Who is this choice for?

Organisers comparing salt content

You’re making a savoury cake for a school sale and want to choose a tin based on clear nutritional information, rather than its name alone.

Anyone adjusting their recipe

You want to choose the herbs and seasoning yourself. Plain sardines can make a good base, as long as you check their salt content separately.

Volunteers responsible for allergen information

You’re selling unwrapped portions and need to be able to tell families about allergens in the sardines and the cake’s other ingredients.

What should you look for?

For a savoury cake to sell at a school sale, choose your tin by checking its salt content and ingredients. Then prepare allergen information based on the complete recipe.

What to check What to look for Who it matters to
Salt content Compare the ‘salt’ line per 100 g using the same measurement basis. Connétable lists 0.20 g per 100 g of drained fish in its lemon marinade. I want to choose a tin based on the salt it contains before deciding how to season the cake. Around 43% of consumers would make this their priority.
Flavour and preparation Read the ingredients and check the drained weight. A lemon and vinegar marinade won’t work in a recipe in the same way as plain fillets. If I want to choose the herbs myself and make portions to suit my recipe, what’s in the tin matters as much as its name. Around 29% of consumers would prioritise this.
Allergens Keep the labels for all the ingredients. Declare fish and check the recipe for other allergens, as well as any ‘may contain’ warnings. To give families information about each cake for sale, I need an up-to-date list of its ingredients. This would be the main concern for around 28% of consumers.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Assuming ‘plain’ means ‘reduced salt’

    ‘Plain’ describes how the sardines are prepared, not how much salt they contain. Saupiquet lists 0.65 g of salt per 100 g for its plain fillets, while Auchan lists 0.66 g per 100 g for its plain sardines.

    Check the value on the tin you buy, and make sure you’re comparing quantities measured on the same basis.

  • Choosing a marinade without considering the cake

    Connétable’s variety contains lemon, vinegar and parsley, among other ingredients. It won’t work as a straight swap for plain sardines in a recipe where you want to control the flavour yourself.

    Check that these ingredients will suit your recipe and try a small batch before making all the portions.

  • Automatically listing ‘fish and crustaceans’

    Sardines are fish, but that doesn’t mean the cake also contains crustaceans. Connétable’s product information also warns that the sardines may contain traces of celery.

    Prepare allergen information using the details on each tin and all the ingredients you actually use. Only list crustaceans if the ingredients or a ‘may contain’ warning make this necessary.

  • Relying on a category page to choose a tin

    A page listing several sardine products, such as Carrefour’s, may not give the nutritional information for the specific variety you choose.

    Before preparing the portions, check the label on the exact tin you’re using, including its salt content, drained weight and best-before date.

Brands and varieties to consider

These varieties offer useful points of comparison for your recipe. Their features don’t apply to every product from each brand.

Connétable

Its organic sardines in lemon marinade, with no added oil, are labelled as reduced in salt.

  • Connétable lists 0.20 g of salt per 100 g of drained fish and says its product contains 30% less salt than the average canned sardines in marinade on the market. This comparison does not cover all canned sardines.
  • The lemon and vinegar will affect your recipe. The product information also warns that the sardines may contain traces of celery.

Saupiquet

Its plain sardine fillets are an option for recipes where you want to season the dish yourself.

  • Saupiquet lists 0.65 g of salt per 100 g for its plain fillets, which contain sardines, water and salt.
  • A separate Saupiquet Restauration variety is described as reduced in salt. Check its nutritional information and pack size before comparing it with other products.

Auchan

Its plain sardines offer another simple ingredients list to consider for a savoury cake.

  • The variety described by Auchan contains sardines, water and salt. It lists 0.66 g of salt per 100 g and has a drained net weight of 95 g.
  • For this variety, the ‘plain’ label does not indicate reduced salt.

Pêche Océan / Marque Repère E.Leclerc

These plain sardine fillets are sold in a 70 g tin.

  • E.Leclerc lists 0.90 g of salt per 100 g of drained product, a figure to consider if salt content is guiding your choice.
  • Make sure the 70 g pack contains enough sardines for all the portions you plan to serve.

Carrefour Classic'

The range includes plain sardines to consider if you’re looking for a product without a flavoured marinade.

  • The Carrefour category page helps you identify this plain variety.
  • To compare its salt content, check the nutritional information on the specific tin you plan to use.

Related Joybuy products

Related products coming soon.

Frequently asked questions

How do you compare the salt content of two tins of sardines?

Read the ‘salt’ line in the nutritional information and compare quantities measured on the same basis. For example, compare the figures per 100 g of drained product if both tins give this information. The ‘plain’ label alone doesn’t show that a tin contains less salt.

Does a sardine cake automatically contain crustaceans?

No. Sardines come under the fish allergen, not crustaceans. Check the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the tin you use, then check all the other ingredients in the cake before preparing information for families.

Do you need to provide allergen information if portions are sold unwrapped?

Yes. Allergen information is also required for food that isn’t prepacked, as the DGCCRF points out. Prepare up-to-date information for each recipe, listing fish and any other allergens present in the ingredients you use.

How should you store Saupiquet plain fillets after opening?

For its plain sardine fillets, Saupiquet says to transfer the contents to a suitable food container, store them between 0 and 4 °C and eat them within 48 hours of opening. If you choose a different tin, follow the instructions for the product you actually buy.