The Global Sardine Standard Map
An independent reference atlas that plots any sardine can against twenty sardine-producing countries, five regulatory tiers, and a century of industry tradition. Consulted across all four Borlaug Scholar Field Notes. 23 species. One regulated word. Four steps. Free.
23 species. One regulated word.
Launch the MapWhere this Map sits
The Map is consulted across all four Borlaug Scholar Field Notes. Each one uses it for the country-and-tradition layer of its argument.
- Field Note I grounds the American price-premium case against the Portuguese, Spanish, and French gold-standard tiers.
- Field Note II plots the Filipino tomato-sauce category against the regulatory ladder, namely Codex, EU, and US FDA.
- Field Note III grounds the four-public-proxy ownership survey against the twenty countries the listed companies operate within.
- Field Note IV grounds the canning-era industries the 1810 invention actually established, country by country.
What the Map is for
The word “sardines” on a label can legally cover 23 different species under Codex Alimentarius CXS 94-1981, as amended at the 47th session of the Codex Alimentarius Commission on 27 November 2024. The European Union reserves the bare, unqualified word “Sardines” for one of those 23, namely Sardina pilchardus, the Atlantic pilchard fished off Portugal, Spain, France, Morocco, and the British Isles. The other 22 can carry “X sardines” on the label.
At the same time, the global sardine industry is not flat. Portuguese conserva has hand-packed fish in Matosinhos since 1920. Norwegian brisling has been wood-smoked at King Oscar since 1902. French Breton sardines have been canned in Douarnenez since 1853. The last US sardine cannery closed in Prospect Harbor, Maine in 2010. And the 23rd Codex species, Sardinella lemuru, was added in November 2024 after the Philippines spent ten years lobbying for its inclusion.
The Map is the cross-cutting reference atlas of the Borlaug Scholar Field Notes series. It does what no individual Field Note could do in a single step, namely it situates any can in the global regulatory and tradition landscape so that a reader can evaluate the label’s claims against the actual industry context of where the fish came from. Field Notes I, II, III, and IV each consult this Map for the country-and-tradition layer of their analysis.
The premise in three numbers
23
Sardine species under Codex CXS 94-1981 (post-November 2024 revision)
1
Species the EU reserves the bare word “Sardines” for, namely Sardina pilchardus
2010
Year the last US sardine cannery closed, namely Stinson in Prospect Harbor, Maine
The five tiers
The Map scores every country on five axes, namely sodium honesty, regulatory strength, tradition depth, sustainability signals, and front-of-pack label honesty. The overall tier is the rounded average of the five axes.
| Tier | What it means | Representative industries |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Strongest tradition and regulatory framework on the global map. EU species protection. Hand-packing documented. Vintage dates. Single origin. | Portuguese conserva (NURI/Pinhais since 1920), Spanish Galician (Matiz, Ramon Pena) |
| Tier 2 | One rung below the Iberian apex. Rigorous labelling regime. Canning tradition documented and verifiable. Sodium in the honest band. | Norwegian brisling (King Oscar since 1902), French Breton (Connetable since 1853) |
| Tier 3 | US FDA labelling rules apply (460 mg high-sodium threshold, 480 mg healthy-claim disclosure). Domestic canning tradition ended 2010. Most US-branded sardines are sourced abroad. | US premium revival (Wild Planet, Bar Harbor, Fishwife), Moroccan industrial |
| Tier 4 | High-volume industrial. Front-of-pack warning labels uncommon. Sodium often above 300 mg per labeled serving. Third-party wellness certificates in use. | Filipino market (Mega, Ligo, 555, Young’s Town), Asian industrial |
| Tier 5 | Broader product category has appeared on US FDA Import Alert lists. Regulatory scrutiny elevated. | Categories under FDA Import Alert 16-13 and 99-36 |
What the Map shows you
Select the country of production. The Map places your can in the global tier structure, explains the regulatory regime that applies, and names the tradition context. The country of origin on the back of the can is the most reliable single signal.
Enter the sodium figure from the back of the can. The Map plots it against named benchmarks from all five tiers, with the FDA’s 460 mg consumer-guidance threshold and the 480 mg healthy-claim disqualifier drawn as reference lines.
The result screen shows scores for sodium honesty, regulatory strength, tradition depth, sustainability signals, and label transparency. Each axis is explained with the specific evidence that generated the score.
The Map recommends one specific benchmark from the tier above yours. Not a generic suggestion. A named product with a verifiable sodium figure and a documented tradition, so the comparison is concrete and checkable.
