Which Country's Tinned Fish Is Worth the Price

By Tiffany Xinran Wang

Rainbow Tomatoes Garden’s online shop is touted as the world’s largest collection of tinned fish and seafood, with over 800 products from 27 countries.

The sheer volume of tinned products can be overwhelming when shoppers face a whole shelf of them, trying to pick a tin for their tuna pasta or sardine salad. That’s when RTG’s large collection comes in handy.

Shop owner Dan Waber compiled the details of every tin into a dataset, which offers insights into what type of tinned fish from which country would give shoppers the biggest bang for their buck.

The top three winners are mackerels from France, sardines from Portugal and tuna from Italy.

French mackerel, Portuguese sardine and Italian tuna have the cheapest unit price.

Some of RTG’s French mackerel offerings include Groix & Nature’s Mackerel Rillettes with Sichuan Pepper and Les Mouettes d’Arvor’s Mackerel Fillets in Escabeche.

RTG’s sardine collection from Portugal has gourmet flavors, including Sardinha’s Sardines in Spicy Olive Oil with Smoke Aroma and Berthe’s Sardines in Olive Oil with Truffle Flavoring.

Italian tuna includes AS do MAR’s Solid Light Yellowfin Tuna in Olive Oil and Angelo Parodi’s Yellowfin Ventresca in Olive Oil.

If trying out exotic countries’ tinned products is a priority, these countries’ tins are rare sightings that are worth buying.

The global tinned fish market is projected to grow by almost 6% annually, from a value of $10 billion in 2024 to $18 billion in 2034, according to a study by Fact.MR, a research company.

Fact.MR's report says consumers are turning to tinned fish for its long-lasting shelf life and rich nutrients.

For those looking for a fine taste instead of inexpensiveness, tinned fish from France and Spain will generally be good choices because these countries tend to use extra virgin olive oil in their tins much more often than others countries.