Canned tuna is one of those products that resist both time and fashion, and in front of the supermarket shelf it remains an immediate, almost automatic choice – and it is not difficult to understand why. On long and hectic days it eliminates cooking preparation, eliminates the problem of the smell of fresh fish and still guarantees a few portions of catch during the week.
On the nutritional front, canned fish provide Omega-3 fatty acids, which help support the body’s anti-inflammatory function, which explains why many consumers continue to choose them without any particular feelings of guilt.
Selection criteria
To draw up the updated ranking for 2026, the Gambero Rosso editorial team collected samples from 25 companies in the fish canning industry, reviewing products made with different species and governing oils: from yellow fin to pole-caught skipjack tuna, available in extra virgin olive oil, olive oil and sunflower seed oil.
The final selection went through a blind test conducted by a panel of tasters, composed of Gabriella Ciofetta (olive oil expert), Letizia Tognelli (junior sous chef of the Ineo restaurant at the Anantara Palazzo Naiadi in Rome), Indra Galbo, Eugenio Marini and Mara Nocilla of the Gambero Rosso editorial team.
The criteria examined for the evaluation were the following: the texture of the pulp – it must be meltable and not stringy – and the adequately iodized taste-olfactory profile, free from pronounced oxidation and aromatic drifts from conservation. Of the 25 samples, ten clearly stood out from the rest.
The complete ranking
Below is the ranking drawn up by Gambero Rosso:
