FAQs

Wild Planet anchovies are processed using the same methods used to process our sardines. We do not fillet or brine them, so they are quite different from what most are used to. Each fish is examined both before processing and again before canning to ensure that the fish in the can matches the fish on the label. An easy way to determine if you have a sardine or an anchovy is to look at the back of the fish. Sardines will have spots along the spinal area, and anchovies will not.

Anchovies are smaller than sardines and do not have a row of spots down their spine. Wild Planet sardines have slightly thicker bones (in the traditional varieties containing bones), while the bones in our anchovies are softer and easier to spread on toast or crackers. Sardines are quite similar in taste to tuna, while anchovies have a sweet flavor that goes well with oil and acids like vinegar or citrus.

They are salty, yes. We do not offer anchovies with no salt added. However, they are not the intense salty fillets that many associate with pizza or Caesar salad.

Wild Planet Foods Organic Shredded Beef is available for purchase through wildplanetfoods.com. However, over time it will be available at select natural food and grocery retailers including Sprouts, Vitamin Cottage Natural Food Markets, Inc., and Whole Foods Market.

Wild Planet Foods Organic Shredded Beef is ready to eat straight from the pouch. It is very versatile and there are many ways to enjoy it. For the best flavor try heating it up and possibly adding to a wrap, stir fry, tacos, or a rice dish.

Our desire is to provide you with the best environmental choices of food – both land and ocean based, which have excellent sources of nutrition with unsurpassed taste. We believe in the importance of organic agriculture for the long-term viability of soils and clean water. Similar to our Organic Roasted Chicken Breast, our new Organic Shredded beef is also a healthier product – no antibiotics are ever used on the animals, and these animals graze on organically certified pastures that use no herbicides, pesticides, or chemical fertilizers.

Beef from Uruguay is grass-fed and grass-finished on some of the lushest grasslands in the world, the Pampas. Sourcing from Uruguay allows Wild Planet Foods to provide you with some of the highest quality beef available. The cattle live their whole lives on pastures and never see a feed lot.

We always pack the same amount of raw product in each can. You might see slight differences in liquid levels in each can, corresponding with the amount of meat. A piece of chicken with higher fat content will have more liquid cook out, appearing to have a smaller amount of meat, whereas pieces of chicken with lower fat content will have less liquid cook out, giving the appearance of having a larger amount of meat. The appearance may also be dependent on the type of raw product used to produce the can. If your piece of chicken appears slightly shrunken with a much higher liquid to meat ratio, along with having more texture to it, this product was created using fresh chicken. Depending on availability, we will sometimes use fresh chicken and sometimes frozen. During the defrost process, the meat will dry out a bit, so the finished product will not have as much liquid cooking out of it. Fresh chicken does not have that chance to dry out, so there will be more liquid that cooks out.

The Best By date can be found printed in light pink or red ink on the lid of the can, near the pull tab. If you are unable to determine the date there, please turn the can over and remove the round sticker on the opposite side of the can. There you may also find the Best By date printed in a much larger font.

The free-range chickens we source are raised on a 100% USDA-certified vegetarian diet, consisting of non-GMO soy and non-GMO corn grown on land that is free of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.

We source Atlantic Chub Mackerel, caught off the Atlantic coast of Morocco, and Pacific Chub Mackerel, caught off the Pacific coast of Japan.

We offer skinless and boneless Mackerel fillets packed in extra virgin olive oil in 4.4oz cans. We also offer boneless Mackerel fillets with skin in 5oz cans.

For information on FDA fish consumption recommendations based on mercury screening values, you may also view these three individual charts, each tailored for Adults, Children, or Pregnant Women.

