Start with total fat per 100g: NHS food-label guidance defines low fat for foods as 3g or less per 100g. Tesco Groceries lists 0.4g per 100g for its standard Heinz 415g recipe, while Waitrose & Partners lists 0.2g for the Heinz No Added Sugar 415g recipe; the latter also lists less sugar and salt per 100g. Check the label on the multipack you are buying, then choose a can count your household will use and compare sugars, salt and serving sizes separately.
If your household uses several cans, a multipack can fit that pattern of use. Compare total fat per 100g on the exact recipe rather than treating the number of cans as a nutrition measure. NHS guidance defines low fat for foods as 3g or less per 100g.
Low fat does not describe every nutrient in the beans. For the named Heinz 415g recipes, Tesco Groceries lists 4.3g sugars and 0.6g salt per 100g for standard beans; Waitrose & Partners lists 1.9g sugars and 0.4g salt per 100g for No Added Sugar.
Look at both can size and can count. A pack that matches how often you serve beans is easier to plan around than a larger pack chosen for its size alone.
Compare the nutrition panel on the exact pack first, then consider portions, can count and storage.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Total fat | Read total fat per 100g on the exact recipe. NHS food-label guidance defines low fat for foods as 3g or less per 100g; pack size does not change that comparison. | I want to compare recipes on the same basis, even when the cans are different sizes. |
| Sugars and salt | Read both figures per 100g, then check the portion you expect to serve. For the named Heinz 415g recipes, Tesco Groceries lists 4.3g sugars and 0.6g salt for standard beans; Waitrose & Partners lists 1.9g and 0.4g for No Added Sugar. | If I am comparing more than fat, the standard and No Added Sugar Heinz recipes have different listed sugar and salt values. |
| Pack format | Check the number of cans and grams per can. For example, Tesco Groceries lists a Heinz No Added Sugar 8 x 415g pack, while Sainsbury's lists its Reduced Sugar & Salt beans as 4 x 400g. | Four cans may fit my cupboard and usual meals better than eight, or I may use enough beans to choose the larger pack. |
| After opening | Read the storage instructions on the can you buy, particularly the refrigeration and use-by period after opening. | When one meal uses only part of a can, I need to plan for the remainder. |
A low total-fat figure does not tell you how much sugar or salt a recipe lists, and the amount served matters too.
Compare total fat, sugars and salt per 100g on the exact pack, then look at the figures for your likely portion.
Those descriptions refer to different nutrients. The Sainsbury's Reduced Sugar & Salt 4 x 400g listing identifies the pack but does not establish its total-fat value.
Check total fat per 100g on the current label before using that multipack as a low-fat option; the NHS low-fat guide for foods is 3g or less per 100g.
After-opening instructions can affect which can size works for your household. Waitrose & Partners instructs buyers of its Essential baked beans to refrigerate leftovers and use them within two days.
Choose a can size that suits your meals and follow the storage instructions on the exact product you open.
These named products illustrate different pack and recipe checks; the figures do not apply to every product from the same brand.
Standard and No Added Sugar baked beans are listed in multipack formats.
Its Reduced Sugar & Salt baked beans are listed as a 4 x 400g multipack.
The Essential baked beans referenced here are a 420g single-can option, not a packaged family multipack.
These four- and six-can multipacks offer different household quantities and recipes. Check the nutrition label of the exact product if total fat, sugars or salt affects your choice.
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Four 410g cans suit a household choosing a smaller multipack. Reduced Sugar & Salt describes the recipe; check total fat per 100g on the current label separately.
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This standard-recipe multipack contains four 415g cans. If you are comparing it with a No Added Sugar recipe, read the sugars and salt figures as well as total fat on the exact pack.
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Six 410g cans provide a larger pack for a household that regularly uses beans. Compare the nutrition panel per 100g and make sure the can count fits your expected use.
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Four 410g cans give households another pack-size choice alongside the six-can Branston format. Check total fat, sugars and salt per 100g on this product's label before choosing between recipes.
NHS food-label guidance defines low total fat for foods as 3g or less per 100g. Use the total-fat figure per 100g on the exact baked-bean recipe so that different can sizes can be compared on the same basis.
No. For the named Heinz 415g recipes, Tesco Groceries lists 0.4g fat, 4.3g sugars and 0.6g salt per 100g for standard beans; Waitrose & Partners lists 0.2g fat, 1.9g sugars and 0.4g salt per 100g for No Added Sugar. Compare each nutrient on the product you intend to buy.
No. Waitrose & Partners lists 1.9g sugars per 100g for its Heinz No Added Sugar 415g recipe. “No Added Sugar” should not be read as a zero-sugars figure; check the nutrition panel.
Follow the instructions on the exact can you open. Waitrose & Partners instructs buyers of its Essential baked beans to refrigerate leftovers and use them within two days; check your chosen product's stated period rather than applying that period to every brand.