How much canned tuna per week is safe? Mercury by kind
Canned light tuna is a Best Choice in the FDA and EPA fish advice, 2 to 3 adult servings of 4 oz a week, while canned albacore is a Good Choice, 1 serving a week with no other fish. Children get 2 Best Choices servings a week, about 1 oz each at ages 1 to 3, rising to 4 oz at age 11.
Mercury: how many servings a week
| Kind | Mercury, mean ppm | Samples | FDA/EPA group | Servings a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canned light tuna | 0.126 | 545 | Best Choices | 2 to 3 servings of 4 oz a week |
| Skipjack tuna | 0.144 | 3 | Best Choices | 2 to 3 servings of 4 oz a week |
| Canned albacore tuna | 0.35 | 451 | Good Choices | 1 serving of 4 oz a week, with no other fish that week |
| Yellowfin tuna | 0.354 | 231 | Good Choices | 1 serving of 4 oz a week, with no other fish that week |
| Albacore tuna | 0.358 | 43 | Good Choices | 1 serving of 4 oz a week, with no other fish that week |
| Bigeye tuna | 0.689 | 21 | Choices to Avoid | avoid (the highest-mercury group) |
Mercury: FDA testing 1990 to 2012. Groups and servings: FDA and EPA advice for people who are or may become pregnant, are breastfeeding, and for children. A serving is 4 oz (113 g) for adults.
- Level E The FDA and EPA advice about eating fish tells readers to eat 2 to 3 servings a week from its Best Choices list. US FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish
- Level E FDA and EPA advise 2 to 3 servings a week of Best Choices fish in pregnancy and breastfeeding, 2 servings a week for children, and list king mackerel, marlin, orange roughy, shark, swordfish, Gulf of Mexico tilefish and bigeye tuna as Choices to Avoid with the highest mercury levels. FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish
- Level E FDA and EPA place shark on the Choices to Avoid list for highest mercury in their fish advice for people who are or might become pregnant, who breastfeed, and children aged 1 to 11. FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, 2024
Where the limits are
| What sets the limit | Per serving (4 oz) | Daily limit for adults | Servings (4 oz each) to reach it (rounded down) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selenium | 77 mcg | 400 mcg (Upper limit (NIH)) | 5 |
| Cholesterol | 41 mg | 300 mg (Label Daily Value) | 7 |
| Sodium | 248 mg | 2,300 mg (Dietary Guidelines limit) | 9 |
| Iron | 1.9 mg | 45 mg (Upper limit (NIH)) | 23 |
| Zinc | 0.7 mg | 40 mg (Upper limit (NIH)) | 53 |
| Calories | 102 | 2,000 (reference day, not a limit) | 19 |
One serving (4 oz) = 4 oz (113 g). USDA FoodData Central, Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids. Limits count everything you eat and drink that day, so other foods and supplements use up part of each one.
How much selenium differs between USDA records
| USDA record | Per 100 g | Per serving (4 oz) | Servings (4 oz each) to the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids (FDC 334194) | 68 mcg | 77 mcg | 5 |
| Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids (FDC 171986) | 80 mcg | 91 mcg | 4 |
Each row is a separate USDA analysis of the same food. The spread comes from variety, growing conditions and sampling, and it changes the answer.
Reasons to keep it moderate, and who should eat less
- Level E NIH ODS says the most common signs of chronically high selenium intake are hair loss and brittle or lost nails, and sets the adult upper limit at 400 mcg a day. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Selenium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals
- Level E US FDA and EPA advice puts canned light tuna among Best Choices, fine at 2 to 3 servings a week in pregnancy, and notes albacore typically has three times more mercury. FDA/EPA, Questions & Answers from the FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish, 2022
- Level E US FDA and EPA advise 8 to 12 oz of lower-mercury seafood a week in pregnancy, list canned light tuna as a Best Choice and bigeye tuna as a choice to avoid. US FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish (page updated 03/05/2024)
- Level C Across 103 histamine poisoning incidents in 55 reports the fish involved was mainly tuna or marlin-type species, with a pooled mean of 1107 mg/kg histamine in the implicated food. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr, 2018
If you have kidney disease, take blood thinners or other medicines, or are pregnant, the right amount for you is a question for your clinician.
What this means for a normal day
The FDA and EPA advice covers people who are or may become pregnant, are breastfeeding, and children. Albacore typically has about three times the mercury of canned light tuna, which is why its weekly count is lower (Level E).
Children's servings are smaller than the 4 oz in the mercury table. The advice sizes them at about 1 oz at ages 1 to 3, 2 oz at 4 to 7, 3 oz at 8 to 10 and 4 oz at 11, with 2 servings a week from the Best Choices list (Level E). A 4 oz serving for a toddler is four of theirs.
Other numbers stay far from their limits at a few cans a week. A 4 oz serving of light tuna canned in water carries 77 mcg of selenium and 248 mg of sodium in the USDA record. Fresh bigeye tuna is on the Choices to Avoid list, at 0.689 ppm of mercury.
Evidence behind this note
- Level E US FDA and EPA advice puts canned light tuna among Best Choices, fine at 2 to 3 servings a week in pregnancy, and notes albacore typically has three times more mercury. FDA/EPA, Questions & Answers from the FDA/EPA Advice about Eating Fish, 2022
- Level E US FDA and EPA advise 8 to 12 oz of lower-mercury seafood a week in pregnancy, list canned light tuna as a Best Choice and bigeye tuna as a choice to avoid. US FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish (page updated 03/05/2024)
- Level E FDA and EPA size a child's fish serving at about 1 ounce at ages 1 to 3, 2 ounces at 4 to 7, 3 ounces at 8 to 10 and 4 ounces at 11. Children should have 2 servings a week from the Best Choices list, which includes canned light tuna. FDA/EPA, Advice about Eating Fish (content current as of 03/05/2024)
Written from the data and studies on this page, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.
Keep exploring
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods (release 2025-12-18): Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, drained solids, FDC ID 334194 (accessed 2026-10-13)
- USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy (2018): Fish, tuna, light, canned in water, without salt, drained solids, FDC ID 171986 (accessed 2026-10-13)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Health Professional Fact Sheet: Selenium, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Selenium-HealthProfessional/ (accessed 2026-10-13)
- FDA, Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-facts-label/daily-value-nutrition-and-supplement-facts-labels (accessed 2026-10-13)
- FDA, Sodium in Your Diet, https://www.fda.gov/food/nutrition-education-resources-materials/sodium-your-diet (accessed 2026-10-13)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Health Professional Fact Sheet: Iron, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iron-HealthProfessional/ (accessed 2026-10-13)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Health Professional Fact Sheet: Zinc, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Zinc-HealthProfessional/ (accessed 2026-10-13)
- FDA, Mercury Levels in Commercial Fish and Shellfish (1990-2012), https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/mercury-levels-commercial-fish-and-shellfish-1990-2012 (accessed 2026-10-12)
- FDA and EPA, Advice about Eating Fish, https://www.fda.gov/food/consumers/advice-about-eating-fish (accessed 2026-10-12)
- Evidence cards: each study above links to its source. Card review dates are listed in our methodology.
Numbers checked 2026-10-13. Bioma Learn provides information, not medical advice.