The Five-Layer Audit · Where the Map fits
Each layer has its own operational decoder. This Map is the cross-cutting reference atlas all five decoders consult.
What the Map is not
The Map does not tell you what to eat. Every tier contains real food with documented nutritional value. A Tier 4 can of sardines is still a source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, and calcium. The Map does not call any specific brand unsafe, mislabeled, or in violation of any regulation. It does not make any investment recommendation regarding the listed companies named in Field Note III.
The Map does one specific thing, namely it situates any can in the global regulatory and tradition context, scores it on five transparent axes, and names a specific honest benchmark from the tier above. In plain language. In under a minute. So that a reader who wants to understand what the label is and is not telling them has a concrete frame of reference.
Built on the citation spine
- Codex Alimentarius CXS 94-1981, as amended at the 47th Codex Alimentarius Commission session, 27 November 2024. Names 23 species permitted to carry “X sardines” on a label. The 23rd species, Sardinella lemuru, was added at this session.
- EU Council Regulation 2136/89. Reserves the unqualified word “Sardines” on EU retail labels exclusively for Sardina pilchardus.
- US FDA, 21 CFR 101.13 and 21 CFR 101.61. The 460 mg per serving consumer-guidance threshold for “high in sodium,” the 480 mg per RACC regulatory disqualifying threshold for “healthy” claims, and the 140 mg per serving “low sodium” definition.
- US FDA Import Alert 16-13 (Anchovies and Bagoong from the Philippines) and Import Alert 99-36 (Low-Acid Canned Foods).
- WHO Sodium Reduction fact sheet (2012, reaffirmed 2024). The 2,000 mg daily ceiling for adults used throughout the sodium scoring.
- Open Food Facts barcode 4806504710119. Mega Sardines tomato variant: 310 mg sodium per labeled 55g serving, 564 mg per 100g, approximately 875 mg per full 155g can, accessed April 2026.
- Wild Planet Foods Inc. nutrition labels. No Salt Added: 70 mg per 85g serving. EVOO: approximately 225 mg per 85g. Manufacturer published data.
- Pinhais and Cª Lda, NURI Sardines. Approximately 290 mg per 125g serving, from third-party retailer listings; manufacturer label verification recommended.
- Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). Certification criteria used in the sustainability axis scoring.
- Stinson Seafood, Prospect Harbor, Maine. The last US sardine cannery, closed April 2010. Documented in state of Maine records and industry reporting.
Independent Borlaug Scholar Field Tool · No Brand Sponsorship · Educational Use Only
Authored by Kerim Demirkol, a Borlaug Scholar through the World Food Prize and Wageningen Youth Institute and a Certified Fitness Trainer and Instructor. The Map is the cross-cutting reference atlas of the Borlaug Scholar Field Notes series, consulted across Field Note I, Field Note II, Field Note III, and Field Note IV.
Not sponsored by, paid for by, or affiliated with any food brand, retailer, regulator, wellness body, or industry association. All country tier scores and benchmark figures come from publicly published nutrition labels, regulatory documents, and cited industry sources. No brand has reviewed, approved, or influenced this tool.
This tool is educational. It is not medical advice, legal advice, investment advice, or a regulatory determination. The tier structure reflects the author’s transparent scoring methodology, not a regulatory classification. For personal nutrition questions, consult a licensed clinician or a registered dietitian.
Ready? 23 species. One regulated word. Four steps. Free.
Launch the MapWhere this Map sits in the series
The Map is the cross-cutting reference atlas of the Borlaug Scholar Field Notes series. Every Field Note consults it for the country-and-tradition layer of its argument.
Field Note I · The Same Can, Three Stories, the American price-premium case, consults the Map to ground the Wild Planet, Fishwife, and supermarket-Bumble-Bee comparisons against the Portuguese, Spanish, and French gold-standard tiers.
Field Note II · The Charity Can, the Philippine health-washing case, consults the Map to plot the Filipino tomato-sauce category against the regulatory ladder, namely Codex CXS 94-1981, EU 2136/89, and US FDA 21 CFR.
Field Note III · The Listed Can, the Quiet Owners, the equity-register essay, consults the Map to ground the four-public-proxy ownership survey against the twenty countries the listed companies operate within.
Field Note IV · The Fish That Solved Distance, the preservation-history essay, consults the Map to ground the canning-era industries the 1810 invention actually established, country by country.
The four operational decoders that read individual cans, namely the Health Premium Decoder, the Health-Washing Decoder, the Brand Owner Decoder, and the Preservation Timeline, all sit on top of this Map’s country-and-tradition substrate.