BPA-Free Canned Salmon and Tuna
Safe Catch and Wild Planet have moved off BPA can linings and say so in writing. Neither of them claims the word most shoppers are looking for — and the gap between what they actually say and what the label implies is the useful part.
Safe Catch and Wild Planet are the two canned tuna and salmon brands we recommend with a written position on can linings, and both phrase it the same careful way: no intentional addition of BPA, rather than an absolute absence. Safe Catch goes one step further and says it tests finished product through third-party labs. For canned fish specifically, mercury is the bigger variable than the lining, and it is the one that differs most between species.
On your shelf: what the mainstream brands say about the can
The canned tuna and salmon most shoppers already own, and what each brand has published about its can lining. "No statement found" means we read the brand's FAQ and product pages on 2026-10-23 and found no sentence about the lining; we did not contact the companies, so it is an absence in what is published, not a finding about the can.
- What does Bumble Bee say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- We found no sentence about can linings on bumblebee.com's FAQ or on its tuna product pages. The only BPA text we found is a standard California Proposition 65 warning on a tuna-salad-and-crackers kit page, which says many cans "have linings containing bisphenol A" without saying whether that kit's can does. Labels: Solid White Albacore in Water, 5 oz, lists "White Tuna, Water, Vegetable Broth, Sea Salt" and 320 mg sodium per can drained (113 g); Chunk Light in Water, 5 oz, lists 360 mg. Source (checked )
- What does StarKist say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- StarKist's FAQ says its cans are 100% recyclable steel; it has no sentence about the lining, and it directs any unanswered question to its Consumer Care line. Labels: Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 5 oz, 360 mg sodium per can drained (113 g); Solid White Albacore in Water, 5 oz, 320 mg; Jumbo Lump Wild Pink Salmon, 5 oz, 270 mg per 85 g. The product pages do not print an ingredient list. Source (checked )
- What does Chicken of the Sea say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- No lining statement on its FAQ or product pages. Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 5 oz, lists "Chunk Light Tuna, Water, Vegetable Broth (Contains Soy), Salt" and 360 mg sodium per can drained (113 g). Alaskan Pink Salmon, 14.75 oz, lists "Pink Salmon, Salt" and 260 mg per 3 oz serving. Source (checked )
- What does Kirkland Signature (Costco) say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- No lining statement on the Costco item pages for the albacore or the pink salmon. The albacore, a 7 oz can (5.4 oz drained, larger than the 5 oz cans above), lists "Albacore Tuna, Water, Sea Salt, Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate" and 480 mg sodium per can. Costco's tuna page does not name who packs it; its salmon page names Trident Seafoods. Source (checked )
- What does Trader Joe's say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- Trader Joe's product FAQ (traderjoes.com/home/FAQ/product-faqs, read in a browser on October 23 and again on October 27, 2026) lists "MOST Canned Fish & Chicken" among the packages with "no intentionally added BPA to interior linings"; it uses "ALL" for canned coconut milk, beans, fruits and vegetables. It does not say which canned fish, or what the lining is made of. An older SafeMama list credited Trader Joe's with a position; the "most" statement is the one we could find. Its Solid White Albacore Tuna in Water (salt added), 5 oz, lists "Solid White Tuna, Water, Salt" and 360 mg sodium per can, with a serving size of one drained can (4 oz, 113 g) (product page read in a browser on October 27, 2026). Several Trader Joe's canned tuna items, including this salt-added albacore in water (lots S92ND1L and S92ND2L, best by January 2028), were in a February 2025 recall for an easy-pull lid "not secured properly", a botulism risk (recalling firm listed as Chicken of the Sea; Thai Union; FDA Class II, classified March 11, 2025 and listed as "Ongoing" in the FDA's database when we read it on October 27, 2026 (last updated October 21); reports F-0612 to F-0615 and F-0618-2025). It is a lid defect, not a lining one. If you have these cans at home, check the lot code on the bottom against the FDA enforcement report. Source (checked )
- What does Walmart's Great Value say about the can?No statement found, or mixed
- No lining statement on the item pages we read. Chunk Light Tuna in Water, 5 oz, lists "Light tuna, water, vegetable broth" and 360 mg sodium per can drained (113 g). Alaskan Pink Salmon, 14.75 oz, lists "Salmon, Water, Salt" and 340 mg per 3 oz, and the page says "Wild caught and packed in Alaska". Source (checked )
- What does Safe Catch say about the can?Written no-BPA lining position
- Safe Catch says its tuna and salmon cans have "linings that are made without BPA and do not have the intentional addition of BPA", that it tests finished product through accredited third-party labs, and that it has "not found any detectable levels of BPA in any of our products" to date. In a separate help article it says it dropped BPA claims from its packaging in response to California Proposition 65. Scope: all its canned products and pouches. Source (checked )
- What does Wild Planet say about the can?Written no-BPA lining position
- Wild Planet says "all of Wild Planet's current products are packed in cans that do not have the intentional addition of BPA in the can lining formulation", and that it buys cans and lids only from manufacturers that do not use BPA in the lining formulation. Scope: all current products, cans. Source (checked )
Brands in this guide
- Safe Catch2 picks
- Wild Planet1 pick · safety review
Our picks
Cheat-sheet winners
The winners from our cheat sheet, each chosen for one job.
