HELP CENTER
Have a question? Looking for information? Please check out our Frequently Asked Questions for answers!
We fish in the most abundant seas around the world to bring you the finest seafood products available.
| Anchovies | Pacific and Atlantic Oceans off the coasts of Argentina and Morocco |
| Kipper Snacks | MSC-certified waters of the Atlantic Ocean (Marine Stewardship Council) |
| Mackerel | North Atlantic between Norway and the Faroe Islands |
| Salmon | North Atlantic farm-raised off of Norway |
| Sardines – Norwegian Brisling | Norwegian fjords and coastal waters (North Sea) |
| Sardines – Skinless & Boneless | Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco |
First and foremost, as a premium seafood company in operation for over 120 years, we at King Oscar share your interests in the health of our oceans and the safety of canned fish.
The subject of microplastics and the synthetic chemicals used to make them, including bisphenols (such as BPA) and phthalates, is complex and is getting much due attention. This is particularly relevant for the foods industry, where BPA and similar substances have been used to make the can liners that prevent potentially harmful food-to-metal contact.
Microplastics – microscopic to very tiny plastic fragments – are used in everything from auto parts and clothing to toys, artificial turf, and product packaging. In fact, they’re used so widely that they can now be found throughout the world in the food we eat, the water we drink, and the air we breathe.
At King Oscar, we do not knowingly add bisphenols, including BPA, BPS and BPF, or phthalates to our products or our packaging. Since BPA is now considered ubiquitous in trace amounts in the environment, no company can legitimately state that their products are “100% BPA-free.” However, King Oscar takes every reasonable measure to protect your health and all our cans are certified BPA-NI; ie, “BPA Not Intended” in the formulation of their materials.
Moreover, King Oscar regularly tests our products for a broad range of potential contaminants. We are happy to say that our products meet or exceed the stringent standards for food safety as determined by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and as recommended by
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).
All of that said, the science community continues to investigate the impact of microplastics, bisphenols, phthalates, and other chemical substances including PFAs. We encourage you to conduct your own review of publicly available information, including recent research on microplastics consumption conducted by the Wageningen University & Research Center (Netherlands). And as always, we recommend that you speak to your medical professional regarding diet and health in order to make informed and educated decisions about what is best for you. We hope this information helps you enjoy your King Oscar seafood favorites even more!
The royal line of King Oscar products is distributed in traditional retail stores and online through a range of national and local sellers! Click here to see a list or use our handy product locator below to find all of your KO favorites.
First of all, we thank you for your interest in King Oscar and our products! As a token of our appreciation, please visit our Special Offers page, where you can print out several coupons. The system allows you to print two; however, we reset the offer periodically so please be sure to check back from time to time and print again. Additionally, please take a look on Ibotta, Instacart, or other online delivery platforms – we often have deals on those sites. You can also join us on our social media pages (Facebook, Instagram), where we run regular coupon, product, and swag contests and giveaways. Unfortunately, we don’t send out actual product samples for trial here. We hope this will help you to keep trying and enjoying your tinned fish favorites!
For great taste, King Oscar Anchovies are cured in brine for 4 to 6 months but are not cooked or pasteurized during processing and contain no additives or preservatives. As such, they are semi-perishable and more susceptible to higher temperatures in transport and storage. For best quality and shelf life, King Oscar Anchovies should be stored in a cool place, preferably refrigerated, even in the unopened cans. King Oscar Anchovies should appear as distinct, firm fillets in clear oil, not mushy or cloudy. Always observe “best by” dates and never consume products from bloated cans or products that look or smell off.
Have leftovers? You can put them in an air-tight container and store them in your refrigerator for up to two days.
Fortunately, ring-pull failure doesn’t happen too often. But when it does, you can avoid frustration by simply using a standard can-opener to remove the tin’s lid. If that fails, please use our contact form below to reach out to us for further assistance. You can also review this video to perfect your tinned fish can opening technique!
All of our products are proudly OU kosher-certified, with one exception. Our new Mackerel in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce is still pending kosher certification of all its ingredients. Moreover, our Brisling Sardines in Extra Virgin Olive Oil product has the extra distinction of being certified Kosher for Passover (OUP) before and during the Passover holiday and our Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Olive Oil and Skinless & Boneless Sardines in Water products are certified Kosher for Passover (OUP) year-round.
Only our Brisling Sardines products intentionally contain bones, which are edible. The extra small fish are so delicate that their tiny bones soften or “melt” during our traditional, authentic wood-smoking process – you won’t detect these fine bones at all but you will get the benefits of natural, dietary calcium. The rest of our premium canned seafood products are prepared boneless or skinless & boneless for your convenience. Should our expert filleting process leave any bones in a can of your KO favorites, please let us know.
Gluten is a protein commonly found in many types of grains (specifically wheat, barley, oats and rye). Gluten is not inherently bad for most people, however it does cause allergic reactions and digestion issues for some. All of King Oscar’s products are gluten-free and are processed in facilities that do not handle any ingredients known to contain gluten.
All of our products, except our salmon range, are made from wild-caught fish. Our salmon products are made from Norwegian farm-raised Atlantic salmon. Fishing and living off of the bounty of the ocean has been a tradition in Norway for countless generations. Norway has long been a leader in responsible fishery management and this respect for the sea has been at the core of King Oscar’s fishing practices as the company has grown internationally.
