For a first food shop, a “reduced sugar” cue need not decide which plain tinned tuna you buy: the Tesco Groceries and Princes Food and Drinks examples list 0g or less than 0.1g sugars per 100g drained. If fat and energy matter to your choice, Princes’ spring-water chunks have lower listed values than its sunflower-oil chunks. Check salt, can size and drained weight on the exact product, particularly when choosing brine or planning portions.
If you searched for reduced-sugar tuna, start with the nutrition panel of the exact tin. Plain spring-water and brine examples from Tesco Groceries and Princes Food and Drinks list 0g or less than 0.1g sugars per 100g drained. You can then consider salt, packing medium and the amount of tuna you will use.
If tuna is going into sandwiches, salads or pasta, the packing medium may matter more to you than a sugar cue. Princes Food and Drinks lists 0.5g fat and 99kcal per 100g drained for its spring-water chunks, compared with 9.5g fat and 180kcal for its sunflower-oil chunks.
If a tin is for one lunch or several shared meals, compare drained weight as well as the number and size of cans. Read the chosen product’s after-opening instructions before deciding whether its portions fit how you will use it.
Check sugars on the exact variant first, then choose between packing media and compare salt and usable portions. When comparing nutrition panels, keep figures stated per 100g drained separate from figures stated simply per 100g.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugar in the exact tin | Read sugars on the nutrition panel and check whether the ingredients describe plain tuna or a dressed or flavoured product. | When I am stocking my cupboard for the first time, I want to know whether a sugar claim changes my choice of plain tuna. About 37% of consumers would put that reassurance first. |
| Water or oil | Compare fat and energy on the same stated nutrition basis; check which packing medium suits the meal. | For sandwiches or salads, I may prefer a plain spring-water base rather than oil-packed chunks. Choosing the packing medium for fat and energy would be the main concern for about 27% of consumers. |
| Salt | Compare salt per 100g drained for the exact variants rather than judging by “brine” or “spring water” alone. | If I am deciding between brine and spring water, I want to see how their salt figures differ. About 18% of consumers would make that comparison their priority. |
| Portions and leftovers | Check drained weight, can size and the instructions for storing tuna after opening. | When a tin is for one meal, I need a portion I can use without leaving more than I can store as directed. For about 18% of consumers, portion planning would come first. |
The Tesco Groceries spring-water and brine examples list 0g sugars per 100g drained; Princes Food and Drinks lists less than 0.1g for its spring-water and sunflower-oil chunks. A sugar-focused label does not, by itself, settle the choice between these products.
Confirm sugars on the exact tin, especially if it is flavoured or dressed, then compare the other label details that matter to your meal.
Tesco Groceries lists 1.00g salt per 100g drained for its 145g brine chunks and 0.90g for its 3 x 80g spring-water chunks. Those figures describe two particular products, not every tin packed in brine or water.
Read salt per 100g drained on the variants you are considering.
Both verified Princes products list sugars below 0.1g per 100g drained, but its sunflower-oil chunks list 9.5g fat and 180kcal, compared with 0.5g fat and 99kcal for its spring-water chunks.
Choose by the packing medium and the stated nutrition figures, not by sugars alone.
The size printed on a tin does not tell you how much tuna remains once liquid is drained. Storage directions also affect whether an opened tin suits your planned meals.
Check drained weight for portions and follow the after-opening directions on your chosen product.
An opened tin that exceeds what you can use within its stated storage period may leave tuna to discard.
Its plain tuna chunks include spring-water and sunflower-oil products that can be compared on a per-100g-drained basis.
Tesco’s plain skipjack chunks include spring-water and brine variants in different can formats.
Tesco Groceries lists John West No Drain chunks and fridge-pot formats among its tinned-tuna products.
These selections cover plain spring-water chunks, a brine-packed multipack and a sunflower-oil multipack. Choose the packing medium for your meal, then check the exact tin’s nutrition panel and drained weight.
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A spring-water multipack to consider if you are stocking tuna for several meals. The pack contains six 145g cans; check the drained weight on the packaging when planning edible portions.
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Four spring-water tins for meals where you want plain tuna without choosing an oil-packed variant. The stated 125g is the can size; consult the pack for the drained quantity if that determines your portion.
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Consider this three-can No Drain format if avoiding a separate draining step matters to your meal preparation. Its nutrition figures are stated per 100g; check the label’s basis before comparing them with figures stated per 100g drained.
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A four-can brine-packed option if that seasoning suits your meals. Check sugars and salt on this exact variant’s current label rather than applying figures from another Princes product; use drained weight to plan portions.
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Choose this four-can format when sunflower oil suits the recipe, rather than treating low sugars as a reason to overlook the packing medium. Check whether the current nutrition panel uses a drained-weight basis before comparing its figures with water-packed tuna.
Not solely on the basis of plain tuna’s sugar content. Tesco Groceries lists 0g sugars per 100g drained for its spring-water and brine examples, while Princes Food and Drinks lists less than 0.1g for its spring-water and sunflower-oil chunks. Check the exact label, particularly for dressed or flavoured tuna.
Choose by the meal and the figures on the products you are comparing. In the Princes Food and Drinks examples, spring-water chunks list 0.5g fat and 99kcal per 100g drained, against 9.5g fat and 180kcal for sunflower-oil chunks. If choosing brine, compare its salt figure with that of the particular spring-water tin.
For the Tesco Groceries products described here, move unused tuna to a non-metallic container, cover it, refrigerate it and eat it within two days. Follow the directions on your chosen tin, as storage instructions can differ.
Tuna is fish, and the Tesco Groceries examples identify fish in their ingredients. If you need to avoid fish, check the allergen information on the exact product rather than relying on its packing medium or a sugar claim.
Yes. NHS pregnancy guidance advises no more than four cans of tuna or two tuna steaks a week because tuna can contain pollutants, including mercury. A reduced-sugar label does not change that guidance.