Just about every kid has at least one memory of finding a tuna sandwich in their lunchbox.
This canned fish has been a pantry staple for decades, but in recent years has declined
in popularity. Let's take a look at canned tuna's history, benefits, and why it's on
the decline.
Just like a lot of other foods, how expensive canned tuna is can be more or less a marketing
ploy. Simply grabbing the can of tuna with the highest price tag could be a mistake for
environmentally-conscious shoppers.
There are other ways to tell if your canned tuna is sustainably caught, such as making
sure to buy the correct variety of tuna and doing a little research on the company to
ensure the tuna is not over-fished from endangered populations.
As it turns out, "pole and line" fishing and "trolling" are two sustainable methods for
catching tuna because they're the closest methods to one fisherman with a rod catching
tuna. And while these methods can yield expensive results, an expensive can of tuna does not
automatically mean the tuna was caught with these more sustainable methods.
That tuna may just have a fancy sticker and a great marketing campaign behind its higher
price tag.
Tuna is notorious for its high mercury levels in all forms, and tuna from a can is no exception.
While you likely don't have to worry too much about mercury content unless you are pregnant,
the biomagnification of mercury in tuna may be worth thinking about.
Biomagnification occurs when tuna fish eat smaller animals with high levels of mercury,
ultimately amplifying the amount of mercury in tuna. As a result, health experts recommend
pregnant women eat no more than one can -- or 12 ounces -- of tuna a week to avoid a high
dose of mercury, which can cause abnormalities in a developing baby.
"It's really bad for pregnant mothers, and young kids who have a developing brain."
This is essentially the same as the recommendation that pregnant women avoid sushi. Ultimately
the FDA's official position recommends pregnant and breastfeeding women are careful about
their fish consumption, so being pregnant does not necessarily mean you have to swear
off tuna salad forever.
Major tuna brands like Bumblebee and Chicken-of-the-Sea offer tons of canned tuna options. Even if
you have lived your whole life thinking you hate canned tuna, there may just be a product
out there for you.
For instance, some canned tuna is oil-packed, while some is packed in water or even vinegar.
There is also chunk tuna, which means it contains various pieces of the fish mixed together.
Essentially, this is the opposite of solid tuna that includes one complete filleted section
of tuna that is whole, yet still flakey.
Solid canned tuna is more expensive, but it's also generally preferred. Canned tuna can
even come pre-seasoned in bags for on the go consumption.
Canned tuna has been around for a long time, maybe longer than you would expect. Tuna canning
became popular in the United States in the early 1900s as companies were looking for
a substitute for tinned sardines.
"In the 1950s the French Sardine Company started working under the brand name of Starkist for
their individual tuna products."
Very quickly, canned tuna became one of the most popular preserved meat products for American
consumers, with about 300 million pounds of the canned ocean fish imported into the U.S.
each year.
Most canned tuna comes from Asia, including Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines,
but some canned tuna is also shipped to the U.S. from South American countries like Ecuador.
Tuna is not generally caught or packaged within the U.S., because the fish is not super available
in the nearby oceans. As it turns out, tuna's original success with American consumers came
because as a fish, it doesn't actually have a particularly "fishy" taste, and its white
color is more reminiscent of chicken. And, of course, effective advertising:
"Pardon me?"
"Yeah."
"I want to interview a tuna. Are you a tuna?"
"No, I'm an octopus."
Fish is popular with American consumers in part because the food has a high volume of
omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial for many reasons. These fatty acids
have been shown to improve eye and brain health, reduce the risk of heart disease, fight inflammation,
and may even prevent mental health issues like depression, anxiety, and ADHD.
That said, if you're looking to take in the highest concentration of omega-3 fatty acids,
you may be better off sticking with another fish like sardines or salmon, or better yet
simply taking the omega-3 fatty acids as daily fish oil supplements.
Sardines and salmon have a higher concentration of omega-3 fatty acids than tuna, and thus
may have more health benefits for consumers.
Although canned tuna may not have as many omega 3 fatty acids as some of the other fish
it shares the ocean with, tuna can be a great source of vitamin D, which might be hard to
find if you live somewhere that doesn't get much sunshine.
Additionally, tuna has a low-fat concentration, low cholesterol, and low-sodium.
For its nutritional value, tuna is also relatively inexpensive. One can of tuna is generally
less than two bucks and you might even stretch a single can for two meals. And unlike canned
beef or pork products, canned tuna is going to offer a higher nutrient-to-cost ratio.
While canned tuna isn't gourmet, if you're on a budget it's not a bad idea to throw a
few cans in your grocery cart.
Atlantic Natural Foods makes a "plant-based seafood alternative" to canned tuna called
TUNO. TUNO comes in a can, just like tuna, but is made of plant protein. While many plant-based
alternatives to meat can be delicious and health-conscious choices, TUNO is probably
not the greatest alternative. It's artificially fishy tasting and has a bizarre texture that
is a little off-putting.
There is also a trend of using watermelon as a tuna alternative because its pink color
and juicy texture can match that of fresh, raw tuna. While it is creative, the watermelon
tuna trend probably is not the best alternative for real canned tuna.
Until a better alternative comes along, real tuna is going to be your best bet over a plant-based
alternative.
Because overfishing can deplete the ocean's resources and lead to declining fish populations,
it's important to prioritize eating sustainably-sourced fish to maintain our access to those fish
in the long term.
Which Brands? Well, things can get a bit murky when claiming which use sustainably-sourced
methods and which don’t. The bottom line is that not every company uses the same practices
and some go beyond others in their efforts.
Companies who do get high grades from industry watchdogs are: Whole Foods Market's 365 Canned
Tuna, American Tuna, and Wild Planet. They, according to those in the know, are dedicated
to safe and sustainable fishing practices and protecting the Earth's oceans so that
future generations can enjoy canned tuna.
Despite canned tuna's rapid rise in popularity throughout the 1900s, in recent years, tuna
consumption has declined, and consumers are opting against the canned fish. Starting in
the mid-1980s, canned tuna sales began declining, and current consumption rates are as low as
they once were in the 1970s.
Fears about mercury poisoning and sustainability concerns have stifled the reign of the tuna
fish, leaving consumers feeling disillusioned from the canned meal.
"They want to know that it comes from a fishery or a farm that is producing responsibly. They
don't want their seafood to be associated with illegal activity."
Tuna has become milquetoast, and associated with boring school lunches for most American
consumers.
Fears about tuna toxicity and bad press about tuna fisheries being responsible for mass-killings
of dolphins have also led to the downfall of tuna consumption.
Tuna aren't just big, they're downright massive. The biggest bluefin tuna ever caught was caught
a whopping 1,496 pounds in October of 1997 by Captain Eric Samson. While that monster
tuna dwarfs some of its smaller contemporaries, bluefin tuna are very big fish with almost
robotic features.
An adult bluefin tuna will grow up to 500 pounds, which means one tuna will produce
a lot of cans of tuna, like a whole supermarket shelf's worth! Not only are bluefin tuna monstrously
large, they can command a fortune at market. For example, in 2019, a single bluefin tuna
sold for $3.1 million.
This one should probably be a given, but, surprisingly, it's not. There is nothing fresh
about canned tuna, as much as American consumers might want to think there is.
Canning is, of course, a preservation method. It's a strategy for giving fish a long-lasting
shelf life, which is useful for keeping protein around as a pantry staple either for school
lunches, or when you are on your last meal in between grocery trips.
That said, tuna are caught long in advance of when they make it into your pantry in the
form of a canned good. So, if you are looking for fresh fish, you'll be better off sticking
with sashimi and poke, rather than a preserved can of solid white albacore packed in water.
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