How to choose tinned meat and fish for your emergency food cupboard

Print this checklist Prints the checklist without the menus.

Keep a mix of tinned oily fish, tuna and a few tinned meats your household already eats. They keep without a fridge, many can be eaten cold, and they add protein to plain pasta, rice or crackers. Check the salt, check the tins, and eat the oldest first.

Do this now

1. Look in your cupboard. Count the tins of fish and meat you already have and check the dates.
2. Add two or three tins to your next shop, mixing oily fish and tuna with one meat you like.
3. Choose fish in water rather than brine, if you want less salt.
4. Put a manual tin opener next to the tins, even if most of them have ring-pulls.
5. Put new tins at the back and move older ones to the front.

Why keep tinned meat and fish?

GOV.UK's Be Ready checklist asks for 3 days of food that has a long shelf life and doesn't need a fridge or cooking. It gives tinned meat, fish and vegetables as examples, and says it's best to buy food you'd usually eat.

Tinned fish and meat are useful because:

• they keep for a long time in a cupboard;
• many can be eaten straight from the tin in a power cut (check the label);
• they turn a plain meal of crackers, pasta or rice into a proper one.

Our 7-day no-cook food box shows how they fit into a week without power.

Which tinned fish should I choose?

The NHS says a healthy diet includes at least 2 portions of fish a week, including 1 of oily fish. A portion is about 140g.

So a cupboard with only tuna misses the oily fish the NHS recommends. A mix is better.

Limits for some people

The NHS gives some limits:

• Pregnant or trying for a baby: no more than 4 medium cans of tuna a week. There is no tuna limit while breastfeeding.
• Girls, and women who haven't been through the menopause: no more than 2 portions of oily fish a week.
• Boys: up to 4 portions of oily fish a week.

Which tinned meat should I choose?

Common types in UK supermarkets include corned beef, ham, chicken in white sauce, meatballs, chilli con carne and stews. We don't rank brands. Choose types your household will actually eat, because Be Ready says that's what works best.

Two things to think about:

• Red and processed meat. The British Nutrition Foundation's portion guide says the government advises limiting red and processed meat to an average of 70g of cooked meat a day. Most tinned meats are processed, so balance them with fish and beans.
• Ready meals in tins (chilli, stew, meatballs) are a whole meal in one, which is handy if you can heat them. Check the salt.

How much salt is in tinned meat and fish?

The NHS says adults should have no more than 6g of salt a day, about one level teaspoon. It suggests choosing tinned fish in water instead of brine.

To read a label, use the NHS food label guide:

Anything in between is medium. If a tin is high in salt, keep it for the odd meal and eat it with plain carbohydrates or vegetables.

How big is a portion?

From the British Nutrition Foundation guide:

The NHS says a fish portion is about 140g. Use these as a rough guide when you count how many tins you need.

What do they cost?

The Office for National Statistics publishes average UK prices for a basket of everyday items. These are the ONS average prices for September 2026, the latest month in its shopping prices data (file updated 27 October 2026):

The ONS doesn't list tinned sardines, mackerel, salmon, or tinned chicken, ham or meatballs as separate items, so we can't give an average price for them. Check your own shop. ONS figures are averages across brands, so own-brand tins usually cost less. Beans are much cheaper per 100g than meat or fish, so mixing them in stretches your budget. See dried beans, rice and pasta too.

Is a dented or bulging tin safe?

The Food Standards Agency's home food fact checker says:

• Shallow dent, no other damage: the food should still be fine.
• Deep dent: the tin may have a hidden split or a broken seal. Don't eat it.
• Rust caused by a dent: don't eat it.
• Bulging tin: don't eat it. If it spurts when you open it, gas may have built up from germs growing inside. Take bulging tins you've just bought back to the shop.

Check your tins each time you rotate them.

Best before or use-by?

GOV.UK says tinned foods usually have a best before date. That is about quality: after it, the food is usually safe but may not be as good. A use-by date is about safety, and you shouldn't eat food after it.

Store tins as the label says. GOV.UK says food stored badly can lose quality before its best before date. Keep them cool and dry, and use first in, first out.

Once a tin is open

The FSA says:

• Don't keep leftovers in the open tin. Tip them into a bowl or container and put it in the fridge.
• Eating cold: many tinned foods meant to be heated are not a safety risk cold, but it depends on the product. Follow the instructions on the tin.

In a power cut, open small tins so you don't have leftovers you can't chill.

Ring-pull or tin opener?

Ring-pull tins are quick and need no tools, which helps in the dark or if your hands are cold. But a ring can snap, and not every tin has one. Keep a simple manual tin opener with your tins anyway. If you don't have one, see how to open a tin without a tin opener.

Don't want tins?

If your household won't eat tinned meat or fish, long-life ready meals are another option. They often need hot water, so check before you buy.

For a bigger store, our 30-day food supply plan builds tins into a full month.

Printable checklist

• At least 2 tins of oily fish (sardines, pilchards, mackerel or salmon)
• Some tuna, in water rather than brine
• 2 or 3 tinned meats your household already eats
• Some tinned beans to stretch the meat and fish
• Salt checked on labels: more than 1.5g per 100g is high
• Limits checked for anyone pregnant, trying for a baby, or for children
• Manual tin opener kept with the tins
• No tins with deep dents, rust or bulges
• Oldest tins at the front, new tins at the back
• 6-month reminder set to check dates

Related guides

• Stock rotation at home: first in, first out
• UK stockpile shopping list: the Be Ready list, aisle by aisle
• Emergency food at home: a 72-hour UK cupboard

Free tools

• Emergency supplies calculator (food and water for your household)

We're an independent UK site, not the government. We check guides against official sources and link to them. In an emergency call 999.

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