Today, we follow the stringent, science-based guidelines set by the industry’s foremost authorities, including the Institute for Marine Research, the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas, and the Marine Stewardship Council. To better serve people and the planet, we proudly adhere to SeaChange® 2030, the sustainability plan of Thai Union, our parent company.
| Anchovies | Purse seine nets |
| Kipper Snacks | Purse seine nets or pelagic trawl |
| Mackerel | Mid-water trawling |
| Salmon | Farm-raised |
| Sardines – Norwegian Brisling | Purse seine nets |
| Sardines – Skinless & Boneless | Purse seine nets |
King Oscar is all about bringing you easier, more convenient ways to inspire your taste buds and nourish your body. All of our seafood specialties are ready to eat right out of the can, no cooking required.
| Anchovies | Not pre-cooked, brined (cured in salt water) for approximately six months as a natural preservative |
| Kipper Snacks | Authentically wood-smoked, then fully retorted in the can (sterilized at high temperature) |
| Mackerel | Boiled, then fully retorted in the can (sterilized at high temperature) |
| Salmon | Boiled, then fully retorted in the can (sterilized at high temperature) |
| Sardines – Norwegian Brisling | Authentically wood-smoked, then fully retorted in the can (sterilized at high temperature) |
| Sardines – Skinless & Boneless | Boiled, then fully retorted in the can (sterilized at high temperature) |
Brisling Sardines
Best by date and lot code are imprinted on back of outer foil wrapper on clear space at center of packaging. Additionally, best by date and lot code are imprinted on metal can lid near ring-pull.
Brisling Sardines 4-Packs
Best by date and lot code are visible on foil wrapper through window on side of carton.
Skinless & Boneless Sardines
Best by date and lot code are imprinted on side of outer cartonette. Additionally, best by date and lot code are imprinted on sidewall of metal can.
Mackerel and Salmon
Best by date and lot code are imprinted in white space on bottom of can.
Mackerel 6-Packs
Best by date and lot code are imprinted in white space on side of carton.
Kipper Snacks
Best by date and lot code are imprinted on back of outer foil wrapper on white space at center of packaging. Additionally, best by date and lot code are imprinted on sidewall of metal can.
Anchovies
Best by date and lot code are imprinted on lid or on sidewall of can.
This is due to packaging and labeling laws.
Same as always, the sprattus sprattus used for our world-famous, flagship Brisling Sardine products sold in the classic cans with foil wrappers are wild-caught in Norway’s ice-cold, pristine fjords and coastal waters. They are then transported on ice to our state-of-the-art production facility in Gniewino, Poland, for production.
International packaging laws mandate that we state the country of production, not of fishing origin. So you will see PRODUCT OF POLAND on the label. These same packaging and labeling laws apply to all of our products – including skinless & boneless sardines, mackerel, salmon, herring, and anchovies – which are fished from waters around the world.
Tiny fish, natural environment, Norwegian traditions, wood-smoking, and hand-packing, of course! King Oscar has an exclusive on sprattus sprattus netted in Norway’s pristine, icy fjords and coastal waters. These brisling fish are among the tiniest used to make sardines anywhere in the world and they offer milder taste and more delicate texture – naturally. The habitat ensures purity, cold temperatures, and ideal feeding conditions for rich fish oil content. Following generations-old Norwegian sardine fishing practices, the brisling are “thronged” or held in the catch nets long enough to allow the natural cleansing of their digestive tracts. In processing, King Oscar lightly smokes our brisling sardines in real oak-wood ovens, improving taste and texture even more. And finally, each and every fish is hand-packed into the tins to assure premium quality and ideal presentation.
King Oscar uses tiny brisling sardines for our Single Layer varieties (8+ fish per can), even tinier extra small brisling sardines for our Double Layer varieties (12+ fish per can), and the very tiniest brisling sardines available for our Cross-Pack variety (22+ fish per can). In fact, the fish used for our Cross-Pack Brisling Sardines are so small we can pack them in two layers cross-wise, against the width of the cans.
Unlike most brands that use larger species of mackerel, King Oscar exclusively uses responsibly wild-caught North Atlantic scomber scrombus for our Royal Fillets line. This particular species of pelagic mackerel is smaller for milder taste and fantastic texture, forages lower on the food chain for safer consumption, and reproduces more quickly for greater resilience. We fillet the fish to remove skin and bones. And we pack in pure olive oil, with Mediterranean herbs and spices, with bright citrus, and with spicy jalapeño peppers for delicious versatility.
You’ve come to the right place for seafood taste inspiration! Please click here for a variety of recipes featuring all our fish types and for every occasion, everything from appetizers to salads to main dishes.
All varieties of our King Oscar and Tiny Tots brand Brisling Sardines (our sardine products with the classic foil wrappers) and our Kipper Snacks are lightly and authentically smoked over real wood in our traditional production method. We never use artificial smoke flavoring. The rest of our products, including our Skinless & Boneless Sardines (in the carboard cartonettes) are not smoked.
For the very newest sensation, try our all-original Mackerel in Sweet Thai Chili Sauce. This offering features skinless-boneless fillets of our tender and juicy North Atlantic mackerel in a bold and tangy, sweet and spicy sauce! Amazing right out of the can, over a bed of salad greens, or in an easy Pad Thai noodle dish.
For other new tastes, try our full Atlantic Salmon line, featuring tender morsels of skinless-boneless salmon, and hand-packed in pure olive oil, olive oil infused with bright lemon, and olive oil with Mediterranean herbs and spices.
Thank you for asking! And yes, we have opened the King Oscar Merch Store. As always, we want to know what you think, so please tell us if you’re interested in an item you can’t find in our current offering!
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
Need more help? We’re here for you! Use the contact form below to reach out to our Customer Care Team. We’ll get back to you soon!
WORLD HEADQUARTERS
King Oscar AS
Nøstegaten 58, Pb 400 Sentrum
Bergen N-5805
Norway
USA OFFICES
King Oscar, Inc.
One Allegheny Square, Suite 401
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
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