I Asked 3 Food Editors To Name the Best Canned Tuna, They All Said the Same Brand

Canned tuna might be one of the most versatile pantry staples you can keep in your pantry. You can make tasty sandwiches and tuna melts for lunches and you can pack it into patties or toss it with garlic, butter, and pasta for a filling weeknight dinner.

The canned fish aisle is packed with options for tuna in cans, jars, and envelopes. Some are packed in water, others in oil. There are even flavored varieties of canned tuna to choose from.

With all the options on store shelves, canned tuna can be overwhelming to shop for, so I asked a handful of food writers and editors about their favorite brands. Many of these food professionals gave the same advice: Buy the Safe Catch tuna at Costco. 

Why Food Editors Loves Safe Catch Tuna 

“Costco is my go-to store for stocking up on canned tuna, but I don't grab the store's famed Kirkland brand. I've always reached for those eye-catching navy blue and yellow-labeled Safe Catch cans,” says Simply Recipe’s Senior Editor Megan Scott. 

While Safe Catch is about twice the price of most grocery store brands (including Costco’s Kirkland brand), the food editors I spoke to say they like it because it meets their desires for sustainability and low mercury content.

Food writer and Food & Wine’s Commerce Testing Editor Jennifer Zyman says she usually chooses Safe Catch over more popular brands. “I am obsessed with Fishwife’s canned tuna if I want to treat myself, but otherwise, I buy the sustainable low mercury brand Safe Catch from Costco.” 

Safe Catch is the only brand that tests every single tuna for mercury levels to ensure its product remains low—it can be toxic to humans, especially children, pregnant women, and the elderly. All Safe Catch tuna and salmon products are Marine Stewardship Council certified and Ocean Wise Partner and follow the recommendations of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.   

Food editor & podcast host Stacie Billis says that in addition to recommending Safe Catch for “people concerned with mercury in tuna, [this brand] has good flavor, especially the water packed.” 

If you want to keep your pantry packed with Safe Catch Tuna, Costco isn’t the only place to find it. Most grocery chains, including Walmart, carry Safe Catch. Now all you have to decide is which will be your new favorite tuna recipe.