This dark meat in salmon, called the fat line, is a stored reserve of fats (Omega-3s). Salmon swim thousands of miles, storing up fat they will need to migrate, often hundreds of miles, up rivers to spawn. This is necessary because they don’t eat once they enter the freshwater of the rivers. Depending on the species of salmon, the season and other factors, the thickness of the fat can vary, but all salmon have it. Some of the highest Omega-3 levels are found in the darker flesh, so it is excellent for you. That being said, not everyone likes to eat the dark meat, and some restaurants and fish markets remove it for aesthetic reasons. We opt to leave it in as it adds to the nutritive value of our canned salmon, and keeps with our sustainability mission by using all of the meat.

All of our salmon are wild-caught from clean, clear waters in Alaska. Because of their shorter lifespan of three years, they do not have the chance to accumulate higher amounts of mercury and other contaminants. This makes salmon an excellent choice for their high Omega-3s, high protein and low levels of contaminants. FDA tests of canned salmon show it to average 0.014ppm; Wild Planet tests of our pink salmon average 0.013ppm.

Sardines have natural variation and the fat content may range from 4-25%. Colder waters and recent feeding will result in a fattier sardine, while warmer waters and not having recently fed will result in a leaner sardine. If you open a can of sardines that seems messy and the skin is dislodged, this indicates very fatty sardines. Since the fat is just below the skin, the skin is dislodged as the fat liquefies during cooking. This fat is composed of long chain Omega‑3 fatty acids which are only available from fatty fish, shellfish, and marine algae. If you open a can to find beautiful, intact sardines, those are leaner and are higher in protein. The more sardines you eat, the more variations you will see!

Our sardines are packed by weight rather than number of fish. Each sardine must weigh between 40 and 70 grams, resulting in as many as 5 small sardines or as few as 2 large sardines in each can.

We use only the highest quality fish. In addition, sustainable harvest methods are more costly to practice, and the smaller fish caught yield less meat recovery in comparison with long-line caught fish. Also, our tuna is hand-cut and packed, which is a labor-intensive process.

Finally, we pack 100% tuna and sea salt; no liquid is added. So you get a 5oz whole steak in every can; compared to 3.5 ounces of tuna and the rest water or oil, as found in conventional tuna brands. This results in 40% more tuna per can, making once cooked Wild Planet tuna an outstanding value.

The average mercury content of tuna rises with the age and size of the fish. Wild Planet only sources pole and line as well as troll caught tuna, which are the younger and smaller, migratory tuna that are caught near the surface. These fish (3-5 years of age) have accumulated lower levels of mercury as compared to older and larger tuna (6-12 years old) which live at much lower depths and in a different part of the Pacific Ocean. Our annual testing protocol, summarized in the accompanying document, verifies that Wild Planet tuna products average 0.067PPM for Skipjack (which is 14 times lower than the FDA “Action Limit” of 1.0PPM), 0.137PPM for Yellowfin (which is 7 times lower than the FDA “Action Limit” of 1.0PPM), and 0.17PPM for Albacore (which is six times lower than the FDA “Action Limit” of 1.0PPM). Wild Planet has been controlling the average and range of mercury in its products since 2004 and continues to do so. Please read the Wild Planet perspective on this topic here: The Wild Planet Perspective: Mercury Content In Tuna.

For information on FDA fish consumption recommendations based on mercury screening values, you may also view these three individual charts, each tailored for Adults, Children, or Pregnant Women.

Watch Mercury Video

We cook our tuna only once*, in the can, retaining all of its natural long chain Omega‑3 fatty acids. Most conventional brands cook their fish before putting it in the can, thereby losing valuable Omega‑3’s, then add oil or water to the cooked fish before the final cook/sterilization.

* For a more complete explanation of the once cooked process, please see Are Wild Planet albacore and skipjack tuna packed in water or oil? in this section.

Our albacore and skipjack tuna has no liquid added; it is simply tuna in its own juices. Our sashimi grade tuna steaks are hand cut and placed in the can, sealed and then cooked. The liquid present when you open the can is only what was originally in the fish itself. That is why we recommend that you use the liquid, and the nutrition panel is based on the whole contents, both meat and liquid.

An exception to this method is our tuna packed in extra virgin olive oil or pure olive oil.

