Pantry
Fewer chemicalsCanned albacore averages nearly 3× the mercury of canned light tuna in FDA testing, and about 27× that of sardines.
Our pick
Wild Planet Skipjack Wild Tuna in Pure Olive Oil, 6.7 oz glass jar, 6-pack
Canned light tuna, salmon and sardines are FDA/EPA ‘Best Choices,’ with 2–3 servings a week advised even during pregnancy. Sardines average just 0.013 ppm mercury. Packed in glass jars, they also skip the lining used inside cans.
Albacore (‘white’) tuna averages 0.350 ppm mercury in FDA testing, versus 0.126 ppm for canned light tuna. That’s why FDA/EPA rank albacore a ‘Good Choice’ to eat less often, not a ‘Best Choice.’
General information, not medical advice. Ask your doctor, especially if you’re pregnant, nursing or have a health condition.
Fish in glass jars costs more, often more than twice as much per ounce as cans. The metal jar lid has a thin inner seal, as glass-jar lids do. Skipjack swaps 1:1 into tuna salad and melts, and sardines shine on toast.
Health and safety facts on this page come from these sources. What a pick is made of comes from its maker's listing or website, as stated on the date we checked.
Pantry
Most cans no longer use BPA, but they’re still lined with a plastic coating. Beans in glass skip it, and dried beans are cheapest of all.
Our pick
Jovial 100% Organic Kidney Beans, 13 oz glass jar
Pantry
Lead and cadmium turn up in a lot of dark chocolate. This bar tested well below California’s daily limits for both.
Our pick
Ghirardelli Intense Dark 86% Cacao Bar, 3.17 oz
Pantry
In FDA testing, basmati and short- or medium-grain white rice averaged about a fifth less inorganic arsenic per serving than white long-grain rice, and a 5-minute parboil before cooking cut white rice’s levels by up to 73% in a lab study.
Our pick
Nishiki Medium Grain Rice, 5 lb (80 oz)