Best lower-mercury tuna
Safe Catch Canned Tuna Fish
Safe Catch Elite skipjack tuna — the brand says its tuna and salmon cans have "linings that are made without BPA and do not have the intentional addition of BPA", that it tests finished product through accredited third-party labs, and that it has "not found any detectable levels of BPA in any of our products" to date. Our salmon and tuna page picks this over Wild Planet.
Manufacturer statement checked · source
What the two brands actually say
This is the part worth reading slowly, because it is where most coverage of this topic goes wrong.
Safe Catch states that it packs its canned tuna and salmon in tin-free steel cans "with linings that are made without BPA and do not have the intentional addition of BPA," and that it "routinely test[s] finished products using accredited 3rd-party testing labs," having "not found any detectable levels of BPA in any of our products" to date.
Wild Planet states that all its current products "are packed in cans that do not have the intentional addition of BPA in the can lining formulation," and that it buys cans and lids only from manufacturers that do not use BPA in the lining formulation.
Neither company writes the words "BPA-free" about its own cans. Plenty of retail listings do it for them. That gap is not a scandal — "no intentional addition" is a real and checkable commitment, and the third-party testing Safe Catch describes is more than most brands offer. But it is a different claim from absence, and a page that flattens the two is telling you something the manufacturer declined to.
Mercury is the bigger variable here
For canned fish specifically, the lining is not the thing most likely to matter. Species is.
Salmon runs lower in mercury than tuna. Within tuna, skipjack — usually labeled "chunk light" — runs lower than albacore, which is usually labeled "solid white." This is why the FDA and EPA's joint advice on fish is organized by species rather than by brand, and why a lower-mercury species in an ordinary can may serve you better than a higher-mercury one in a carefully lined can.
Safe Catch's own pitch rests on this: it tests individual fish for mercury and rejects those above its limit, which is a species-independent way at the same problem. Whether that premium is worth it depends on how often canned fish shows up in your week.
For the fuller picture of where mercury exposure actually comes from, see our explainer on mercury in fish.
The honest summary
If you want canned fish and you want the lining question settled as well as it currently can be, Safe Catch is the brand that publishes a written lining position and says it tests every tuna for mercury. If you want the mercury question settled, choose salmon or skipjack over albacore, whatever the can is lined with.
If you want both, the pink salmon is the quiet answer: a naturally lower-mercury species from the brand with the strongest published position.
See also: BPA-free canned sardines, with each sardine brand's own wording about its cans.
For the short version across every canned food, see the BPA-free canned food cheat sheet.
Our top pick
Manufacturer statement checked · source
Safe Catch Elite skipjack — the same written lining position and the same tests-every-tuna mercury limit as the albacore, on the species that carries less mercury to begin with. Safe Catch says it tests every tuna and does not buy fish above 0.1 ppm for Elite, against the FDA's 1.0 ppm action level; those are the company's own limits, not a result for the can in your hand. One public record sits next to this pick: California's Attorney General register of 60-day warning-label notices (read October 26, 2026) lists five notices since June 2021 naming Safe Catch, Inc. over its products, four on sardines and two on tuna (one covers both). The two that name tuna allege lead (January 2025, "Safe Catch Wild Tuna", identified by UPC 8-5948000601-5) and PFOS/PFOA (December 2025, "Safe Catch sardines in olive oil, Safe Catch tuna", no UPC). Public product databases resolve that UPC to Safe Catch Elite wild skipjack tuna, 3 oz, the same line as our pick; we have not confirmed it is the exact can we link, and we did not match the PFOS/PFOA notice to any product. A notice alleges a product was sold without a warning label; it is not a finding that the fish was unsafe.