Since we pack freshly defrosted tuna without precooking, all of the long chain Omega-3 fatty acids are present and these contain calories. The added water in conventional tuna is devoid of both nutrition and calories. This is why Wild Planet tuna is highly potent nutritionally.

No, our yellowtail fillets are free of both skin and bones.

Yellowtail (Seriola quinqueradiata) is also known as the Japanese Amberjack. You may see it in sushi restaurants under the name Hamachi.

Yellowtail has a mild, sweet flavor with a nice firm texture.

No, all four varieties of ready-to-eat tuna bowls have salt added.

For your convenience, we’ve compiled charts of all Wild Planet products and their current nutritional values. Click here to view the charts.

There are three primary types of Omega‑3 fatty acids; ALA, EPA and DHA.

ALA Omega‑3 fatty acids are found in plants like flax and chia.

EPA and DHA Omega‑3s are found in fish, shellfish and marine algae.

While our bodies can convert the plant based ALA Omega‑3s into EPA and DHA, the conversion rate in our bodies is very low. So it is important to get EPA and DHA Omega‑3 fatty acids from your diet, and Wild Planet seafood is an excellent source of these important EPA/DHA Omegas. Please see our individual product pages to find the combined totals of these Omega-3s in each of our products. Alternatively, you may view our comparative chart for all products. Please see How do your various products compare in nutritional values? in this section.

EPA and DHA Omega‑3s are important for many functions, including inflammation.

Every cell in our body is surrounded by a cell membrane composed mostly of fatty acids. This membrane allows the necessary amounts of nutrients to enter the cell and ensures that waste products are quickly removed. EPA Omega‑3 is one type of fatty acid involved in this process.

Resolvins help to explain how EPA provides anti-inflammatory effects on our joints and how it improves blood flow. They are a recently identified lipid, or fat, made from EPA by our cellular enzymes. They work by inhibiting the production of, as well as regulating the migration of, inflammatory cells and chemicals to sites of inflammation. Unlike anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin, ibuprofen and the COX‑2 inhibitors, the resolvins that our bodies produce from EPA do not have negative side effects on our gastrointestinal or cardiovascular systems.

These EPA Omega‑3s are only found in fatty fish, shellfish and marine algae.

Source

Research has shown that obtaining Omega‑3 fatty acids from food sources may be a better choice than using supplements. While concentrated fish oil capsules may be a good way of obtaining isolated Omega‑3s, that refining process can eliminate other necessary nutrients that are present in whole fish, such as calcium, Vitamin D, and the antioxidant selenium. Research has also shown that the absorption of Omega‑3s, as well as the blood pressure regulating properties of Omega-3s, are much improved when they are consumed in whole fish. This is due to the presence of these additional nutrients, proteins and co-factors. Additionally, studies have linked long term use of fish oil supplements with various fatty liver disease conditions.

Wild Planet’s Wild Tuna Pasta Salad Ready-To-Eat Meal – 5.6oz contains gluten in the fusilli pasta. All other Wild Planet Foods products, including the remaining ready-to-eat tuna bowls, do not contain gluten. Strict sanitation plans are in place to prevent cross-contamination.

If you would like more specific allergen information, please call or email our Customer Service department, and we will be happy to answer your questions.

None of our products contain soy in any form. Unlike many brands of tuna, Wild Planet tuna does not contain vegetable broth, hydrolyzed vegetable proteins or any other liquids or fillers, which often contain soy. Wild Planet tuna, as well as our salmon and chicken, are packed in their own natural juices, and are available with or without sea salt. A note of possible concern is our Organic Roasted Chicken Breast. The diet of the chickens is supplemented with both soy and corn. For those with extreme allergies it is recommended that an allergist be consulted to determine if that may be an issue.

An exception to the once-cooked process is our albacore tuna in olive oil. It is twice-cooked like our sardines, yellowtail, mackerel and anchovies. These twice-cooked products are packed in organic extra virgin olive oil, or water, none of which contain soy. Our Pink Shrimp (discontinued 2018) is packed with natural citric as well as water and salt.

