New from Chicken of the Sea is "no-drain" tuna in a 4-ounce can -- which the label advises has "No mess!" and "More meat and less liquid than a 5 oz. can." There are three flavors of solid light tuna -- lemon pepper, Thai chili and unflavored -- and unflavored solid white albacore. All are packed in "just a little water," in cans that, oddly, are a little larger than the standard 5-ounce cans.
Glued over the can's pull tab (on the bottom of the can) is a second label, with a large "Below standard in fill" flag, and an explanation: The FDA requires this warning until it decides how to measure no-drain tuna. That label also advises, cheerfully, "Once you try 'No Drain,' you'll see ... It's a No Drainer."We remember the 7-ounce can of tuna, which became the 6 1/4-ounce can, which became the 6-ounce can, which became the 5-ounce can, and none of those reductions produced a similar notice from the FDA. Hoping for enlightenment, we stared at Chicken of the Sea's temporary FDA marketing permit for "no-drain tuna." Then we stared at 21 CFR 161.190, the lengthy standard for canned tuna.We think we learned that the FDA is allowing this product to deviate from the canned-tuna standard in three ways: There's less liquid than the standard, there are flavor ingredients not now listed in the standard, and the products deviate from the standard's "fill" requirements, which are essentially unintelligible, but this probably has to do with that oddly larger can.In short, the FDA's concern is not that the 7-ounce can of tuna is headed from 5 ounces to 4.Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
