From Sea to Shelf: Inside Our Canning Process

Have you ever wondered where your canned tuna came from? We have all the answers so you can trace it from ocean to plate.

We believe knowing the origin of the food we eat is a key part of a healthy and sustainable diet. Not to mention, canning tuna with the finest flavor and texture doesn’t just happen naturally.

If you’re curious about where and how Chicken of the Sea seafood is caught, the species, and how it is processed and packaged, we have news for you! You can trace it from ocean to plate—You can even trace it to the very boat that caught the fish. Give it a try with your next can or packet—it’s pretty cool.

What’s in the Can Goes Far Beyond the Can

The next time you find yourself with a Chicken of the Sea can or packet in hand, look for the SeaChange logo. That logo is the backbone of our sustainability program and is reflective of the highly strict sourcing standards our products must meet.

And we take pride in that commitment. In addition to taking steps to protect our oceans and safeguard marine life, we work to ensure fair wages and benefits as well as safe and healthy working conditions for our tuna fishing operators, both at sea and on shore. It’s a win-win.

To get more specific, we’ve brought all Chicken of the Sea sourcing into Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) to meet Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standards for sustainable fishing. We’ve committed $90 million towards establishing and operating these FIPs around the world.

All fishing techniques used are compliant with our Dolphin-Safe Policy. In addition, we are co-founding members of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and partners of The Nature Conservancy. Both organizations are leaders in tuna-specific scientific research, management, advocacy, and innovation.

The health of the world’s ocean stock is extremely important to us as ocean lovers and as a business. When it comes to where we source our seafood, we only fish in stocks that are tightly managed to maintain a healthy ecosystem. These ecosystems exist all over the world, from Atlantic to Pacific. One can could contain tuna caught from the warm waters off the coast of the Indian Ocean while another could contain tuna caught off the eastern coast of South America.

It’s All About the Process

Our sustainability obligations don’t end after the fish is caught. They extend all the way through to processing, packaging, and delivery to people like you.

After the fish is caught, it’s delivered frozen or refrigerated to best-in-class processing plants worldwide, and stored near 0°F. Quality is monitored during unloading and again before processing. Fish are brought out of cold storage and thawed, and those meeting our quality standards are hand-filleted and baked in large ovens, which facilitates the removal of the inedible parts of the fish. The tuna is then cleaned, packed into cans, and shipped to your local grocery store. It’s now ready to elevate your next meal or be enjoyed straight from the can.

We follow all applicable regulations in addition to our own strict quality standards. We also work regularly with independent auditors who make announced and unannounced visits to our supplier facilities. These audits focus on quality, compliance, health and safety, good business practices, environmental responsibility, labor practices, and human rights.

We believe our reach and reputation allow us to affect real change in our industry. Of course, there’s always more work to be done, but as we continue to make improvements, we encourage you to discover the story behind your next can or packet of Chicken of the Sea Go ahead and trace away!

WHERE TO BUY

Use our product locator to find the perfect salmon, tuna, crab or other seafood products from Chicken of the Sea.

Tuna

Salmon

Sardines

Crab

Oysters

Clams

Mackerel

Shrimp