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What is the safest canned tuna to eat?

Canned light tuna is the better, lower-mercury choice, according to the FDA and EPA. Canned white and yellowfin tuna are higher in mercury, but still okay to eat. Bigeye tuna should be avoided completely, but that species isn't used for canned tuna anyway.

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My recent experience in the canned tuna aisle at the store went something like this: me, immobile, studying the cans and pouches with their shiny labels, wondering which kind of tuna I should be eating again. Albacore? Yellowfin? Does it matter?

Actually, it matters a lot, seafood experts say, given how much canned tuna we eat (2.2 pounds a person annually, according to the National Fisheries Institute). It's one of the three most popular types of seafood in the United States and has been for a decade now (because really, who's to argue with a well-made tuna sandwich)?

But all that demand takes its toll, resulting in overfished populations, a tremendous amount of bycatch—that is, other marine life caught with the tuna—and labor violations against those working in the industry. Combined with the controversial issue of mercury levels in tuna, it's no wonder I blanked out. "The U.S. is the largest market in the world for canned tuna, so we have a lot of influence in how these fisheries operate," says marine biologist John Hocevar, ocean campaign director for Greenpeace USA, which recently released a canned tuna shopping guide. The good news, he says: "We're really happy to see that at this point you can walk into most big supermarkets and find at least one pretty decent canned tuna option, and that wasn't the case even two years ago."

Here's how to tell the decent from the not-so-decent:

Bycatch is a big problem

Most supermarket canned tuna is caught using the purse seine method—basically giant nets cast over schools of fish. The "worst-case scenario" is when the nets are used with floating fish aggregating devices, or FADs, which attract all sorts of sea life, not just tuna, says Carrie Brownstein, global seafood quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market. According to Hocevar, tuna fishing kills millions of sharks and hundreds of thousands of sea turtles every year.

There's no one best tuna type

Skipjack (aka light), albacore (aka white), and yellowfin are the most common types of canned tuna. But bycatch and overfishing happen regardless of tuna species, so it's hard to say that one is better, ecologically speaking, than the rest, says Brownstein. Skipjack stocks are generally doing better than albacore in terms of abundance, but albacore populations in some parts of the world are better managed and healthier than others. It just depends. And don't assume that that expensive can of oil-packed tuna means anything other than, well, it's packed in oil rather than water.

So what should I look for?

The easiest thing is to look for "pole-and-line caught" or "troll caught" on the label. This means the tuna was caught one fish at a time, not swept up en masse with other marine life. Another good indicator is the MSC-certified seal. The Marine Stewardship Council assesses specific fish populations and catch methods and how well fisheries are managed, and is considered the most reputable in terms of certification, says Brownstein.

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How can you tell if canned meat has botulism?

You cannot see, smell, or taste botulinum toxin – but taking even a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly. The container spurts liquid or foam when you open it. The food inside is discolored, moldy, or smells bad.

Store home-canned foodsexternal icon for recommended times only. After preparing safely, label and date the jars and store them in a clean, cool, dark place. For best quality, store between 50°F and 70°F. Can no more food than you will use within one year, unless directions for a specific food give other advice. Before you open a store-bought or home-canned food, inspect it for contamination. Suspect contamination if the container:

Is leaking, has bulges, or is swollen

Looks damaged or cracked

If you think the food might be contaminated, do not open the container and throw it out! Even containers that look fine on the outside might have contaminated food inside. Suspect contamination if:

The container spurts liquid or foam when you open it

The food inside is discolored, moldy, or smells bad

If your container or the food inside have any of these signs of contamination, throw it out! Follow the instructions below to throw the food out safely. These actions will help you prevent people and animals from accidentally coming into contact with food that may be contaminated.

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