Variation in the meat to liquid ratio and browning are both due to natural variation and our once-cooked process.

Our salmon, chicken and tuna (albacore and skipjack) are processed using the once-cooked method, wherein the meat is placed in the can, sealed, and then cooked. It is completely cooked and ready to eat right out of the can.

Since no liquid is added, the only liquid present in the can comes from the fat and juices that cook out of the fish/chicken. When the tuna, salmon or chicken is leaner, and hence higher in protein, there might not be enough fat and juice to completely surround the meat with liquid as it cooks. This results in brownish spots, or caramelization. Please view this example of the brownish spots, or caramelization, in the can.

Conversely, if the fish/chicken is higher in fat, more liquid will cook out and this may give the impression of less meat in the can. However, all cans are packed with the same amount of meat and no liquids are added. It is natural variation that will cause the meat-to-liquid ratio to vary.

We encourage our customers to break up the meat and allow the liquid to reabsorb. There are beneficial long chain Omega 3 fatty acids in the salmon and tuna, and small particles of protein, called peptides, in all three products. The nutrition panels are based on the whole contents, meat and liquid.

The exception to this is the albacore tuna which we pack in olive oil; it is twice cooked and will not exhibit as much natural variation.

Tuna and salmon can both vary in the color of their meat, and since we do not use any whiteners or processing agents, you will see the actual color of the fish in our cans.

Wild salmon get their color by eating zooplankton, krill, and shrimp. These contain a reddish-orange compound called astaxanthin. That shrimp-heavy diet is also what turns flamingos pink. The degree of pigment is determined by the amount of astaxanthin in the diet, and also the fish’s ability to synthesize it. There can be variation among salmon from red to pink to light tan, and even to white in some king salmon. The meat will become lighter when fully cooked, as the canned salmon is. Canned pink salmon can range from pink to tan and nearly white, while sockeye salmon can vary from red to light pink. These are all normal variations.

While albacore are the only tuna that legally can be called white, they are not always white! Their color can range from pink to tan, even a little yellow or orange, and all the way to white. Like salmon, their color is also affected by diet. Albacore eat mostly cephalopods (squid, octopus and nautilus), and also fish, crustaceans and gelatinous organisms. Tuna feeding on squid are more yellow or orange in color. The flesh of tuna feeding on crustaceans such as krill and shrimp will have a pink hue due to the astaxanthin content.

Wild Planet’s insistence on canning only high-quality, once-cooked fish without processing agents allows the true color and natural variation to shine through!

The dates which we imprint on our shelf-stable products are to inform consumers of their best “quality” dates, not “safety” dates. As per the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, if a product is stored properly, it should still be safe to consume after its “Best By” date. You may read more information on the FDA’s Food Facts.

As an additional resource, you may also visit the USDA’s Shelf-Stable Food Safety page containing a food storage chart that lists how long food should keep if stored properly. According to this resource, low-acid canned goods, such as fish, should be consumed within 2-5 years of the production date.

Wild Planet Foods does not recommend storing cans or pouches above 100 degrees for any extended period of time. When assessing if the can or pouch is still safe to eat, Wild Planet Foods recommends inspecting the integrity of the can. If there are no dents, swelling, bulging, or rust, then open a can and inspect the product. If the product does not exhibit signs of spoilage through smell or appearance, the product should be safe to eat. As always, please refer to your healthcare professional for safety guidelines specific to you and your family.

Our pouches are made of a multi-layered packaging material and aren’t recyclable. We primarily sell our products in fully-recyclable cans. We introduced our pouches in response to our customers’ request for more convenience. Wild Planet Foods is currently developing a new format of recyclable, single-serving packaging to add to our recyclable convenience solutions.

Yes, the ready-to-eat tuna bowls are fully recyclable. Just rinse out the bowl to remove any remnants, and both the bowl and peel-off lid can be recycled.

