Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water: Nutrition & Labelgrade B+ (80/100)
B+ 80 / 100 — About as lean as protein gets: 11g of protein per 2 oz at 50 calories, zero fat, zero sugar, and a four-ingredient panel. The only thing keeping it from an A is sodium, which is added during canning, and the per-100g protein, which is solid but trails firmer albacore. Cheap, shelf-stable, and hard to beat on protein-per-calorie.
🛒 Buy on Amazon →The short answer
Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water delivers 11 g of protein for 50 calories per 2 oz drained (56 g) serving (USDA FDC 2489650) — roughly 4.5 calories for every gram of protein, a leaner ratio than a skinless chicken breast. It earns a B+ (80 / 100): saturated fat and sugar are a perfect A+, the protein density is solid, and the single thing keeping it out of the A range is the salt added during canning. This is the affordable pantry protein — the can you stack six-deep and reach for when you want protein without cooking.
Why the B+
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | B | 79 / 100 | 19.6 g per 100 g — strong, but chunk light packs loosely in water, so it trails firmer solid albacore |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 80 / 100 | Four ingredients: light tuna, water, vegetable broth, salt. No additives, nothing to flag |
| Saturated fat | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g — tuna in water is naturally fat-free |
| Sugar | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0 g, as expected for plain fish |
| Sodium | C+ | 66 / 100 | 180 mg per serving — the one real ding, and it’s added, not inherent |
| Fiber | F | 30 / 100 | 0 g — structural for any pure animal protein |
The fiber “F” is unavoidable — no animal protein carries fiber, and the formula doesn’t pretend otherwise. The honest knock is sodium. It’s the lowest-scoring dimension here (66) precisely because the salt is a processing choice, not something intrinsic to the fish: drain-and-rinse or a no-salt-added can recovers most of those points. That single C+ is the whole gap between this and an A-tier grade.
”Chunk light” means skipjack — and that’s the point
The phrase on the front of the can is doing real work. Chunk light isn’t a quality tier; it’s a species description. It’s mostly skipjack, a small, fast-growing tuna, flaked into chunks rather than carved into solid loins. Albacore — sold as “white” tuna — is a larger, longer-lived fish with firm, pale, solid meat.
That size difference is the entire reason to care. Bigger, older fish sit higher on the food chain and accumulate more mercury, so albacore consistently tests several times higher in methylmercury than chunk light. The FDA and EPA put chunk/light tuna in their “best choices” tier — fine for two to three servings a week, including for people who are pregnant — while albacore lands in the more cautious “good choices” tier with a one-serving-a-week ceiling.
So the trade is concrete: albacore buys you a couple more grams of protein per ounce and a firmer, milder bite; chunk light buys you the ability to eat tuna often without tracking accumulation. If tuna is a weekly habit rather than an occasional one, that’s the variable that should decide the can — and it tips toward this one.
The sodium is the only thing to manage
Everything else on this label is effortless. Sodium is the one number worth a second look: 180 mg a serving is modest, but tuna rarely gets eaten one serving at a time. Drain the whole 7 oz can into a sandwich and you’re near 540 mg before the bread, mayo, or pickle relish adds a cent more.
Because the salt is added during canning rather than baked into the meat, it sits mostly on the surface — which is exactly why the old trick works. Drain the can, then rinse the tuna under cold water for a few seconds and press it dry; you’ll shed a real fraction of the sodium with almost no protein loss. If you eat canned tuna daily, that habit, or buying a no-salt-added line, is worth more than any other tweak to the dish.
How it stacks up in the aisle
Across canned tuna the numbers cluster tightly, and the category grades well as a whole. StarKist’s chunk light edges this one on raw protein per 100 g; albacore — including Bumble Bee’s own — adds a couple of grams per serving and drops the sodium, but costs more and carries more mercury. The case for this can was never that it wins a single line on the spec sheet. It’s the combination: low price, low mercury, and a protein-per-calorie ratio that rivals chicken breast with zero cooking. For the tuna you actually keep in rotation, that combination is the sensible default.
One sizing note for shoppers: Bumble Bee most often stocks chunk light in 5 oz and 12 oz cans and in pouches, so this 7 oz can is a less common format. The per-serving macros are identical across sizes — only the can count of servings changes.
Ingredients
Light tuna, water, vegetable broth, salt. (Verbatim from the USDA Branded Foods entry, FDC 2489650.) Water-packed keeps it near fat-free; the vegetable broth is a flavor carrier, and the salt is the lone sodium source. The oil-packed version of this product trades that clean profile for added calories and fat.
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 2 oz drained (56 g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (2 oz drained (56 g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 50 |
| Protein | 11g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g |
| Dietary Fiber | 0g |
| Sodium | 180mg |
| Cholesterol | 30mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0.36mg |
| Potassium | 90mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water (7 oz (198 g) can) · UPC 086600230740. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains animal-derived ingredients
contains meat, fish, or gelatin
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
How much protein is in Bumble Bee Chunk Light Tuna in Water?
11 g per 2 oz drained (56 g) serving (USDA FDC 2489650), which works out to about 19.6 g per 100 g. At 50 calories, that's roughly 4.5 calories per gram of protein — a leaner ratio than chicken breast. The full 7 oz can drains to roughly 30 g of protein.
Why is this chunk light tuna only a B+ and not an A?
Two reasons, both visible in the scores. Sodium is the real one: 180 mg per serving earns a C+ (66/100) because salt is added during canning, and a whole can roughly triples that. The other is protein density — 19.6 g per 100 g is a B (79/100), strong but a step behind firmer solid albacore, which packs less water. Everything that can be perfect (saturated fat, sugar) is.
Chunk light vs. albacore — which tuna should I buy?
Chunk light is mostly skipjack: smaller fish, flaked rather than solid, cheaper, and lower in mercury. Albacore ('white') is a larger fish with firm solid meat, a couple more grams of protein per ounce, a milder taste, and notably higher mercury. The deciding factor is frequency — if you eat tuna several times a week, chunk light is the routine-safe pick; save albacore for the occasional can where texture matters.
How much sodium is in it, and can I lower it?
180 mg per 2 oz serving — about 8% of the FDA's 2,300 mg daily limit, but the full can lands near 540 mg. The salt is added during canning, so draining and then rinsing the tuna under cold water washes a meaningful slice of it off the surface. A 'no salt added' tuna avoids the issue entirely.
Does Bumble Bee Chunk Light qualify as 'high in protein' under FDA rules?
Yes. 11 g is 22% of the FDA's 50 g Daily Value for protein, clearing the 20% bar for a 'high in protein' claim — and that's a single 2 oz serving. The whole can is well past it.
Is canned tuna in water keto and Whole30 friendly?
Keto, yes, trivially — zero carbs, zero sugar, zero fat, protein is the only macro on the panel. For a strict Whole30 screen, check the vegetable broth on the can you're holding; some broths carry trace ingredients Whole30 disallows, though the rest of this panel passes clean.
When was this data last verified?
2026-05-28, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2489650. We re-verify high-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a confirmed reformulation.