One- or two-person cooks comparing salt
If you use tinned tomatoes in soups, pasta sauces, stews or traybakes, the per-100g salt figure lets you compare tins before considering the other ingredients in your recipe.
Who should consider these choices?
Empty nesters planning the whole meal
A lower-salt tomato base is only one part of the decision when a recipe also contains stock, cheese, cured meat or prepared sauces. Check those ingredients before seasoning the finished dish.
Small households planning around leftovers
A 400g tin may cover more than one meal. Check the tin’s instructions for opened contents and decide how you will use the remainder.
What should you check on the tin?
Start with salt per 100g to compare tins on the same basis, then consider your recipe, the amount you will use and the storage directions.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt on the label | Compare salt in grams per 100g, not just front-of-pack wording. The NHS describes 0.3g or less per 100g as low; check the amount you will use as well as any per-serving figure. | I want a quick way to compare tins without assuming that a label message tells the whole story. In a Food Standards Agency and Ipsos survey of 611 Northern Ireland food shoppers interviewed from September to November 2024, 49% said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that figure is not specific to tinned tomatoes. |
| Tomato base | Check the exact product and its current salt figure. Marks & Spencer lists 0.02g per 100g for its Chopped Italian Tomatoes; Tesco lists 0.07g for Grower’s Harvest and 0.09g for Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes. | If I am trying to limit the salt added by the tomato base, these per-100g figures give me specific tins to compare. I still need to account for stock, sauces and other ingredients in the meal. |
| Format and flavour | Choose chopped or peeled tomatoes to suit the recipe, then compare the same salt measure. Mutti lists added salt and 0.30g per 100g for its finely chopped Polpa on its manufacturer page; check the UK tin before using that figure. | A recipe calling for chopped tomatoes may take extra preparation if I buy peeled tomatoes. I do not want to assume that a particular texture or brand also means less salt. |
| Pack and leftovers | Check the number and size of tins, plus directions for opened contents. Marks & Spencer instructs buyers of its 400g Chopped Italian Tomatoes to transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within 3 days. | For a smaller meal, I want a plan for the rest of an opened tin. A multipack also means deciding whether I will use the unopened tins. |
What can catch you out?
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Assuming a brand or label message identifies the lowest salt figure
The listed chopped-tomato products differ in salt per 100g. The NHS threshold describes what counts as low salt; it does not tell you which tin has the smallest figure.
Read the nutrition panel on the exact tin and compare salt per 100g across the formats you would use.
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Seasoning the sauce before tasting it
Stock, cheese, cured ingredients, sauces and added salt can change the salt content of a meal even when the tomato base has a low listed figure.
Consider garlic, herbs, spices, black pepper, chilli or lemon for flavour, as suggested by the NHS, and taste the dish before adding salt.
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Opening a 400g tin without a plan for the rest
A smaller recipe may not use the whole tin, and storage directions apply once it is open.
Plan another use and follow the product label. For M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes, the instruction is to transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within 3 days.
Without a second use planned, some of the opened tin may go to waste.
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Using an online figure without checking the tin
The figure that matters for your recipe is the one on the product you buy, particularly when comparing flavoured variants with different ingredients.
Check the physical tin’s ingredient list, salt per 100g and opened-can instructions before relying on an online listing.
Which brand references are useful?
These figures refer to the named products, not every tin made by each brand; compare the exact variant you intend to buy.
M&S
A reference for comparing salt in a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes.
- Marks & Spencer lists 0.02g salt per 100g for Chopped Italian Tomatoes.
- Check the current tin’s nutrition and storage information when shopping; the listed figure does not compare flavour or texture.
Tesco
An own-brand 400g chopped-tomato option with both per-100g and half-can salt figures.
- Tesco lists 0.09g salt per 100g and 0.18g per 200g half-can for Italian Chopped Tomatoes.
- Use the label on the tin you buy to confirm its current figures.
Grower’s Harvest
A 400g chopped-tomato product listed by Tesco for comparison with other tomato bases.
- Tesco lists 0.07g salt per 100g and 0.14g per 200g half-can.
- The salt figure alone does not establish how its flavour or consistency compares with another tin.
Mutti
Mutti describes its Polpa as a finely chopped tomato pulp; it is a different format from Mutti peeled tomatoes.
- Mutti’s Polpa manufacturer page lists added salt and 0.30g salt per 100g.
- That page is not a UK-specific pack listing. Check the UK Polpa tin, and do not apply its figure to Mutti peeled tomatoes.
Napolina
Napolina offers chopped tomatoes alongside separately flavoured garlic and herb variants.
- The range gives cooks a choice between plain and flavoured chopped-tomato products.
- Check the salt figure and ingredients on the exact variant’s tin rather than applying one variant’s details to another.
Joybuy tinned-tomato options
These options include chopped-tomato multipacks and peeled tomatoes in single-tin or multipack formats. Choose the format and quantity that fit your cooking plans, then compare salt per 100g and storage instructions on the tin.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes 12 x 400g
Twelve 400g tins suit a plan to use chopped tomatoes across multiple meals. Allow space for the pack, and check each tin’s salt figure and opened-can storage directions.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes 4 x 400g
Four 400g tins offer chopped tomatoes for several planned recipes. Check the salt per 100g on this plain variant and follow the tin’s directions for any opened contents.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes 6 x 400g
This six-tin pack contains 400g tins of chopped tomatoes. Consider how often you will use them, and confirm the salt figure and opened-can instructions on the exact tins.
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Mutti Peeled Tomatoes 400g
A single 400g tin avoids committing to a multipack. These are peeled rather than chopped tomatoes, so check whether your recipe calls for crushing or chopping them; read this tin’s own salt and storage information rather than using the figures for Mutti Polpa.
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Mutti Peeled Tomatoes 4 x 400g
Four 400g tins suit planned meals using peeled tomatoes. If you need chopped tomatoes, account for the different format, and check the tins’ salt figures and opened-can directions.
Questions about salt and storage
What counts as low salt on a tinned-tomato label?
The NHS describes food containing 0.3g salt or less per 100g as low in salt. Use the per-100g figure to compare tins of different sizes, then consider how much tomato you will use.
Does a low-salt tin make the finished meal low in salt?
Not necessarily: stock, sauces, cheese, cured ingredients and added salt also contribute to the meal. Check the other ingredients and taste before adding salt; the NHS suggests herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon for flavour.
How should I store tomatoes left in an opened tin?
Follow the instructions on the product you buy. For M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes, Marks & Spencer says to transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within 3 days; another tin may give different directions.
Is a tin labelled reduced salt necessarily the lowest-salt choice?
No. Compare the salt figure per 100g on the exact tins you are considering rather than relying on front-of-pack wording. If you are considering peeled and chopped tomatoes, also check which format the recipe needs.