I was strolling through the Costco the other day and was surprised by how many different types of canned tuna they had in stock. At first glance you might think that “tuna is tuna” but it looks like there are some significant difference between the brands.
The tuna I am reviewing today is the Wild Planet Albacore Tuna and, according to one influential organization, it is the best tuna in the world.
Let’s take a look and see if this tuna is right for you!
Nutrition and Labelling
Let’s take a closer look at what you get in these cans of fish!
Nutrition Facts
One can of the Albacore Tuna has 5 ounces of product with a serving size of 3 ounces. The nutrition facts for a single serving are:
- Calories: 100
- Fat: 2.5g (3% DV)
- Cholesterol: 20mg (7% DV)
- Sodium: 200mg (9% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 0g (0% DV)
- Protein: 21g
You could eat the whole can of tuna, tossed with some hot sauce perhaps, and it would only be 150 calories.
Ingredient List
The Wild Plant Tuna only has two ingredients:
- Albacore tuna
- Sea Salt
This tuna is not packed in oil or water.
Labelling
The labelling indicates that this product is:
- Low in Mercury
- 100% Pole and Line Caught
- Non-GMO
- Dolphin Safe
- Turtle Safe
There is a LOT of information packed onto and implied in the labeling for this tuna. Let’s look at some of the more important claims in more detail.
100% Pole and Line Caught
The label states that the albacore tuna sold by Wild Planet is 100% Pole and Line caught. However, there is a slight discrepancy between the product label and the information on the Wild Planet website.
“Fishing method: 100% pole & line or troll caught methods that only catch smaller migratory tuna lower in mercury. Nets are never used to catch our tuna.”
Either way, the key point is that these fishing methods only catch small migratory tuna and this has two benefits:
- The small, younger, tuna that is caught by poles is naturally lower in mercury than the older and larger tuna that are caught by large nets.
- This is the most sustainable way of harvesting tuna as almost no byproduct marine animals (turtles, dolphins, etc) are harmed.
Low Mercury
The albacore tuna harvested by Wild Planet is tested by an independent third party laboratory and has an average mercury concentration of 0.17 ppm.
While the Wild Planet mercury level is significantly lower than the FDA Action Limit (1 ppm) the information must be used with caution.
Just because this tuna below the FDA Action Level for mercury, this does not mean you can safely eat all that you want. The FDA has published an excellent article detailing how to calculate how much fish you can eat without worrying about the harmful effects of mercury.
The safe amount of mercury you can consume is known as the Reference Dose. The Reference Dose for mercury is 0.1 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day.
I weigh 200 pounds (90.7 kg) which means I can safely consume: (0.1 micrograms) x (90.7 kg) x (7 days per week) = 63.5 micrograms of mercury per week.
A can of Wild Planet Albacore Tuna has 142 g of fish, which when you do the math, means it contains about 24 micrograms of mercury.
Since my Reference Dose is 63.5 micrograms per week this means that I can safely eat two cans of this tuna per week and still stay below (48 micrograms) my safe mercury limit. If I ate a third can of this tuna then that would put my mercury intake at 72 micrograms a week which is higher than my Reference Dose.
There is another brand of tuna sold at Costco that advertises even lower mercury concentrations, Safe Catch, but Wild Planet has published a memo that brings their claims into question.
Sustainably Caught
In 2017, Greenpeace, the environmental advocacy group rated brands of tuna in terms of which were the best and worst for the environment. Greenpeace ranked Wild Planet tuna as the absolute best and in their verdict said Wild Planet was, “An eco-brand dedicated to greening store shelves and driving industry change.”
In the same article Greenpeace ranks Costco at number 13 and one of the worst providers of tuna.
Greenpeace stated, “Costco needs to get serious about offering Kirkland Signature customers responsibly-caught tuna and ensure that it’s available on Costco’s giant store shelves nationwide. Until then, unless it’s a sustainable national brand like Wild Planet, you just can’t trust the canned tuna at Costco.”
I give a lot of credit to Costco on this front. Costco listened to what was important to the industry and is now offering its customers a great product like Wild Planet.
Taste Test
I mix up this tuna with some Primal Kitchen Chipotle Lime Mayonnaise and pickle relish to make a pretty awesome tuna fish salad sandwich.
I did not pick up any meaningful flavor differences between this tuna and any other canned tuna I have eaten but I sure felt better about myself while I was eating it.
This tuna makes a tasty, healthy and filling lunch that I can safely enjoy a couple of times a week.
Costco Value
I bought a six pack of 5 ounce cans at Costco for $15.99. This works out to a cost of $2.67 per can and $0.53 per ounce. If you are used to buying dirt cheap canned tuna like Chicken of the Sea this might seem expensive but considering that this tuna is certified as low in mercury and is considered to be the most sustainable in the world I think it is a fair price.
You can buy the exact same six pack of five ounce cans from Wild Planet and it will cost you $36.00. I was also able to find single cans of this product at Target for $3.99 per can which would be $23.94 for a six pack.
This means you will save about 50% on this tuna if you buy it at Costco instead of Target and that is a pretty sweet deal!