Also worth considering
Safe Catch Wild Pacific Pink Canned Salmon Fish, No Salt, 5oz, 6-Pack | Skinless and Boneless, Wild Caught, Ready To Eat, Lowest Mercury Limit, Kosher
Safe Catch wild pink salmon — same lining position, and pink salmon is naturally lower in mercury than albacore.
Wild Planet Skinless and Boneless Sockeye Salmon, 6 Ounce Can, Pack of 12 | Sustainably Caught Canned Salmon. Non-GMO, Gluten Free, Kosher, Dairy Free, Keto & Paleo Friendly
Wild Planet sockeye — case size, so the cost per can drops sharply; check the per-can price before the sticker price. California's Attorney General register of 60-day warning-label notices (searched October 23, 2026) lists five notices since December 2022 naming Wild Planet or Sustainable Seas tuna products and none naming salmon. They allege lead (December 2022, November 2023), PFOS/PFOA (December 2025, May 2026) and cadmium (April 2026); three are prepared tuna salads or chorizo rather than plain cans. A notice alleges a product was sold without a warning label; it is not a finding that the fish was unsafe.
What does not tell you a can is BPA-free
- The words "BPA-free" on a third-party listing — Retail listings and marketplace descriptions frequently print "BPA-free cans" for products whose manufacturer does not use that phrase. Check the brand's own wording, not the storefront's.
- "Wild-caught" or "sustainably fished" — Both describe the fish. Neither says anything about what lines the can.
- Assuming the replacement lining is fully characterized — Organosol and similar non-BPA linings are the common substitutes. They avoid BPA, but they are less studied than the material they replaced.
- Treating tuna and salmon as interchangeable on mercury — Species matters more than brand here. Albacore runs higher than skipjack; salmon runs lower than both.
How we choose
A brand earns a place here when it has published its own position on can linings, in its own words, and that position is specific enough to check. We quote the wording rather than paraphrasing it into something stronger, because the difference between "no intentional addition" and "BPA-free" is the whole point of the page.
- Manufacturer publishes its own can-lining position
- Scope of the claim is clear (which products, not just which brand)
- Species-level mercury information available
- Still in production and available
- No active recall on the pick
Every source we cite is checked against our criteria first — see how we check our sources.
What the research says
A flexible 9-day road map for safely introducing top allergens
— Malina Malkani, MS, RDN, CDN told BenBella Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster), ISBN 9781637745359 that ...
Safe and Simple Food Allergy Prevention: A Baby-Led Feeding Guide to Starting Solids and Introducing Top Allergens — BenBella Books (distributed by Simon & Schuster), ISBN 9781637745359 (2024-11-12)
the tactile investigation of food is part of development - it's necessary, productive and speeds up the learning curve.
— Jill Castle, MS, RDN told The Washington Post that ...
Let picky eaters play with their food, and don't force 'thank you' tastes — The Washington Post (2018-11-01)
When a child's appetite is ignored, he or she may lose the ability to regulate his or her own internal hunger and fullness cues
— Jill Castle, MS, RDN told CNN that ...
Of the four parental 'feeding styles,' only one is good for kids' health, experts say — CNN (2018-10-04)
Sources
- Safe Catch — Do your cans or pouches contain BPA? — Safe Catch
- Wild Planet Foods — FAQs (can linings) — Wild Planet Foods
- California Attorney General — Proposition 65 60-day notice register (searched 2026-10-23 for Wild Planet and Sustainable Seas) — California Department of Justice
- Safe Catch — Mercury testing — Safe Catch
- California Attorney General — Proposition 65 notice 2025-00305 (lead, Safe Catch Wild Tuna; read 2026-10-26) — California Department of Justice
- California Attorney General — Proposition 65 notice 2025-05103 (PFOS and PFOA, Safe Catch sardines and tuna; read 2026-10-26) — California Department of Justice
Side by side
| Attribute | Safe CatchCanned Tuna Fish | Safe CatchWild Pacific Pink Canned Salmon Fish | Wild PlanetSkinless and Boneless Sockeye Salmon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Why it's here | Our top pick | — | — |
| Price | $24 | $29.99 | $128.81 |
| Availability | In stock | In stock | In stock |
Common questions
Cheat sheets for this
Part of the BPA & Canned Food hub— the rest of our coverage in this category.
Every bpa-free canned foodproduct we've reviewed— what we'd buy, what we'd skip, and where each one stands.