each pack's drained quantity and label if those details matter to your choice.

John West Tuna Chunks in Springwater, four 125g tins

John West Tuna Chunks in Springwater 4 x 125g

A four-tin spring-water option for meals planned across the week. Check the drained weight for the amount of tuna you can use, and follow the pack's instructions after opening; this is not identified as a no-drain product.

View on Joybuy
John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater, three 100g tins

John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater 3 x 100g

The no-drain format suits a meal where handling packing liquid is inconvenient. This is a three-tin, 100g-per-tin pack rather than a conventional four-pack; check its edible quantity before comparing pack sizes.

View on Joybuy
Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine, four 145g tins

Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine 4 x 145g

A four-tin option if brine suits the meals you have in mind. Read this pack's salt figure rather than using a value from another brine or spring-water product, and check its drained weight for portion planning.

View on Joybuy
John West Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil, four 125g tins

John West Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil 4 x 125g

This four-tin pack is for shoppers choosing tuna packed in sunflower oil. It is a different packing-medium choice from spring-water or brine tuna; compare the exact ingredients, nutrition label and drained weight.

View on Joybuy
Princes Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil, four 145g tins

Princes Tuna Chunks in Sunflower Oil 4 x 145g

A four-tin sunflower-oil option for meals planned around individual tins. Its 145g figure is the tin size, so check the pack's drained weight if you are comparing the amount of fish with another multipack.

View on Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a tuna multipack if I am pregnant or trying for a baby?

Yes, but buying a multipack does not set a weekly eating target. The NHS advises people who are pregnant or trying for a baby to have no more than four cans of tuna a week; count tuna eaten across meals, not just tins opened at home.

Does tinned tuna count as oily fish?

No. The NHS does not classify fresh or canned tuna as oily fish, so do not count a tuna meal as an oily-fish portion.

How long can I keep tuna after opening a tin?

Follow the instructions on the tin you opened. The cited Sainsbury's four-pack says to transfer the tuna to a non-metallic container, refrigerate it and use it within one day; the cited Tesco Groceries and Asda products specify two days after transfer and refrigeration. Do not apply one product's longer period to another.