Heavy metals in Tinned fish

This page draws on evidence from UK Food Standards Agency, EPA IRIS, EFSA, JECFA, European Commission, and EPA, together with 6 peer-reviewed studies. The complete citation list is at the bottom of the page.

Overview

This page covers the multi-species tinned fish ingredient. Canned tuna measurements are on canned tuna. This page does not name or rank retail brands.

FSA/Fera measured this ingredient or non-infant-specific food composite in Table 6 of the FS102048 survey. Exact concentration values remain in progress until Table 6 is parsed into structured ingredient rows with less-than and semi-quantitative flags preserved. Survey of metals in commercial infant foods, infant formula and non-infant specific foods

Why this commodity accumulates heavy metals

Tinned fish is a broad category of heat-processed canned fish products including tuna (Thunnus species), salmon (Oncorhynchus and Salmo species), sardines (Sardina pilchardus and related species), mackerel (Scomber species), and anchovies (Engraulis encrasicolus). The heavy metal contamination profile of canned fish is shaped by two distinct accumulation pathways: bioaccumulation in the fish tissue from the marine environment, and tin (Sn) migration from the can wall into the food. Mercury (Hg), primarily as methylmercury (MeHg), is the predominant toxicological concern in fish-based foods; MeHg is produced by methylation of inorganic Hg in marine sediments by sulfate-reducing bacteria and enters the marine food chain through phytoplankton, progressing through zooplankton, small fish, and ultimately to large predatory fish such as tuna. Because MeHg is lipid-soluble and tightly bound to muscle protein, it is not substantially eliminated by the fish and accumulates with each trophic level; older, larger fish of predatory species therefore carry the highest MeHg concentrations. Species and trophic level are therefore the dominant determinants of Hg in tinned fish: albacore and bigeye tuna carry substantially more Hg than light tuna, skipjack, sardines, anchovies, or mackerel. Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in fish tissue reflect marine environmental contamination and species-specific accumulation; filter-feeding or bottom-dwelling species may accumulate higher Cd than open-ocean pelagics. The second contamination pathway is Sn migration from the can wall: plain tinplate cans leach Sn into the food over time, particularly in acidic products and under elevated storage temperatures. The EU has established a maximum Sn limit of 200 mg/kg for canned foods to address this pathway. Lacquer-lined (enameled) cans substantially reduce Sn migration by interposing a polymer barrier between the tinplate and the food; the extent of Sn reduction depends on lacquer coverage, film integrity, and product pH.

Heavy metal contamination profile

This table summarizes the available occurrence evidence for each metal. A data gap means the literature was reviewed for this commodity and metal but no usable occurrence data was found. Key sources link to contributing studies.

Routing

This ingredient is listed in the ingredient index.

Contamination Profile State

Per-analyte state — populated, in progress, or declared data gap — is carried authoritatively in the machine-readable contamination_profile frontmatter and the contamination-profile table above. Ingredient-level values belong here; finished-product values belong on the relevant product-category page.

Ranges by source, region, and variety

A Polish canned-fish study reported a canned tuna mean of 79.7 µg/kg total mercury (n=57), species means of 47.8 µg/kg in herring, 16.1 µg/kg in sprat, 11.4 µg/kg in sardine, 53.9 µg/kg in cod, 40.9 µg/kg in mackerel (range 1.7 to 90.5 µg/kg), and 12.6 µg/kg in salmon. The source record states that the study maximum is 351.3 µg/kg in one bonito-in-oil sample while the canned tuna table prints a maximum of 351 µg/kg. Methylmercury in that exposure table is estimated as total mercury divided by 1.12 rather than measured (2).

A Ghanaian canned-fish study reported total mercury means of 0.263 +/- 0.006 µg/g in tuna (2 products), 0.126 +/- 0.017 µg/g in mackerel (4 products), and 0.132 +/- 0.012 µg/g in sardine (4 products). Its source record states that one µg/g is equivalent to one mg/kg and 1,000 µg/kg (3).

An Egyptian canned-fish study reported that 40 percent of canned tuna samples and 45 percent of canned sardine samples exceeded the EU mercury limit it cites, with a mean mercury estimated daily intake of 0.265 µg/kg body weight/day against a tolerable daily intake of 0.228 µg/kg BW/day. The source record does not print the underlying mercury concentrations (4).

