Reduced-sugar baked beans: compare sugar, salt and size

Who is this for?

Comfort-dinner shoppers comparing sugars

If beans on toast or a jacket potato is your quick dinner, the sugars figure per 100g helps you compare tins of different sizes. The amount in your meal also depends on the portion you serve.

Shoppers considering salt as well as sugar

A reduced-sugar label does not tell you the salt content. Compare both rows of the nutrition panel, particularly if beans make up a substantial part of your meal.

Ingredient- and allergy-conscious shoppers

Check the ingredient and allergen statements on the tin you buy. Marks & Spencer states that its No Added Sugar beans are not suitable for people with a milk or egg allergy; several of the products compared here also contain sweeteners.

What should you compare?

Choose the portion that fits your dinner, but use the per-100g figures to compare recipes before judging what that portion contains.

Priority	What to check	Your needs
Listed sugars	Compare sugars per 100g, then the amount for your portion. Marks & Spencer lists 1.2g per 100g for its No Added Sugar beans; Tesco lists 3.0g for its Reduced Sugar & Salt beans.	For beans on toast, I want to compare the recipes on the same basis without assuming that every reduced-sugar tin contains the same amount.
Salt	Read salt alongside sugars. Sainsbury's lists 0.29g salt per 100g for its Reduced Sugar & Salt beans, while Marks & Spencer lists 0.43g for its No Added Sugar beans. Account for the portion you serve.	If beans are a substantial part of my dinner, the salt in the amount I eat matters as well as the sugar claim on the front.
Tin size	Check whether a small tin, a larger tin or a multipack fits the number of diners. The listed options include a Heinz 200g tin, Waitrose Essential 220g and 420g tins, and a Sainsbury's 4 × 400g pack.	A small tin may suit one meal; for several dinners, I would check how many tins I will actually use.
Ingredients	Read the ingredients rather than treating ‘reduced sugar’ and ‘no added sugar’ as interchangeable. The Heinz No Added Sugar product and the Sainsbury's and Branston reduced-sugar products described here list steviol glycosides.	When I prefer to avoid sweeteners, I need to check the particular recipe, not just its sugars figure.
Allergens and leftovers	Read the current allergen statement. Marks & Spencer warns that its No Added Sugar beans are not suitable for people with a milk or egg allergy. Check the tin's instructions for storing any unused contents.	When cooking for someone with an allergy, I need the label on the tin in hand; if I will not finish it, I also need to plan for the leftovers.

Common buying mistakes

Treating reduced sugar as no added sugar

The phrases describe different recipes: a reduced-sugar tin can contain added sugar, while a no-added-sugar tin can still have sugars listed on its nutrition panel.

Compare sugars per 100g and read the ingredients before choosing between tins.
Checking sugar but not salt

The products compared here list different amounts of salt per 100g. A larger portion also contains more salt than the per-100g figure alone might suggest.

Look at both nutrition rows and use the portion you expect to serve.
Assuming the recipe suits every ingredient preference or allergy

Some of these beans contain sweeteners, and Marks & Spencer warns that its No Added Sugar beans are not suitable for people with a milk or egg allergy.

Read the current tin's ingredients and allergen statement, especially when buying for someone else.
Choosing a tin size without considering leftovers

A small tin and a large tin may fit different numbers of diners. An opened tin also leaves you with storage instructions to follow if you do not eat it all.

Match the format to the meal, and check the label for how to store and use any remaining beans.

Brand and range references

These details apply to the named baked-bean products, not to every recipe sold by each brand.

M&S

Its Eat Well No Added Sugar Baked Beans come in a 390g tin. Marks & Spencer lists 1.2g sugars and 0.43g salt per 100g.

The listed sugars figure is the lowest among the products compared in this article.
The recipe contains sweetener E960a; Marks & Spencer says it is not suitable for people with a milk or egg allergy.

Heinz

Heinz No Added Sugar beans include a 200g tin and larger formats. Tesco lists 1.9g sugars and 0.4g salt per 100g for the 200g product.

The 200g format is an option when a smaller tin fits the meal.
The listed recipe contains steviol glycosides; check its salt figure as well as its no-added-sugar wording.

Waitrose Essential

Waitrose & Partners lists its Reduced Salt & Sugar Baked Beans in 220g and 420g formats. The 220g product lists 2.0g sugars and 0.30g salt per 100g.

Waitrose states that the product has 30% less sugar and 30% less salt than regular Essential Waitrose baked beans.
It is a reduced-sugar recipe, not a no-added-sugar one; its ingredients include sugar.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury's Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans include a 4 × 400g pack. Its listing gives 2.8g sugars and 0.29g salt per 100g.

Sainsbury's states 30% less sugar and salt than its own standard baked beans.
The listed ingredients include both sugar and steviol glycosides.

Tesco

Tesco Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans include a 420g tin. Tesco lists 3.0g sugars and 0.29g salt per 100g for that product.

Tesco states 30% less sugar and 25% less salt than its standard baked beans.
Those reductions use Tesco's own standard product as the comparison; the reduced-sugar recipe contains added sugar.

Branston

Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans have a listed 410g format. Tesco's listing gives 2.8g sugars and 0.39g salt per 100g.

The listing states 30% less sugar and salt than standard Branston beans and gives 5.1g fibre and 5.0g protein per 100g.
The recipe contains sugar and steviol glycosides.

Joybuy product options

This Branston reduced-sugar-and-salt multipack is an option to consider for comfort dinners across several meals. Compare its label with any other recipe or tin size you are considering.

Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans, 4 × 410g

The four-tin format gives you separate tins for beans on toast, jacket potatoes or other quick dinners.

For this 410g recipe, Tesco lists 2.8g sugars, 0.39g salt, 5.1g fibre and 5.0g protein per 100g. It contains sugar and steviol glycosides; follow the tin's instructions for storing any unused contents.

View on Joybuy

Frequently asked questions

Does ‘no added sugar’ mean baked beans contain no sugars?

No. Tesco lists 1.9g sugars per 100g for Heinz No Added Sugar Baked Beans, while Marks & Spencer lists 1.2g per 100g for its No Added Sugar beans. Use the sugars row to compare the total listed amount, rather than treating the front-of-pack phrases as equivalent.

Is the sugars figure the same as free sugars?

No. The nutrition panel's sugars row gives total sugars, not a separate free-sugars figure. The NHS distinguishes free sugars, which include sugars added to food and drink, from some sugars naturally present in ingredients; use the panel's total-sugars figure for a consistent comparison between tins.

Can I choose a reduced-sugar tin without sweeteners?

Check the individual tin rather than relying on its reduced-sugar wording. The Heinz, Sainsbury's and Branston products described here list steviol glycosides, and the M&S product lists sweetener E960a. Read the current ingredients before buying if you avoid sweeteners.

What should I do with beans left in an opened tin?

Transfer unused beans to a covered non-metallic container, refrigerate them and use them within two days. That instruction is given for the Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose Essential, M&S and Branston products described here; follow the storage directions on your tin.