There’s a fine line between producing a scoring line that will hold the seal and also be manageable to open. Our President, Bill Carvalho explains: “It is important to make the scoring light enough so as to be shelf stable and resist rupture, but heavy enough to allow opening.”

 While these can sometimes be challenging to open, Wild Planet chooses to use these lids because the majority of our customers prefer this convenient style of opening. Many customers take the can to work or other remote locations to enjoy away from the kitchen. Since Wild Planet products are nutrient dense and shelf stable, they are an excellent choice for emergency go bags.

If you have difficulty opening the cans, please contact our customer service department.

All of Wild Planet’s current products are packed in cans that do not have the intentional addition of BPA in the can lining formulation. We only buy cans and lids from manufacturers that do not use BPA in the lining formulation. Please read the Wild Planet perspective on this topic here: The Wild Planet Perspective: BPA (Bisphenol A).

These harmless crystals, called struvite, are formed by magnesium, ammonia and phosphate, elements occurring naturally in seafood. Sometimes, during the cooking process, these elements crystallize to form what looks like tiny particles of glass. They are safe if consumed, as natural stomach acids will dissolve the crystals, which are then absorbed by the body. They also dissolve when boiled in lemon juice or vinegar.

Yes, all of our products are fully cooked and safe to eat right out of the can, jar or pouch.

If you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, the product can be returned within 30 days of the original purchase of the product. A new product may be exchanged for another product or returned for a refund. You will need to contact our Customer Service team before sending the product back to us.

Unfortunately, sale items cannot be refunded. Only regular price items can be refunded. For more details, please view our Policies.

For one-time purchases, an order threshold of $75 is required for free shipping. Orders below the threshold will have a $10 flat rate shipping fee added. For all Subscribe & Save orders, customers will always receive free shipping within the continental U.S.

Albacore Tuna: Pole & line fleets, as well as troll fleets, in the North Pacific working in the United States and Japan. We also source a smaller amount of albacore from troll vessels working in New Zealand.

Skipjack Tuna: Pole & line caught in Japan, Indonesia or the Maldives by small-scale family fishing vessels.

Sardines: Sustainably sourced from well-managed Pacific fisheries in Japan and Atlantic fisheries in Morocco, our wild sardines are single-species caught using unassociated purse seine nets. The vessels sourcing these sardines do not employ the use of unsustainable Fish Aggregating Devices; conversely, they target free-swimming schools of sardines. Any incidental bycatch of other species, such as mackerel or anchovy, is fully retained and utilized. These fisheries are examples of excellent fishery management and as such, provide abundant stock for harvest. Wild Planet offers two varieties of sardines: traditional, which include nutrient-rich skin and bones; as well as skinless, boneless fillets.

Salmon: We offer pink and sockeye Salmon, both sourced in Alaska.

Anchovies: Primarily in the waters off the Atlantic coast of Morocco.

Yellowtail: Off the Pacific coast of Japan.

Mackerel: Off the Atlantic coast of Morocco and the Pacific coast of Japan.

Organic Roasted Chicken Breast: Virginia and West Virginia.

Wild Planet carries only wild-caught seafood products, our fish are never farmed.

See our video on our various tuna products

See our video on how our tuna is sourced

Our tuna are caught individually using pole & line or trolling methods. The pole & line fishing method involves catching tuna one by one, using a pole, line and hook. The troll fishing method involves fishing with a lure on a line that you pull through the water.* These methods ensure that no other marine life is caught or harmed in the process, unlike long-line and FAD (fish aggregating device) purse seine methods which are employed by other tuna companies.

Wild Planet’s pink salmon, sardines, anchovies, mackerel and yellowtail are “free school” purse seine caught and Wild Planet’s sockeye salmon is “free school” drift and set net caught; no FADs are used to attract the fish with either method.

*Troll fishing should not be confused with trawl fishing, which involves a large, wide-mouthed fishing net dragged by a vessel along the bottom or midwater.

For more information, please view our page on sustainability and fishing methods.

