The healthiest canned sardines are whole (bone-in, skin-on), packed in water or extra virgin olive oil, with no salt added. That combination maximizes omega-3s, calcium, and vitamin D while keeping sodium and unwanted additives low. But the details matter more than you might expect, from the packing liquid to the can lining, so here’s how to pick the best tin on the shelf.
Water Pack vs. Olive Oil Pack
The packing liquid is the single biggest variable between one can and the next. Sardines in water deliver the fish’s natural nutrients without extra calories or fat. A no-salt-added water pack, like Wild Planet’s, contains about 70 mg of sodium per serving, which is roughly a quarter of what you’ll find in a standard salted can.
Sardines packed in extra virgin olive oil are a strong second choice. EVOO is rich in monounsaturated fat and contains natural antioxidants that help keep the fish’s omega-3 fatty acids stable over time. Lab testing of canned fish packed in EVOO found no trans fat formation in the oil, while refined seed oils and even lower-grade olive oil did produce trans isomers during storage. EVOO also showed fewer oxidation byproducts than soybean, corn, or sunflower oils. So if you want oil-packed sardines, look for “extra virgin olive oil” specifically on the ingredient list, not just “olive oil” (which typically means refined).
Avoid sardines packed in soybean oil, sunflower oil, or cottonseed oil when you can. These refined seed oils are less oxidatively stable inside a sealed can, and they dilute the omega-3 concentration of the fish with omega-6 fats. The practical difference: when you drain a seed-oil can, some of the sardine’s own omega-3s leach into the oil you’re discarding, and what remains in the oil you do consume is mostly omega-6.
Whole Sardines vs. Skinless and Boneless
This choice has a dramatic effect on calcium. Whole cooked sardines (bones and skin intact) provide about 382 mg of calcium per 100 grams. That’s roughly a third of an adult’s daily calcium needs in a single serving. They also deliver 490 mg of phosphorus, 2.9 mg of iron, and 8.9 micrograms of vitamin B12, which is several times the daily recommended amount.
Skinless, boneless sardines lose most of that calcium because the bones are the source. Sardines packed in tomato sauce (often partially deboned or processed differently) drop to around 240 mg of calcium per 100 grams. If bone health is part of why you’re eating sardines, buy the whole fish and eat the bones. They’re soft from the canning process and barely noticeable.
Vitamin D is another reason to eat sardines. A 100-gram serving provides about 4.8 micrograms (192 IU), covering roughly a third of the minimum daily recommendation. You also get over 52 micrograms of selenium, a mineral that supports thyroid function and acts as an antioxidant.
Mercury and Contaminants
Sardines are one of the lowest-mercury fish you can eat. FDA testing puts their average mercury concentration at 0.01 parts per million. For comparison, canned light tuna averages 0.13 ppm (13 times higher), and canned albacore tuna averages 0.35 ppm (35 times higher). Sardines sit so low on the food chain, eating mostly plankton, that heavy metals simply don’t accumulate in their tissue the way they do in larger predatory fish.
PCB levels in sardines are also reassuringly low. A study measuring 41 different PCB compounds in sardine muscle tissue found a median concentration of 2.32 nanograms per gram, with researchers concluding the levels posed no risk for human consumption under national or international guidelines. This is another advantage of small, short-lived fish: they don’t live long enough to build up significant pollutant loads.
Sodium: What to Look For
Standard canned sardines contain 300 to 400 mg of sodium per serving, and versions in tomato sauce can push past 400 mg. If you’re watching salt intake, look for cans labeled “no salt added.” These typically land around 70 mg of sodium per serving, all of it naturally occurring in the fish. That’s a five-fold reduction without losing any nutritional value.
Can Linings and BPA
Most canned foods still use linings that may contain BPA, a synthetic compound that can leach into food. The Environmental Working Group has identified 31 brands that use BPA-free cans across all their product lines, but the situation is murkier than it sounds. There’s no national standard defining “BPA-free,” so companies can interpret the claim loosely. Some BPA-free linings use chemically similar substitutes whose safety profiles aren’t fully established.
Your best bet is to look for brands that specifically state their cans are BPA-free, ideally ones that name the alternative lining material. Several premium sardine brands (Wild Planet, Safe Catch, and some European imports) have moved to BPA-free packaging. If a brand doesn’t mention it on the label or website, assume the standard lining is still in use.
Sustainability Certifications
Two labels dominate the sustainable sardine space: MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) and Friend of the Sea. The blue MSC label means the fishery has been independently audited against standards for stock health, ecosystem impact, and management practices. Every company in the supply chain handling MSC-certified sardines must also meet a chain-of-custody standard, ensuring the fish in the can actually came from the certified fishery. Friend of the Sea uses a similar independent audit model. Either certification is a reasonable signal that the sardines were harvested responsibly.
Sustainability doesn’t directly affect the nutrition in your can, but it does affect long-term availability and tends to correlate with brands that care about quality sourcing, which often means better handling and fresher fish going into the tin.
What the Best Can Looks Like
If you’re optimizing for health, here’s the short version of what to scan for on the label:
- Packing liquid: Water or extra virgin olive oil (not “olive oil” or soybean oil)
- Salt: “No salt added” if sodium matters to you
- Fish form: Whole, with bones and skin, for maximum calcium and minerals
- Can lining: BPA-free, stated on the label or brand website
- Certification: MSC or Friend of the Sea for sustainable sourcing
- Ingredient list: As short as possible, ideally just sardines and the packing medium
A 100-gram serving of whole sardines delivers roughly 25 grams of protein, nearly a gram of combined EPA and DHA omega-3s, 382 mg of calcium, and significant doses of B12, selenium, phosphorus, and vitamin D, all for about 208 calories. Few foods pack that much nutrition into so small and affordable a package.