Sardines (Canned, Whole)
About Sardines
Sardines, canned in tomato sauce, whole contents. The most common UK form: small whole sardines in their tin including the soft edible bones. The bones are the reason canned sardines are an unusually good plant-free calcium source.
Sardines are one of the oily fish recommended by the NHS (alongside salmon, mackerel, herring, kippers, trout). Per 100g, canned sardines provide:
- Vitamin D: a useful share of daily intake from one small tin.
- Vitamin B12: several times the daily reference intake per tin.
- Calcium: from the soft edible bones; sardines are unusual among non-dairy foods for carrying meaningful calcium.
- Selenium, iodine, omega-3 fats (EPA and DHA).
Sardines in olive oil and sardines in sunflower oil have similar micronutrient profiles to the tomato-sauce version shown here, with slightly different fat and energy figures depending on the oil and whether the oil is drained.
Micronutrients (per 100g, canned)
| Nutrient | Amount | % adult reference intake |
|---|---|---|
| Minerals | ||
| Iron | 2.69 mg | 18% |
| Calcium | 455 mg | 65% |
| Magnesium | 38 mg | 13% |
| Potassium | 371 mg | 11% |
| Sodium | 315 mg | 20% |
| Chloride | 480 mg | 19% |
| Phosphorus | 417 mg | 76% |
| Zinc | 2 mg | 21% |
| Copper | 0.12 mg | 10% |
| Manganese | 0.18 mg | 13% |
| Iodine | 26 ug | 19% |
| Selenium | 39 ug | 52% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Vitamin A | 56 ug | 8% |
| Vitamin C | Tr (trace) | . |
| Vitamin D | 3.3 ug | 33% |
| Vitamin E | 1.84 mg | 46% |
| Vitamin K | not measured | . |
| Vitamin B1 (thiamin) | 0.03 mg | 3% |
| Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) | 0.22 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin B3 (niacin) | 10.7 mg | 63% |
| Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) | 0.63 mg | 9% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.25 mg | 18% |
| Vitamin B7 (biotin) | 5.9 ug | 3% |
| Vitamin B9 (folate) | 4 ug | 2% |
| Vitamin B12 | 8.9 ug | 593% |
Source: CoFID 2021 (McCance and Widdowson, UK), code 16-422 (matched record: "Sardines, canned in tomato sauce, whole contents"). N = present but not quantified; Tr = trace; not measured = no value in the source.
What this food is a source of
High in by content (per 100g): Vitamin B12 (593%), Phosphorus (76%), Calcium (65%), Vitamin B3 (niacin) (63%), Selenium (52%), Vitamin E (46%), Vitamin D (33%).
A source of by content (per 100g): Zinc (21%), Sodium (20%), Chloride (19%), Iodine (19%), Iron (18%), Vitamin B6 (18%), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) (17%).
These figures are the amount in the food. How much the body absorbs can vary, see each nutrient's entry for detail.