Salt-conscious lunch planners
If tuna regularly goes into your sandwiches, salads, jacket potatoes or pasta, compare salt per 100g and in the portion you intend to eat. The packing liquid alone cannot tell you how much salt that lunch contains.
Who is choosing?
Fast desk-lunch shoppers
If draining a tin is awkward at lunchtime, a no-drain or drained-and-ready format may remove a preparation step. Compare its nutrition label just as you would a conventional tin.
Source-conscious tuna buyers
If a stated fishing method or certification matters to you, check the exact product rather than assuming a claim applies across a brand. Consider that information separately from its salt content.
What matters when buying?
For a salt-conscious lunch, start with a comparable nutrition figure, then consider preparation and product-specific sourcing claims.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Salt and portion size | Compare salt per 100g on the same drained or as-sold basis, then check the amount in your portion. Do not treat spring water as a reduced-salt claim. | If I use tuna often for lunch, I want to know how much salt my actual portion contributes. About 50% of consumers put that salt comparison first. |
| Quick preparation | Check whether the exact tin needs draining, how much tuna it contains and its instructions for leftovers. | When lunch has to be assembled quickly, avoiding draining and managing an unfinished tin can shape my choice. For about 30% of consumers, ease of preparation is the primary concern. |
| Responsible sourcing | Look for a sourcing method or certification stated for the exact product; assess its nutrition separately. | I may want a stated sourcing credential before choosing between tins that meet my lunch needs. That is the leading consideration for about 20% of consumers. |
What should you avoid assuming?
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Spring water means reduced salt
It does not establish a reduced-salt claim. Tesco Groceries lists 0.90g salt per 100g for its checked 145g spring-water tuna and 1.00g per 100g for its brine version.
Use the packing liquid as an initial filter, then decide from the exact tin’s nutrition panel.
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A serving figure can be compared with a per-100g figure
Those figures describe different quantities. Sainsbury’s lists 0.45g salt per half-can serving and 0.75g per 100g for its checked Drained & Ready Water tuna.
Compare equivalent per-100g figures first, noting whether they refer to drained tuna or the product as sold. Then use the label to assess your planned portion.
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The tuna determines the salt in the whole lunch
Other ingredients can contribute salt too, so choosing a tin does not settle the amount in a finished sandwich, salad or pasta dish.
Check the labels of ingredients you plan to add, particularly sauces or other prepared foods.
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Every tin has the same handling instructions
Allergen information and directions for opened tuna matter when deciding whether a pack suits the meal and whether you will use it all at once.
Read the exact pack’s fish-allergen information, any bone warning and its instructions for storing leftovers.
Brands to compare
Tesco
The checked spring-water and brine listings offer a comparison within Tesco’s own-label tuna range.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.90g salt per 100g for the 145g spring-water product and 1.00g per 100g for the checked brine product.
- That comparison does not make every water-packed tin reduced in salt; check the variant you are buying.
Sainsbury’s
The checked Drained & Ready Water tin is a format to consider when lunch preparation needs to be quick.
- Sainsbury’s lists 0.75g salt per 100g and 0.45g per half-can serving for its 120g product.
- Its product-specific fishing and certification statements do not indicate the salt content of other tins.
M&S
The checked spring-water chunks and tuna steak offer two M&S formats with separately stated nutrition figures.
- Marks & Spencer lists 0.75g salt per 100g for its checked chunks and 0.83g per 100g for its spring-water steak.
- Check sourcing statements and nutrition for the exact item rather than applying one product’s details to both.
John West
The No Drain spring-water format is relevant when avoiding a draining step matters at lunchtime.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.80g salt per 100g for the checked John West No Drain spring-water product.
- Its no-drain format does not establish a reduced-salt claim for John West products generally.
Princes
The checked spring-water multipack gives shoppers another pack format to compare for planned lunches.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.85g salt per 100g drained for the checked Princes spring-water multipack.
- Assess any sourcing claim and salt figure on the exact Princes variant rather than assuming they apply across the range.
Joybuy tuna selections
These spring-water tuna options include a no-drain pack and conventional tins. Compare the exact labels for salt before choosing one for lunch.
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John West No Drain Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 3 × 100g
The no-drain format suits a sandwich or salad assembled with little preparation. Compare the exact can’s salt figure on a consistent basis and check the amount in the portion you will use.
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John West Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 4 × 125g
The four-tin spring-water pack suits lunches prepared on separate days. Check the exact tin’s salt per 100g and your intended portion; do not assume this variant has the no-drain format.
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Topical Sun Tuna Chunks in Springwater, 160g
This spring-water tin can be considered for a salad or sandwich, but the liquid needs draining. Check the pack’s salt figure and whether it is stated for drained tuna before comparing it with another product; read the allergen information on the exact pack.
Common questions
Is tuna in spring water always lower in salt than tuna in brine?
No. The NHS suggests choosing tinned fish in water rather than brine when cutting down salt, but compare the exact products before deciding. Tesco Groceries lists 0.90g salt per 100g for its checked 145g spring-water tuna and 1.00g per 100g for its checked brine version; that pair does not establish a rule for every brand.
Which salt figure should I use for a tuna lunch?
Start with salt per 100g on a consistent drained or as-sold basis, then work out the amount in the tuna portion you intend to eat. The NHS advises adults to have no more than 6g of salt a day, so other ingredients in the lunch matter too.
What should I do with tuna left after opening a tin?
Follow the exact pack’s storage directions. The checked Tesco and M&S product information instructs shoppers to transfer unused tuna to a non-metallic container, cover it, refrigerate it and consume it within two days of opening.
Does pregnancy change how often I can eat tuna?
Yes. NHS pregnancy guidance says not to eat more than four cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week. That guidance concerns tuna consumption during pregnancy, not whether a particular tin is lower in salt.