So what we did was go to the local grocery store and buy one of each brand up on the shelf. We opened them all, squeezed the water out, and peeled back the lid.
(We also ate a lot of tuna for a couple of days).
The store brand ("Our Family", a Nash-Finch label) won out: the tuna was mainly chunk, the flavor was good, firm, and as a bonus, it was cheaper than all the others.
Most larger or chain stores have their own brand label, usually a little cheaper than the bigger 'name' brands. Don't blow those off while you are looking, and if there is more than one chain in your area, get some of the other store's store brand, too.
In order to best assess what is available in your market, though, this is what I'd recommend doing--buy a can of each brand and check them out. It doesn't have to be at the same time, but if you don't, put on yur 'food judge hat' and take notes: Texture, firmness, flavor, aroma, amount of 'chunk' versus crumbs, any characteristic you find important, and rate each can. Let everyone in your family who eats it have a 'vote', if you want, and rate them as best to worst. Note price as well. If nothing else, you can decide what concessions (if any) in quality you are willing to make for a price break.
Keep in mind that you can do this with any product, be it canned peaches, green beans, peas, whatever, and if you are going to stock up on them, it is even nicer to buy something you will be happy eating, unless you are just pushing to get quantity on a budget and price is THE major consideration. Consider that spending four or five dollars more on 100 cans might make the difference between eating something you like and spending a hundred meals wishing you had something else. Since rotating your stock in the pantry is as important as having one, this way you won't have a dusty corner stacked with food going uneaten and getting closer to its 'use by date'.
Consider, too, that while most foods remain nutritionally viable to some extent (unless the can is bulged or leaking) even after their use by date, but suffer worst in appearance and texture, if you start with something you like, in a survival situation a little degredation won't be as bad as the effect on something you thought was sub par to begin with.
Relatively speaking, doing a taste test is a small expense to prevent stocking up on something you don't like.
If you think you might be prejudiced against some particular brand, write the name on the bottom and peel the labels.
Also, if there is a big sale (and it isn't too far to the store), buy a can or two and try them before stocking up. Sometimes different lots give different results.
Our results have been good with that store brand in this area, not just on tuna, but with other products as well, but there have been a couple of instances where the 'name' brand won out (Campbell's Chicken Noodle soup and Tomato soup won--especially because the Chicken Noodle can be eaten right out of the can, even cold, and is palatable.).
Hope that helps!
Thank you very much, Smokin’. That helps a great deal. :)