In a press release supporting the introduction of Bumble Bee® Prime Fillet Solid White Albacore –a new, superior grade of canned albacore tuna- Christopher D. Lischewski, president, Retail Seafood Business Unit, ConAgra Foods, said that. "Bumble Bee purposely adopted the European-style can, which is actually upside down, with lithographic printing directly on the can, not a wrapped label". "This style of packaging supports the product's 'premium gold' quality and positioning.
In a sense, it denotes how Bumble Bee, is turning the tuna industry upside down to the benefit of the consumer.
There is also another European aspect to the Bumble Bee® Prime Fillet tuna pack. It does not contain any additives such as hydro protein, and vegetable broth. This “ natural pack†has been the market standard in Europe for the last decades.
According to Lischewski, the white albacore is unparalleled in the market. "There are various tuna products that are labeled 'packed in water,' but in actuality they contain a combination of water and vegetable broth as a flavor enhancer. Because Bumble Bee® Prime Fillet contains only the finest grade of albacore, water and a little salt, it doesn't need to be flavored with vegetable broth. With the absence of vegetable broth, consumers are assured of more tuna packed into every can."
Within the U.S there have been on-going talks between the countries major brands and the FDA to ban or limit the use of additives in canned tuna. The initiative for these negotiations came from the U.S domestic brands, but still the FDA has not agreed to incorporate a limitation to the use of additives in a new U.S.quality standard for canned tuna.