Species is the dominant determinant of Hg in tinned fish. Canned albacore (white) tuna carries substantially higher total mercury (tHg) and MeHg than canned light tuna (typically skipjack), reflecting the longer lifespan, larger body size, and higher trophic position of albacore. FDA and EPA dietary guidance for consumers and pregnant women consistently distinguishes these two tuna types. Sardines, anchovies, and mackerel, which occupy lower trophic positions and have shorter lifespans, carry substantially lower Hg than tuna. Geographic fishing region also matters: tuna caught in the Western Pacific may carry different Hg than tuna from the Eastern Atlantic or Indian Ocean, reflecting regional differences in ocean Hg methylation and prey community. Cd in fish tissue varies by species and ocean basin; some tuna species accumulate Cd in the liver (not the muscle), and canned products made from the whole fish (such as some sardine products packed with viscera) carry higher Cd than those using only the muscle. Sn in canned fish varies by can construction: plain tinplate versus lacquer-lined cans, can age, storage temperature, and product pH (acidic products in brine or tomato sauce leach more Sn than oil-packed products). Quantitative species-by-species and region-by-region breakdown will be populated as dedicated occurrence surveys are ingested.

Processing effects

The retort canning process (heat sterilization at approximately 121 degrees Celsius for a specified duration) does not destroy or remove heavy metals from fish tissue. MeHg in particular is thermally stable and is retained in the muscle at essentially the same concentration as in the fresh fish. Total Hg, Pb, and Cd are similarly unaffected by the retorting process. The packing medium has implications for Sn migration and for analytical detectability: fish packed in oil may partition some fat-soluble analytes between the oil and tissue phases; fish packed in brine (water and salt) retains metals in the muscle tissue. If the packing oil or brine is consumed (for example, in sardines where the oil is typically consumed with the fish), the total dietary exposure includes both the tissue and any metal in the liquid phase. For Sn specifically, the can construction is the primary variable: lacquer-lined (enameled) cans reduce Sn migration substantially compared to plain tinplate. Can age and storage conditions affect Sn migration rates; higher temperatures accelerate Sn dissolution from the can wall.

Ingredient-derivative risk

The primary derivative risk pathway for tinned fish is fish oil supplements, which may concentrate fat-soluble MeHg from fish lipid fractions. High-potency omega-3 fish oil products derived from fatty fish, particularly if not subjected to molecular distillation or other Hg-reduction purification steps, can carry detectable MeHg; this is a recognized regulatory and commercial concern addressed by several national pharmacopeia standards for supplement fish oil. Canned fish used as an ingredient in spreads, pates, pasta sauces, and ready meals contributes its tissue Hg and Pb to the finished product at the inclusion level of the fish fraction. Pet food products using canned tuna or tuna-derived protein carry the same trophic-accumulation Hg risk as the human food product; this is relevant where pets and their owners share food resources or where pet food ingestion is a secondary exposure pathway for children.

Mitigation options

Sourcing levers

Specifying lower-Hg species is the most impactful sourcing lever: sourcing sardines, anchovies, or skipjack light tuna instead of albacore tuna reduces MeHg by a factor of two to six or more depending on the species comparison. For manufacturers formulating products for pregnant women or young children, species specification is the primary risk management lever. Specifying fishing regions with lower documented ocean Hg levels provides a secondary lever, though it is operationally more difficult than species specification given the complexity of fish supply chains. For Sn, specifying lacquer-lined cans over plain tinplate is a can-procurement lever; this is a standard quality specification for manufacturers seeking to minimize Sn in the finished product.

Agronomic levers

No agronomic levers apply to tinned fish; Hg accumulation is determined by marine biogeochemistry and fish biology, not by terrestrial agricultural practices. Section not applicable.

Processing levers

Molecular distillation and other purification processes applied to fish oil concentrate can substantially reduce MeHg in the oil fraction; this lever is relevant for fish oil supplements and for products formulated with fish oil as an ingredient. For canned fish as a whole product, no processing step removes tissue Hg once the fish is canned. Using lacquer-lined cans rather than plain tinplate is a packaging-and-processing selection decision that reduces Sn migration throughout the product’s shelf life.

Formulation levers

For products marketed to pregnant women, infants, or young children that incorporate fish, substituting lower-Hg species (sardines, anchovies, wild salmon, skipjack tuna) for higher-Hg species (albacore tuna, king mackerel) is the primary formulation lever for Hg reduction. Reducing the fish fraction in a multi-ingredient product proportionally reduces Hg contribution.

Testing and QC levers

Lot-level ICP-MS testing for total Hg with speciation for MeHg is the standard QC requirement for canned fish sold in markets with MeHg advisory programs or regulatory limits. Sn testing by ICP-MS or other methods should be included in finished-product QC for plain tinplate canned products, particularly after extended storage. Species authentication testing (DNA barcoding, stable isotope analysis) prevents species substitution that could introduce higher-Hg fish labeled as lower-Hg species.

