Who are these criteria for?

These tips are for choosing tinned sardines. For frozen sardines, check the information on the product you’re thinking of buying rather than relying on details from a tin.

For stocking up the cupboard

If you’re planning several meals, check the quantity of sardines after draining and the number of tins in a multipack. This information makes it easier to compare the pack sizes on offer.

For choosing a particular recipe

If the oil, salt or added ingredients matter to you, read the ingredients for the product you’ve chosen. Tins in the same range can contain different recipes.

For avoiding the preparation of whole sardines

If you want to add them quickly to a salad or some toast, look for the wording that matches your needs: fillets, skinless or boneless. These terms aren’t interchangeable.

What should you check before choosing?

For tinned sardines, start with the pack size, then check the recipe and how much preparation is needed. If you’re buying frozen sardines, check the information on their packaging separately: the details below about tinned products don’t apply to frozen ones.

Criteria What to check Who might this matter to?
Quantity and pack size Compare the drained net weight and the number of tins, particularly if you’re considering a multipack. According to the DGCCRF, the drained net weight must be shown on the label of a product packed in a covering liquid. If I’m preparing several meals, I want to know how many sardines each pack contains. Around 43% of consumers would put this quantity first.
Recipe and ingredients Read the ingredients list and check which oil is used and how much salt the product contains. If you’re ordering online for collection, check the ingredients for the specific product on offer. If I’m looking for a particular recipe, I’d rather check the ingredients than rely on the words “in olive oil” alone. This would be a priority for around 29% of consumers.
Preparation and bones Check the terms “fillets”, “skinless” and “boneless” separately: the first doesn’t guarantee the other two. If I want to add sardines straight to a meal, I want to avoid any preparation I find inconvenient, especially removing the bones. Around 28% of consumers would put ease of preparation first.

What should you watch out for with tinned sardines?

  • Comparing only the weight shown on the tin

    A tin of sardines in oil contains a covering liquid, so its total weight isn’t the same as the quantity of sardines once drained.

    To compare two pack sizes for the same use, check the drained net weight and the number of tins.

  • Assuming all recipes in olive oil are the same

    The proportion of oil and the added ingredients can vary. Auchan also says that the ingredients in a particular product may differ depending on the collection service and the date of purchase.

    Check the ingredients list for the product you’ve chosen, then check the tin you receive or collect.

  • Confusing fillets with boneless sardines

    The word “fillets” alone doesn’t confirm that a product is boneless. This matters if you don’t want to remove bones before serving.

    If being boneless is essential, look for the explicit wording “boneless”.

  • Confusing a best-before date with a use-by date

    The French Directorate-General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) distinguishes between the minimum durability date (DDM) and the use-by date (DLC). It explains that after a DDM, the product’s flavour may deteriorate even if the packaging is intact.

    Read the exact date wording on the tin, check that it’s in good condition and follow the storage instructions after opening.

Tinned sardine brands to know

These examples relate to specific tinned sardine products, not every product from each brand or frozen sardines.

Saupiquet

Saupiquet offers products including fillets of sardines with extra virgin olive oil and olives, in a 100 g pack.

  • The brand states that this recipe contains 6% olives and gives storage instructions for after opening.
  • If boneless sardines are essential, check for the wording “boneless”: “fillets” alone doesn’t confirm this.

Connétable

Connétable offers a product of whole sardines in extra virgin olive oil, as well as separate prepared options.

  • For the whole sardine product featured by the brand, the ingredients list shows sardines, extra virgin olive oil and salt.
  • Don’t assume that the ingredients or nutritional information for this product apply to other tins in the range.

Carrefour Classic'

One product of sardines in extra virgin olive oil is sold in a 135 g tin.

  • Carrefour’s product information lists sardines, 29% extra virgin olive oil and salt for this product.
  • Compare the drained net weight and ingredients of the tin you choose rather than assuming its details from the 135 g pack size alone.

Pêche Océan / Marque Repère E.Leclerc

The products featured by E.Leclerc include whole sardines, a multipack of tins and a skinless, boneless option.

  • These pack options let you choose between several tins of whole sardines and a prepared 100 g pack.
  • Check with the shop for the product you want; the listing for the skinless, boneless option directs customers to the E.Leclerc store, among other details.

Auchan

Auchan offers whole sardines in extra virgin olive oil, as well as a 100 g boneless option.

  • The words “boneless” distinguish the prepared product from the tin of whole sardines.
  • Auchan notes that the ingredients for its whole sardine product may change depending on the collection service and date of purchase, so check the label on the product you choose.

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Frequently asked questions

Do the criteria for tinned sardines also apply to frozen sardines?

No: the ingredients and storage instructions on a tin describe that tinned product, not a frozen one. If you’re buying frozen sardines, read the information on the packaging for the product you’ve chosen.

How can you compare the quantity in two tins?

Check the drained net weight and, for a multipack, the number of tins. According to the DGCCRF, the drained net weight must be shown when a product is packed in a covering liquid. The total weight of the tin alone therefore doesn’t tell you how many sardines it contains once drained.

Are sardine fillets always boneless?

Don’t assume so from the word “fillets” alone. If being boneless is important to you, look for the explicit wording “boneless” on the product in question.

How should you store a tin of sardines after opening?

Follow the instructions on the tin you’ve bought. For the olive oil fillets featured here, Saupiquet recommends refrigerating them and eating them within two days of opening. Don’t automatically apply this advice to every product.

What does it mean if the best-before date on a tin has passed?

A product past its minimum durability date isn’t the same as one past its use-by date. The DGCCRF says that a product may have lost some of its flavour after its DDM if the packaging is intact. Check the date wording and the condition of the tin before deciding whether to use it.