The Worst Canned Tuna Is Unexpectedly From A Popular Brand

There are so many reasons to keep canned tuna in your pantry: it's high in protein, shelf stable, and relatively inexpensive, not to mention delicious — as long as you stick with a high quality product. But with so many types of canned tuna as well as brands to choose from, how can you be sure you won't end up with a can of disappointment?

To take the guesswork out of grocery shopping, Chowhound writer Kyle Grace Mills tested 14 popular canned tuna brands and ranked them from worst to best, with taste, texture, and potential utility as her primary evaluative factors. To make sure her findings were as fair and relevant as possible, Mills focused on brands that were widely available for purchase online and in stores, offered different varieties of tuna, omitted any extra flavoring, and packed their tuna in either water or olive oil (the most common packing liquids).

Surprisingly, the clear loser of the bunch was one of its most popular: Chicken of the Sea's 25% Less Sodium Chunk Light Tuna in Water. Despite this product's attractively low price point, Mills found the can's appearance entirely unappetizing upon opening, and it only got worse from there. Its flavor was best described as "blah," and texturally, it was so dry, she doubted even copious mayonnaise could salvage it. Unlike Ortiz White Tuna in Olive Oil, Mills' pick for the hands-down best canned tuna, you'd be better off leaving Chicken of the Sea on the shelf.

Though Mills found the brand's low sodium varietal to be a complete disappointment, Chicken of the Sea is one of the most popular canned fish brands on the market. According to data analytics site YouGov, Chicken of the Sea ranked 134th among the most popular food & snack brands of 2024, ahead of top competitors like Bumble Bee and StarKist (or any other canned fish brand on Mills' list).

The company started in the United States as Van Camp Seafood in 1914, and began branding products with the "Chicken of the Sea" slogan in the 1930s, before eventually adopting it as the company's new name. Today, the brand is owned by Thailand-based seafood conglomerate Thai Union Group, and as of 2013, ranked first in sales in the U.S. tuna market, with a market share of 19.3%, according to industry news site Atuna.

Chicken of the Sea's history and recognizability aside, its product quality is questionable. In another evaluation, Mills was similarly unimpressed by the company's canned salmon, and determined you should probably skip this brand altogether.