Wild Planet vs Safe Catch Tuna: Which Premium Can Wins?
Two of the best cans of tuna you can buy, head-to-head. Both are sustainability-minded, both pack one fish plus a little salt, and both cook the raw fish in its own juices instead of watering it down. On the v3 Labelgrade scale they finish a single point apart. The real decision isn't the grade — it's albacore vs skipjack, and what you're actually optimizing for. Every number below is pulled live from each product's graded fact sheet.
The short answer
Safe Catch Elite Wild Tuna is the pick if you want the leanest, most protein-dense can and the lowest-mercury fish: 24 g of protein in 110 calories (4.6 cal per gram of protein), essentially zero fat, and skipjack that's both naturally low-mercury and individually mercury-tested per fish. The trade-off is more sodium (300 mg) and a more pronounced, "fishier" skipjack flavor.
Wild Planet Albacore Wild Tuna is the pick if you want the milder, firmer, richer albacore fillet with more natural omega-3, plus lower sodium (230 mg). The trade-off is that albacore is the higher-mercury species — Wild Planet selects smaller fish and mercury-tests to manage that, but it can't erase the species gap — and a slightly heavier calorie load (120 cal) from the oil that carries those omega-3s.
The grades are effectively tied: Safe Catch scores B+ (83/100) and Wild Planet scores B+ (82/100). Safe Catch's one-point edge comes from leaner macros; Wild Planet claws back points on sodium. Both are genuinely excellent lean protein — there's no wrong answer here, only a better-fit one.
Side-by-side
| Safe Catch Elite (skipjack) | Wild Planet Albacore | |
|---|---|---|
| Labelgrade | B+ 83 / 100 | B+ 82 / 100 |
| Serving size | 3 oz (85 g) | 3 oz (85 g) |
| Protein per serving | 24 g | 21 g |
| Protein per 100 g | 28.2 g | 24.7 g |
| Calories per serving | 110 | 120 |
| Calories per g protein | 4.6 | 5.7 |
| Total fat | 1 g | 4 g |
| Saturated fat | 0 g | 1 g |
| Sodium per serving | 300 mg | 230 mg |
| Sodium per 100 g | 352.9 mg | 270.6 mg |
| Sugar | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Species | Skipjack (lower mercury) | Albacore (higher mercury) |
| Mercury control | Per-fish tested | Smaller fish + lot testing |
| Ingredients | Skipjack, salt | Albacore, sea salt |
| Pack method | Own juices, no added water | Own juices, no added water |
| Protein density grade | A | A- |
| Ingredient quality grade | B+ | B+ |
| Saturated fat grade | A+ | A |
| Sodium grade | C | B- |
| Sugar grade | A+ | A+ |
| Fiber grade | F | F |
Where Safe Catch wins
- Leaner and more protein-dense. 24 g of protein in 110 calories — about 4.6 calories per gram of protein, versus 5.7 for Wild Planet — and 28.2 g per 100 g, the higher density of the two. That earns it the only protein-density grade above the other (A vs A-). If you're chasing maximum protein per calorie, this is the can.
- Lower mercury, and tested per fish. Skipjack is the naturally low-mercury species, and Safe Catch screens every individual fish to a cap far stricter than the FDA's. This is its whole reason to exist, and it's the single biggest reason to choose it — especially for pregnant people, young children, or anyone eating tuna often. The grade can't see it, but it's the most important number on the can.
- Essentially zero fat. 0 g saturated and just 1 g total fat — a perfect A+ on saturated fat. Skipjack is a leaner fish than albacore to begin with.
Where Wild Planet wins
- Lower sodium. 230 mg per serving (270.6 mg per 100 g) vs Safe Catch's 300 mg (352.9 mg per 100 g) — the one nutrition dimension Wild Planet wins outright, and a real B- vs C on the grade. If salt is your main axis, Wild Planet is the lighter can.
- More omega-3. Albacore is a fattier fish, and its 4 g of total fat is mostly the natural EPA/DHA oil — kept in because nothing is drained off. If you eat tuna partly for the omega-3s, the richer albacore delivers more of them than lean skipjack.
- Milder, firmer fillet. Albacore is the milder "white" tuna with a firm, meaty texture that holds together as solid fillet. Skipjack (Safe Catch) has a more pronounced, savory tuna flavor. If you find skipjack too "fishy," albacore is the gentler eat.
Where it's a tie
- Ingredient quality. Both are two-ingredient cans — fish plus salt — with no water, broth, oil, or pyrophosphate stabilizer. Both grade B+, capped only by the added salt, not by any quality flaw.
- Pack method. Both cook the raw fish in its own juices, which is why both run dense in protein for their calories. Spoon the juices in rather than draining them.
