[It took a while, but the FDA’s proposal on net and drained
weight of tuna cans is a good thing; just how much tuna resides in any
given can is a mystery. ]
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PORTSIDE CULTURE

FDA PROPOSES A HELPFUL NEW CONSUMER-FRIENDLY CANNED TUNA LABEL  
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Dave Dickey
October 18, 2023
Investigate Midwest
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_ It took a while, but the FDA’s proposal on net and drained weight
of tuna cans is a good thing; just how much tuna resides in any given
can is a mystery. _

Workers prepare a tuna dish during a food demonstration at food
pantry. , USDA Photo by Preston Keres

 

One of my favorite comfort foods is tuna casserole. Easy. Versatile.
Yummy hot or cold. What’s not to like?

That is as long as the tuna to noodles of your choice to veggies or
what not are in the proper ratio. Especially the tuna. I’ve learned
over the years that just how much tuna resides in any given can is a
mystery. The can claims to hold 5 ounces. But that includes the water
or vegetable oil.

Once drained … well … it is what it is. I’ve had tuna cans a
time or two in my life that held no more than a couple of well rounded
tablespoons (yes, I know there are other tuna package options out
there).

Which takes me to a shiny new proposal by the Food and Drug
Administration that promises a solution to my can conundrum.

As it turns out tuna processors aren’t enamored with current FDA
regulations on how tuna is canned. Currently, FDA requires a
“pressed cake weight” measurement which was originally designed
for three piece cans. No other nation on earth uses the pressed cake
weight standard because the three-piece can is obsolete, replaced
decades ago by a two-piece model.

Eight years ago, three major tuna producers – Tri Union Seafoods
(Chicken of the Sea), Bumble Bee Foods, and StarKist Company – filed
a citizen petition with FDA asking the feds to ax the pressed-cake
weight standard for a “drained weight” method:

“The pressed cake weight test is an archaic test that is difficult
to perform, prone to human error, and produces inconsistent results.
It was designed for the old 3-piece cans, not the 2-piece cans that
are the industry norm today. The United States is the only country
that still uses the pressed cake weight method. The drained weight
test is simpler for industry and regulators to perform and produces
more consistent, reliable results, thereby ensuring that consumers get
the amount of fish they purchase.”

The FDA, being the FDA, took a long time to answer (but that’s
another story). But lo and behold late in August, the FDA published in
the Federal Register a proposal that not only recommends using a
drained weight method but requires tuna can labels to list both net
weight and drained weight to give consumers “more complete and
useful information about the amount of fish in the can.”

If the FDA rule is finalized as written, it would also likely give
consumers new tuna options at the grocery store. FDA proposes
clarifying to consumers that canned tuna does not have to be packed in
water or vegetable oil. The tuna industry says the clarification will
make it easier to offer no drain canned tuna options.

And the tuna might be packed with additional flavorings. FDA proposes
“…to allow as optional ingredients any seasonings and flavors that
are ‘safe and suitable.’ ”

Needless to say, tuna producers are probably ecstatic. In their
citizen petition, the industry said a dry weight method could save
packers as much as $15.9 million annually.

FDA is taking public comment through Nov. 24.

Here’s hoping the proposal gets across the finish line. It’s a
little thing in the great big scheme of things we deal with day in and
day out, but you know consumer labels of all stripes and types should
be transparent and clear. And right now, tuna can labels are like
swimming through murky waters.

DAVE DICKEY, COLUMNISTCOLUMNIST

[email protected]

David Dickey always wanted to be a journalist. After serving tours in
the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, Dickey enrolled at Rock Valley
Junior College in Rockford, Ill., where he was first news editor.

* FDA
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* Food Labeling
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