Shared-dish hosts
If one pasta bake or tray of tuna melts needs most of the tin, a larger can may be simpler than opening several small ones. Check the drained weight: Tesco Groceries lists 280g of drained tuna for its 400g spring-water tin.
Who each pack suits
Shoppers planning several meals
If fakeaway night is only one use for the tuna, separate cans let you leave the rest unopened. Asda Groceries and Sainsbury’s list spring-water packs containing four 145g tins.
Quick-assembly cooks
If draining tuna would slow down wraps or a cold filling, a pack explicitly labelled no-drain may suit the preparation. Tesco Groceries lists a John West no-drain spring-water pack containing three 100g portions; check the instructions on the exact pack you choose.
What to check before buying
Start with the quantity your dish needs, then decide whether separate unopened portions or quicker assembly matters more.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Usable tuna for a shared dish | Compare drained weight with the amount your recipe needs. Tesco Groceries lists 280g drained weight for its 400g spring-water tin. | If I am making one dish for a group, I want enough tuna after draining without opening more tins than necessary; about 45% of consumers put usable quantity for a shared dish first. |
| Flexible portions | Check the number and size of individual tins, and how many you expect to open for this meal. | When plans extend beyond one meal, I want to leave some tins unopened rather than store a large opened portion; roughly 33% of consumers prioritise that flexibility. |
| Preparation and recipe fit | Check for an explicit no-drain instruction and read whether the tuna is packed in spring water, brine or oil. | For a quick filling, I want to limit draining and choose a packing liquid that works with the other ingredients; around 22% of consumers make preparation and recipe fit their primary concern. |
Common buying mistakes
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Counting the liquid as tuna
The weight on the front of a tin can include its packing liquid. Tesco Groceries lists its 400g spring-water tin at 280g drained weight, which is the more useful figure when planning how much fish goes into a dish.
Check drained weight on the specific pack before comparing a large tin with several smaller ones.
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Treating spring-water and oil packs as nutritionally identical
Asda Groceries lists 109 kcal and 1.0g fat per 100g drained for its spring-water 4 x 145g pack, compared with 160 kcal and 6.4g fat per 100g drained for its sunflower-oil version. Those figures apply to these products, not every tuna pack.
Read the exact nutrition label and consider the other ingredients in your recipe when choosing a packing liquid.
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Choosing a no-drain pack without checking the instructions
A no-drain label is relevant if you want to skip that preparation step, but pack names alone do not settle how to use every variant.
Check the instructions for the exact product and the number of portions you need.
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Opening a large tin without a leftovers plan
If the dish uses only part of a tin, the remainder needs appropriate storage. Marks & Spencer instructs shoppers to move unused tuna from its spring-water can to a non-metallic container, refrigerate it and eat it within 2 days.
Follow the instructions on your pack; if serving numbers are uncertain, separate tins may leave less opened tuna to store.
Brands and formats to consider
John West
Tesco Groceries lists John West No Drain Tuna Chunks with a Little Spring Water as a 3 x 100g multipack for shoppers who want to avoid a draining step.
- The listed product has an easy-open format and is labelled no-drain.
- Check the preparation instructions and portion size on the particular pack before using it for a shared dish.
Princes
Princes lists spring-water tuna chunks in single 145g tins and several multipack sizes, including 4 x 145g, 6 x 145g and 8 x 145g.
- The stated pack formats offer different numbers of separately opened tins.
- Check the packing liquid on the exact product: Tesco Groceries lists 0.90g salt per 100g drained for a Princes 4 x 145g brine pack.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists a 400g Tuna Chunks in Spring Water can with 280g drained weight, a format to consider when one dish will use most of a larger tin.
- The stated drained weight helps with planning the quantity for a shared recipe.
- It is one large tin rather than separate unopened portions for later meals.
Sainsbury’s
Sainsbury’s lists Tuna Chunks in Spring Water in a 4 x 145g pack for meals that call for separately opened tins.
- The four-tin format allows some portions to remain unopened.
- Check the current pack label for the details relevant to your recipe.
Asda
Asda Groceries lists 4 x 145g tuna chunks in spring water and sunflower oil, allowing a comparison within the same stated pack format.
- The product labels provide nutrition values per 100g drained for comparing these two variants.
- The spring-water and sunflower-oil listings have different energy and fat values; do not transfer one variant’s figures to another.
M&S
Marks & Spencer lists Tuna Chunks in Spring Water as a 160g single can, which suits a different portioning plan from a bulk multipack.
- The single-can format can be considered when you need only one tin.
- Its label instructs shoppers to refrigerate unused contents in a non-metallic container and eat them within 2 days.
Joybuy tuna multipacks
These multipacks offer separately opened tins for fakeaway dishes and later meals. Compare the stated pack configuration and packing liquid, then confirm delivered contents and drained weight where those details affect your recipe.
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Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine, 4 x 145g x 12 packs
The stated four-tin inner packs suit meals where you want to open portions separately. The title specifies 12 packs of 4 x 145g tins; confirm the delivered outer-pack count and total drained weight before planning a large dish. Contains fish; the product description warns that small bones may remain.
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John West Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 4 x 125g
Four separate tins suit a fakeaway filling when you may want unopened portions for later. This pack is labelled 4 x 125g and packed in spring water. Check its drained weight if the quantity of tuna going into one shared dish is important. Contains fish; the description says some bones may remain.
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Princes Tuna Chunks in Brine, 4 x 145g
This four-tin pack suits a meal that needs one or more portions while leaving the others unopened. It contains four 145g tins in brine; compare drained weight rather than treating the 580g pack weight as fish weight. Contains fish, and the description warns that small bones may remain.
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Morrisons Fad Free Tuna Chunks in Spring Water, 145g (6 packs)
The stated six-pack format suits plans that extend beyond one fakeaway meal. The title specifies six packs, while the description gives a 145g can size; confirm the delivered pack contents and drained weight before relying on an aggregate quantity. Contains fish.
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John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 3 x 100g
Three smaller tins may suit separately assembled fillings. The title identifies a 3 x 100g spring-water pack as No Drain, but the detailed description also refers to draining as an option; check this SKU’s preparation instructions before relying on that feature. Check drained weight when planning usable quantity. Contains fish; the description says some bones may remain.
Questions about tinned tuna
Should I compare net weight or drained weight?
Use drained weight to judge how much tuna will go into the dish. Tesco Groceries lists its 400g spring-water tin at 280g drained weight, so the headline can weight is not the fish quantity.
Which packing liquid suits a fakeaway filling?
Choose according to the ingredients in your dish and the exact product label. In Asda Groceries’ comparable 4 x 145g packs, spring-water tuna lists 109 kcal and 1.0g fat per 100g drained, while the sunflower-oil version lists 160 kcal and 6.4g fat per 100g drained; those figures should not be applied to other packs.
How should I keep tuna left over from an opened tin?
Follow your pack’s storage instructions. Marks & Spencer instructs shoppers to transfer unused tuna from its spring-water can to a non-metallic container, refrigerate it and eat it within 2 days.
Does tinned tuna contain an allergen?
Tuna is fish, an allergen identified on the product information for the packs discussed here. Check the label on the specific pack you buy for its current ingredients and allergen information.
What does NHS guidance say about tuna during pregnancy?
For people who are pregnant, the NHS advises no more than four cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week because tuna can contain pollutants, including mercury. That guidance is specific to pregnancy, not a limit for every shopper.