- Sugar and fiber. 0 g sugar and 0 g fiber for both — a perfect A+ on sugar and a structural F on fiber that no whole-muscle fish escapes.
- Both are premium-priced. Neither is the $1 can. You're paying up for clean sourcing in both cases — the question is which kind.
Which should you buy
Buy Safe Catch Elite if low mercury is the priority — you're pregnant, feeding young kids, or eating tuna multiple times a week — or you want the leanest, most protein-dense can per calorie. Its per-fish mercury testing on an already-low-mercury species is the strongest safety story in canned tuna, and the macros are best-in-class. Just expect a bolder skipjack flavor and a bit more sodium.
Buy Wild Planet Albacore if you want the milder, firmer fillet with more natural omega-3, or if sodium is the number you're managing most closely. It's the more "premium fillet" experience and the lower-salt can. The cost is that albacore is the higher-mercury species, so it's the better few-times-a-week choice than an everyday staple — and not the one for pregnancy or young children.
For a strict cut, both are excellent — at 4.6–5.7 calories per gram of protein, this is about as lean as whole food gets, and far ahead of most "protein snacks." Safe Catch edges it purely on the leaner macros. If you eat canned fish regularly, the smartest move is to rotate a low-mercury skipjack like Safe Catch as the base and reach for albacore when you want the richer fillet. We unpack the broader category in our canned fish report card.
How they were graded
Both products use the v3 6-dimension Labelgrade formula (see /methodology): protein density 23% + ingredient quality 21% + saturated fat 18% + sodium 15% + sugar 15% + fiber 8%. Safe Catch data from USDA FDC 2670313; Wild Planet data from USDA FDC 2663472. One thing the formula deliberately can't grade is sourcing — so Safe Catch's per-fish mercury testing and Wild Planet's small-fish selection don't move either score, even though they're the real reason to buy a premium can. Every figure on this page is read live from each product's record at build time, so the numbers can't drift out of sync with the individual fact sheets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which has more protein — Wild Planet or Safe Catch?
Safe Catch Elite, and it's a clear win on this one line: 24 g per 85 g serving versus Wild Planet's 21 g per 85 g serving — about 28.2 g per 100 g vs 24.7 g. Safe Catch is skipjack with almost no fat, so more of each serving is lean protein; Wild Planet is a fattier albacore, so a little of its weight is the natural oil that carries its omega-3. Both clear the FDA "high in protein" threshold easily, and both are complete animal proteins.
Which is lower in mercury, and does it matter?
Safe Catch, on two counts. Its Elite line is skipjack — the smaller, shorter-lived, naturally lower-mercury species (chunk-light skipjack averages ~0.13 ppm vs ~0.32 ppm for albacore) — and on top of that, Safe Catch tests every individual fish and rejects any above a cap roughly 25x stricter than the FDA action level. Wild Planet's albacore is the higher-mercury species by nature; Wild Planet does select smaller, younger fish and third-party mercury-tests its tuna, which pulls its average down, but it can't out-test the species gap. If you're pregnant, feeding young kids, or eat tuna several times a week, Safe Catch's skipjack-plus-per-fish-testing is the safer rotation. Neither grade reflects this — Labelgrade scores the nutrition panel, not sourcing.
Which has less sodium?
Wild Planet, and it's the one nutrition dimension where it beats Safe Catch outright: 230 mg per 85 g serving (270.6 mg per 100 g) versus Safe Catch's 300 mg (352.9 mg per 100 g). That earns Wild Planet a B- on the sodium dimension against Safe Catch's C. Both make a No Salt Added version if sodium is your main constraint, which drops either well under 50 mg per serving.
Why are both packed in their own juices, and what does that buy you?
Both brands cook the raw fish sealed in the can in its own juices — no added water, oil, or vegetable broth — which is the mechanical reason both run dense in protein for their calories. Commodity tuna is pre-cooked, drained, then re-packed in liquid you pour off, so part of the can is water. Here, 21–24 g of protein sits in 85 g of actual fish. The difference between the two is the fish: Wild Planet keeps the omega-3-rich oil of a fattier albacore (4 g total fat), while Safe Catch's skipjack is naturally lean (1 g total fat).
How do the Labelgrade scores compare?
It's a near dead heat: Safe Catch Elite scores B+ (83/100) and Wild Planet Albacore scores B+ (82/100) on the same v3 6-dimension formula — one point apart. Safe Catch wins protein density (A vs A-) and saturated fat (A+ vs A); Wild Planet wins sodium (B- vs C). They tie on ingredient quality (both B+, a two-ingredient panel), sugar (both A+), and fiber (both F, structural for any fish). The grade can't see the real differentiator — Safe Catch's per-fish mercury testing — so weight that yourself.