Packaging and storage levers

The choice between lacquer-lined (enameled) and plain tinplate cans is the primary packaging lever for Sn reduction. Lacquer-lined cans substantially reduce Sn migration, particularly in acidic products and over extended shelf life. Storage temperature management reduces Sn migration rates; cooler storage conditions slow Sn dissolution. Shelf-life management and FIFO inventory practices ensure that canned fish does not approach or exceed its best-before date under conditions that accelerate Sn migration.

Regulatory limits that apply

The filed guidance figures do not agree on one safe amount, and this page does not choose among them. The EPA IRIS oral reference dose is 0.1 µg methylmercury/kg b.w./day (5). The EFSA 2012 methylmercury tolerable weekly intake is 1.3 µg mercury/kg b.w./week (6). The JECFA provisional tolerable weekly intake is 1.6 µg methylmercury/kg b.w./week (7).

Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 prints total mercury maximum levels of 1.0 mg/kg for muscle meat of listed predatory species including tuna, 0.50 mg/kg for crustaceans, molluscs, and other muscle meat of fish, and 0.30 mg/kg for a listed lower-mercury group. The source record prints those levels with decimal commas (8). The FDA and EPA fish advice record places light canned tuna in Good Choices at 1 serving per week and states an avoid threshold of approximately 0.46 ppm methylmercury (9).

Under EU Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as amended (see EU Regulation 2023/915 maximum levels for contaminants in food), the applicable Pb maximum level for fish (muscle meat) is 0.30 mg/kg (300 ppb) wet weight. The Cd maximum level for fish muscle is 0.050 mg/kg (50 ppb) wet weight for most species, rising to 0.10 mg/kg (100 ppb) for species such as tuna, anchovies, and bonito that are known Cd accumulators. The total Hg (tHg) maximum level for fish is 0.50 mg/kg (500 ppb) wet weight for most commercial species, with a higher limit of 1.0 mg/kg (1,000 ppb) for predatory species such as marlin, swordfish, and shark. For canned fish products, a specific Sn maximum of 200 mg/kg applies under EU rules, reflecting the can-migration pathway. In the United States, FDA and EPA have established consumption frequency guidance for fish based on Hg content, including specific guidance for pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children. FDA does not publish a numerical Hg action level for canned fish equivalent to the EU limits, but the consumption guidance is functionally equivalent for high-exposure populations. The broader FDA Closer to Zero program (see FDA Closer to Zero — Program Overview) does not specifically address canned fish as a primary category for Pb reduction efforts, given that Hg rather than Pb is the dominant concern for this food type.

References

Works cited in this page’s text, in first-appearance order. See Sources for this page’s source inventory. Each title links to a source record with bibliographic details, reported findings, and document provenance.

1. Survey of metals in commercial infant foods, infant formula and non-infant specific foodsFood Standards Agency / Fera Science Ltd · UK Food Standards Agency report FS102048 · 2016 · www.food.gov.ukGovernment
2. Methylmercury (MeHg) — IRIS Chemical Assessment SummaryU.S. Environmental Protection Agency · 2001 · iris.epa.govGovernment
3. Scientific Opinion on the Risk for Public Health Related to the Presence of Mercury and Methylmercury in FoodEFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM) · EFSA Journal 2012;10(12):2985 · 2012 · doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2012.2985Government
4. Evaluation of Certain Food Additives and Contaminants (Methylmercury), 61st Meeting of JECFAJoint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives · WHO Technical Report Series 922 · 2004 · doi.org/10.1016/s0168-1605(03)00167-3Government
5. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006European Commission · Official Journal of the European Union · 2023 · eur-lex.europa.euRegulation
6. Advice About Eating Fish — For Those Who Might Become or Are Pregnant or Breastfeeding and Children Ages 1 to 11 YearsU.S. Food and Drug Administration and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · U.S. FDA and U.S. EPA · 2017 · www.fda.govGovernment
7. Risk of Mercury Ingestion from Canned Fish in PolandPawlaczyk A, Przerywacz A, Gajek M, and Szynkowska-Jozwik MI · Molecules · 2020 · doi.org/10.3390/molecules25245884Peer-reviewed
8. Levels of Heavy Metals in Selected Canned Fish on Cape Coast Market, Central Region, GhanaBartels Benjamin, Apaah Brakye Kenneth, and Gadzekpo Victor Patrick Yao · International Journal of Environment, Agriculture and Biotechnology · 2023 · doi.org/10.22161/ijeab.85.20Peer-reviewed
9. Risk assessment of some toxic metals in canned fish products retailed in Mansoura, EgyptHussein MA, Morgan SE, Mahmoud AF, and El-Ghareeb WR · Open Veterinary Journal · 2024 · doi.org/10.5455/OVJ.2024.v14.i1.23Peer-reviewed

Sources

Source records associated with this topic. Inclusion does not establish that every finding applies to this product or ingredient. References above identify works cited in the text.

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