See Our Video on Catch Methods.

See Our Video on Longlining.

See Our Video on FADs.

See Our Video on Problems with FADs.

It is Wild Planet’s mission not only to produce sustainable seafood, helping our oceans to thrive, but to produce that seafood at a cost which the average family can afford. To accomplish this, we have elected to process our albacore and skipjack tuna, sardines, yellowtail, mackerel and anchovies in state-of-the-art partner facilities in Vietnam, Thailand, Morocco, Ecuador, Cape Verde and Spain. Each of these canneries is required to meet international sanitation and worker welfare standards, and they are third-party audited to ensure continued compliance. We are pleased to share these photos from our cannery in Vietnam.

Since Wild Planet sources from environmentally-exemplary fisheries around the world, our selection of strategically-located canning facilities noted above also results in fewer transportation miles. Please read the Wild Planet perspective on this topic here: The Wild Planet Perspective: Wild Planet Overseas Processing Facilities.

When possible, we partner with U.S. canneries. Wild Planet Sockeye and Pink Salmon are canned in Alaska, near the fisheries, and Wild Planet Organic Roasted Chicken Breast is canned in Georgia.

Recent news reports have brought attention to the heinous practice of forced and slave labor present aboard some Thailand-flagged fishing vessels operating multi-nationally. Wild Planet only buys seafood products from smaller-scale local vessels fishing in their own domestic waters. This is a positive benefit of our 100% pole & line sourcing policy. We do not buy from the large-scale fishing operations plying international waters. Our fish are caught aboard vessels fishing in compliance with local employment laws and discharging their catch in local, domestic ports. Further addressing labor issues, our international processing facilities are subject to annual Code of Conduct audits by third-party firms for compliance with country-specific social welfare standards and labor laws and regulations. Every business at each stage of our supply chain, from fishery to sales in the U.S and abroad, is verified for compliance.

Consumers have inquired whether the best practice might be to stop fishing entirely. Please read the Wild Planet perspective on this topic here: The Wild Planet Perspective: Why Responsible Fishing Supports Global Food Security.

Wild Planet has elected to not use the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as a certifying agency. Please read the Wild Planet perspective on this topic here: The Wild Planet Perspective: MSC Certification.

Marine reserves, or protected areas with either limited or prohibited fishing, are generally accepted as effective conservation measures. Wild Planet Foods supports the creation and enforcement of marine reserves. Read more at: Wild-Planet-Position-Statement-on-Marine-Reserves.

There are two fishing segments targeting albacore worldwide: surface fisheries that catch migratory juveniles, and deep-water long-line that capture spawning stock. Young migrating fish caught by pole & line are not the babies, but the three- to five-year-old fish that weight 9-25 pounds each. Fishermen avoid fishing on schools that are smaller than 9 pounds and the US buyers do not accept those smaller fish, either. The west coast pole & line or troll fisheries *, for example, capture less than 15% of the migrating bio-mass which means that 85% of the fish will return to spawning stocks. This escapement is acceptable in order to sustain the population of the species.

* For a definition of pole & line and troll fisheries, please see How are Wild Planet fish caught? in this section

Please view the Wild Planet Procurement Policy.

The company was founded in 2004 by Bill Carvalho with the assistance of Bill McCarthy. These two industry veterans, with a combined 60 years of experience, wanted to start a company that addressed the need to preserve the marine habitat while still harvesting wild seafood. It was their vision that these needs could successfully co-exist. Wild Planet Foods brought this vision to life with a product line of sustainably-sourced wild seafood. The wild ocean ecosystem is an abundant food production resource that must remain that way; the name Wild Planet arose from this concept.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSXFrzfbaEA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7LsfvLRdgC4

Please let us know about the changes you wish to see through our Contact Us page. We are a relatively small company and are always seeking to expand and improve. We are happy to hear what our customers would like, and will be adding new products as time goes on.

Please visit our Subscribe & Save page for full details including Frequently Asked Questions.