Canned Sardines (Sardina pilchardus & Sardinella in Oil or Tomato Sauce)
125 g club cans in vegetable oil, olive oil or tomato sauce, labelled to Codex CXS 94-1981
The canned sardine trade runs on the 125 g club can with an easy-open lid, and two words on the label decide who can buy it. Under Codex CXS 94-1981 the name "sardines" on its own is reserved for Sardina pilchardus, the European pilchard caught off Morocco, Portugal and Spain; sardine-type species listed in the standard - Sardinella aurita, S. maderensis and S. longiceps, Sardinops species and others - are sold as "X sardines", with X a country, a geographical area, the species or its common name. Buyers specify the species, the packing medium (vegetable oil, soybean or sunflower oil, olive oil, tomato sauce, sometimes with chilli), skinned or skin-on, the number of fish per can and the net and drained weight, and the standard sets histamine at no more than 10 mg/100 g on the average of the sample units. UN Comtrade 2024 export declarations under HS 1604.13 total USD 1.66 billion and about 476,000 MT across reporters, and Morocco leads with USD 702 million and 162,809 MT at an average USD 4,312/MT, followed by China (USD 240 million, 111,155 MT), Thailand (USD 144 million, 56,144 MT), Portugal (USD 89 million), Indonesia (USD 68 million), Ecuador (USD 42 million) and the Philippines (USD 20 million). Morocco's destination list mixes European retail and African wholesale: France 24,226 MT, the UK 15,514 MT, the USA 14,830 MT, Nigeria 10,555 MT, Mauritania 10,279 MT, the DR Congo 5,393 MT, Guinea 5,359 MT, Ghana 4,794 MT and Togo 4,640 MT.
The buyer is an importer-distributor, a wholesaler or a supermarket chain in West and Central Africa, the Gulf, North Africa or South Asia, and the price is per carton for a stated species, medium and can. CBIL is a commodity brokerage company and brokers canned sardines from Moroccan, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai, Indonesian, Ecuadorian and Philippine canneries against the competent-authority health certificate, the cannery's certificate of analysis for histamine and drained weight, a certificate of origin, an EU catch certificate for EU-bound product and label compliance per destination. Morocco's 12-month suspension of sardine exports that began on 1 February 2026 was aimed at frozen sardine; Moroccan press reporting states that canned sardines were not covered, and canned product from Moroccan canneries continues to ship. For EU buyers, fish caught off Western Sahara and canned at Laayoune or Dakhla is labelled by that region rather than as Moroccan origin, so the catch area on the certificate is checked before the offer. Cartons of 50 or 100 cans move palletised or floor-loaded in 20-ft dry containers on FOB, CFR and CIF terms. Every lot is fish only - CBIL does not broker crab, lobster, oysters, other shellfish or molluscs - and is certifiable as halal by the destination's accepted certifier per lot. Send the species, medium, can, carton count, label language and discharge port and the enquiry is screened and worked against it.
Excluded origins are not offered, including product re-exported, blended or re-processed through a third country. Every lot moves with a certificate of origin naming the producing plant, mine or grower country, and nothing is quoted before the seller and loading point are known.
Indicative reference
$15-30 USD / carton
as at September 2026
Reference level only — not an offer, and reviewed quarterly. Levels shown are as at September 2026. Firm pricing is quoted per RFQ, subject to volume, terms and inspection.
Typical Specification
Specifications are indicative and adjusted to the agreed contract and destination requirements. Final spec confirmed on COA / SGS.
Available Grades
Applications
- Wholesale and open-market distribution (West and Central Africa)
- Supermarket branded and private label
- Cash-and-carry and convenience retail
- Foodservice and institutional catering
- Relief and emergency food stocks held by distributors
Category
Agri-Foods, Spices & Nuts
Incoterms
FOB · CFR · CIF
Pricing basis
USD / carton
Inspection
SGS / Intertek at load port
Canned Sardines (Sardina pilchardus & Sardinella in Oil or Tomato Sauce) — buyer questions
What is the difference between "sardines" and "Sardinella sardines" on the label?
Under Codex CXS 94-1981 the word "sardines" alone may only be used for Sardina pilchardus. Other species listed in the standard, including Sardinella, are sold as "X sardines", where X names the country, area, species or common name. The species drives the price and some importing authorities check the label wording, so the offer states the species and the exact product name that goes on the can.
Does Morocco's 2026 sardine export suspension affect canned sardines?
The suspension that took effect on 1 February 2026 was aimed at frozen sardine to keep fish on the domestic market, and Moroccan press reporting states that canned sardines were outside it; later reports say the frozen suspension itself was eased. Canned sardines from Moroccan canneries are offered, and the cannery's export papers are checked on each contract. For EU buyers, fish canned from Western Sahara catch carries its own regional labelling, so the catch area is confirmed before the offer.
How are canned sardines packed and loaded?
The standard retail can is the 125 g club can with an easy-open lid, packed 50 or 100 to a carton. Cartons are palletised or floor-loaded in 20-ft dry containers - the product is shelf stable, so no reefer is needed. The carton count per container depends on the carton size and whether the buyer wants pallets, and the cannery confirms it on the proforma.
Which documents and certificates come with the shipment?
A competent-authority health certificate, a certificate of origin, the cannery's certificate of analysis for histamine and drained weight, the packing list and invoice, an EU catch certificate for EU-bound product and, on request, a halal certificate from a body the destination accepts. Labels are checked for language, product name, date marking and importer details against the destination's rules before printing. The book is fish only, with no shellfish or molluscs in any container.
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