Are sardines high in histamine?
Sardines are high in histamine risk: they belong to a histidine-rich fish family, and the highest histamine level found in any fish in a large Spanish survey, 657.05 mg/kg, was in a can of sardines.
- Histamine
- Varies by sample
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Preserved and semi-preserved fish averaged 10.03 mg/kg in 151 samples; the highest, canned sardines, had 657.05 mg/kg. |
| Histamine intolerance review, 2020 2 | Measured | Canned fish averaged 14.42 mg/kg in 96 samples, with a median of 5.93 mg/kg; histamine poisoning generally takes more than 500 mg/kg. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 9 of 10 exclude fish; sardines are one of the species singled out. | |
| EU food law 3 | Sets legal histamine limits for fish from histidine-rich families, sardines' (Clupeidae) among them. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preserved and semi-preserved fish sold in Spain (group) 1 (Table 1 and Section 3) | 151 | mean 10.03 mg/kg, range nd–657.05 mg/kg, 95th percentile 20.39 mg/kg | the highest sample was canned sardines |
| Canned fish (group) 2 (Table 1, row "Canned fish") | 96 | mean 14.42 mg/kg, range nd–657.05 mg/kg | median 5.93 mg/kg |
| Fresh oily fish sold in Spain (group; species not given) 1 (Table 1 and Section 3) | 49 | mean 3.27 mg/kg, range nd–111.26 mg/kg, 95th percentile 6.66 mg/kg | cadaverine mean 13.22 mg/kg (up to 400.23); the highest histamine sample was salmon |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Histamine in canned sardines forms before the can is sealed, when the raw fish is not fresh enough or hygiene slips during processing, and the canning heat does not remove it. Fresh sardines need the same tight cold chain. Eat an opened tin at once rather than keeping it, and cook fresh sardines the day you buy them.
Preserved fish (group) averaged 10.03 mg/kg; one can of sardines had 657.05. (measured)
Fresh oily fish is usually low, but outliers exceed 100 mg/kg; it depends on the cold chain. (estimate)
Not measured. Storage time adds histamine, and reheating does not remove it. (estimate)
Why we rate sardines 3
One number explains why sardines are on so many avoid lists. In a University of Barcelona survey of foods sold in Spain, the highest histamine level found in any fish was 657.05 mg/kg, and it came from a can of sardines. A 2020 review by the same team says histamine poisoning, which can affect anyone and not only people with histamine intolerance, generally follows food with more than 500 mg/kg.
Sardines belong to the Clupeidae, the herring family. Like tuna and mackerel, their flesh is rich in free histidine, which bacteria turn into histamine when the fish is not kept cold. The 2020 review notes that the World Health Organization prefers the term "histamine intoxication" to "scombroid poisoning" because fish from other families, the Clupeidae among them, cause it too. EU food law sets histamine limits for fish from histidine-rich families, sardines' included.
The same survey shows how rare the extreme is. Across 151 samples of preserved and semi-preserved fish, the average was 10.03 mg/kg and 95% had 20.39 mg/kg or less. The 2020 review gives canned fish an average of 14.42 mg/kg and a median of 5.93 mg/kg across 96 samples. Most cans are low; the problem is that one is not, and nothing on the label tells you which. Canning does not help, because histamine that formed in the fish before it was sealed survives the heat.
Fresh sardines were not measured on their own. Fresh oily fish as a group averaged 3.27 mg/kg across 49 samples, with an outlier at 111.26 mg/kg, which was a salmon. Nine of the ten low-histamine diets in a 2021 review exclude fish, and the review names sardines among the species most prone to histamine.
We rate sardines 3, "high", following our rule for histidine-rich fish with documented samples above 100 mg/kg. Fresh sardines grilled the day they are bought are a lower risk, which we estimate at 2. Canned sardines, and an opened tin kept in the fridge, get the full rating. For a fresh oily fish, trout and salmon belong to the low-histidine salmon family and are the closer swaps; freshly cooked salmon flaked onto toast does the job of a tin.
Questions about sardines and histamine
Are canned sardines high in histamine?
They carry the most risk of any form. Most canned fish in a Spanish survey was low, with 95% of samples at or below 20.39 mg/kg, but the single highest fish sample, 657.05 mg/kg, was a can of sardines. Canning heat does not remove histamine that formed before the can was sealed.
Are fresh sardines lower in histamine than canned?
Probably, if they are very fresh, but neither was measured on its own. Fresh oily fish averaged 3.27 mg/kg and preserved fish 10.03 mg/kg. We rate fresh sardines cooked the day you buy them 2 and canned sardines 3.
Evidence behind this page
- In 151 samples of preserved and semi-preserved fish sold in Spain, histamine averaged 10.03 mg/kg and 95% were at or below 20.39 mg/kg; the highest, canned sardines, had 657.05 mg/kg. 1
- Canned fish averaged 14.42 mg/kg of histamine across 96 samples, with a median of 5.93 mg/kg. 2
- Histamine poisoning generally follows food with more than 500 mg/kg of histamine, and fish outside the tuna and mackerel family, including the Clupeidae, can cause it. 2
- Low-histamine diets single out scombroid-type species such as mackerel, tuna, sardines and anchovy because of their high free histidine; canning heat does not reduce biogenic amines. 1
- EU law sets histamine limits for fishery products from fish species associated with a high amount of histidine, including the family Clupeidae. 3
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)
- European Commission. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union L 338, 2005. Link (European Commission 2005)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)