Social media influencers on TikTok have helped tinned tuna reach the “height of culinary fashion”, a supermarket buyer said, as sales of the cupboard staple have surged.
Tesco has reported that its sales of tinned tuna have risen by nearly 18% in the last two years, equivalent to an additional 2.25 million kilograms.
It said tuna, and other tinned fish, were among the most popular UK kitchen staples for much of the 20th century.
However, its mass popularity began to decline slowly with the advent of refrigeration after the Second World War.
Tesco said sales remained robust for decades, briefly rocketing in lockdown amid demand for food with a long shelf life, but younger shoppers on social media have now brought it back into vogue.
Tesco tinned fish buyer Lee Bannerman said: “Tinned tuna is at the height of culinary fashion and is being driven by younger shoppers who have tuned into the fact that it is a cheap and convenient way of boosting their protein intake.
“The trend started in America a few years ago but is now really popular in the UK.
“The social media site TikTok is awash with influencers posting their tinned fish meal creations and offering tips on how to jazz up simple, easy-to-make meals such as tuna pasta bakes or salmon salads.
“You’d probably need to go back nearly 100 years to find the last time that tinned fish was such an exciting commodity.”
Tesco is supplied with most of its own brand tinned fish by Ipswich-based canned food specialists LDH (La Doria).
Robert Wiltshire, LDH head of seafood sourcing and sustainability, said: “Tinned fish and especially tuna has always been popular but with a more defined and more mature audience.
“We saw a brief, artificial spike in sales during lockdown because fresh food became harder to buy and shoppers were stocking up on tinned foods that would keep for longer.
“But now the younger generation are picking up on just how versatile tuna is and even high-end restaurants are adding it to their menus – something that no one would have imagined even five years ago.”
Tesco said all its tuna products, including tinned tuna, carry the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) blue tick, meaning they have been sustainably sourced.
Currently, 85% of the supermarket’s wild-caught seafood is MSC-certified, an achievement recognised by MSC, who named Tesco MSC retailer of the year in 2025.
George Clark, MSC UK & Ireland programme director, said: “It’s fantastic to see this ambitious commitment from Tesco to only sell MSC-certified sustainable tuna confirmed.
“We know that for the younger UK consumer particularly, sustainability is really important.
“Making more sustainable tuna available to the TikTok generation shows how Tesco is both meeting expectations of its customers and supporting sustainable tuna fisheries worldwide.”
