For a school-holiday lunch, compare salt per 100g before choosing by a reduced-salt or no-added-sugar claim. Sainsbury’s and Tesco each list 0.29g salt per 100g for their reduced sugar and salt beans; Waitrose Essential lists 0.30g and ASDA lists 0.34g for the products discussed here. The amount served, ingredients and instructions on the current tin also matter, especially when the lunch is for a child.
The useful comparison changes with the portion, the other foods in the lunch and any ingredient requirements at home.
Beans on toast or a jacket potato can be prepared from a tin, but salt per 100g is only the starting point: consider how much is served. The NHS gives maximum daily salt amounts of 3g for children aged 4 to 6 and 5g for those aged 7 to 10; those amounts cover the whole day, not just lunch.
Reduced sugar and salt, reduced salt with no added sugar, and no added sugar describe different product choices. Compare the nutrition table and ingredients rather than assuming one front-of-pack phrase answers both questions.
A tin kept for a later lunch still needs a check of its current ingredients, allergy information and instructions for leftovers. Those details matter when choosing what to open and how much to serve.
Start with the per-100g nutrition figures for a like-for-like comparison, then use the portion and ingredient information to decide whether the tin fits the lunch.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt content | Compare salt in g per 100g, not just the reduced-salt claim. Sainsbury’s and Tesco each declare 0.29g per 100g for their named reduced variants; Waitrose Essential declares 0.30g and ASDA 0.34g for theirs. | I want to compare tins of different sizes on the same basis before deciding which one to serve. |
| Portion served | Use the tin’s salt figure and the amount actually served. For children aged 4 to 6, the NHS daily maximum is 3g salt; for ages 7 to 10, it is 5g across all food eaten that day. | If lunch also includes other salty foods, I need to consider the whole meal rather than treating a half-can serving as automatic. |
| Sugar wording | Read sugars per 100g and the ingredients alongside any no-added-sugar or reduced-sugar wording. Check separately for sweeteners and for the salt figure. | I may prefer no added sugar, but I do not want to mistake that wording for a lower salt figure. |
| Ingredients | Check the ingredients and allergy statement on the current tin, particularly when a child has a relevant allergy. Do not use a vegan description as a substitute for that check. | Before serving a child with an allergy, I need the information for the exact tin in my hand. |
| Leftovers | Read the opened-can refrigeration and use-by instructions for the chosen product. Decide how much to open when planning more than one lunch. | I want to know whether an opened tin can be used for a later meal under its stated storage instructions. |
A reduction is measured against the product’s stated comparison, not against every other brand. Tesco states 25% less salt than its standard beans, while Waitrose Essential states 30% less than its regular beans; their declared salt figures are 0.29g and 0.30g per 100g respectively.
Compare the salt line in g per 100g first, then consider the portion you will serve.
Waitrose & Partners lists 0.40g salt per 100g for the Heinz No Added Sugar single-serve product, and Marks & Spencer lists 0.43g for its No Added Sugar beans. Those figures answer a different question from whether sugar has been added.
If both claims matter to you, check salt and sugars in the nutrition table and read the ingredients separately.
An adult percentage does not show how much of a child’s daily salt maximum a lunch contains. The NHS states maxima of 3g a day for ages 4 to 6 and 5g for ages 7 to 10.
Work from the grams of salt in the portion and account for other foods served that day.
Ingredients, allergy statements and directions for leftovers affect whether a particular tin works for the household and for a later meal.
Read the can before serving; cover and refrigerate transferred leftovers, and follow that product’s stated time limit.
These figures refer to the named variants, not every tin sold under each brand. Compare current pack labels when choosing between them.
Tesco Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans are a 420g own-label option for comparing salt per 100g.
Sainsbury’s Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans are an own-label option for shoppers comparing both nutrition lines.
ASDA Reduced Salt & No Added Sugar Baked Beans combine a reduced-salt comparison with a no-added-sugar claim.
Essential Reduced Salt & Sugar Baked Beans provide a Waitrose own-label option for this comparison.
Heinz No Added Sugar is available in the researched 200g single-serve format.
M&S No Added Sugar Baked Beans offer a no-added-sugar choice, rather than a stated reduced-salt comparison for this product.
This Joybuy option is a reduced sugar and salt baked-bean multipack. Use its current label to compare salt per 100g with the individual tins discussed above.
No image available
For lunches served from a multipack, compare the current tin’s salt per 100g with the amount you plan to use. Check its ingredients and opened-can storage directions before serving.
No. The reduction is against the comparison product stated for that tin. For the named variants, Sainsbury’s and Tesco each declare 0.29g salt per 100g, Waitrose Essential 0.30g and ASDA 0.34g; compare that figure and the amount you intend to serve.
The NHS states a maximum of 3g salt a day for children aged 4 to 6 and 5g a day for those aged 7 to 10. These are amounts for the whole day, so include the rest of the lunch and other meals when considering a portion of beans.
No. Check the ingredients and allergy information on the exact tin. Marks & Spencer states that its No Added Sugar Baked Beans are not suitable for people with milk or egg allergy, so a dietary description must not replace an allergy check.
Transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, cover and refrigerate them, then follow the time limit on that product. The instructions reported for the named products differ, so check the can you opened rather than applying another brand’s limit.