Choose reduced-salt baked beans by comparing calories and salt per 100g, then checking the portion you expect to eat; a reduced-salt claim alone does not answer the weight-management question. Tesco lists 0.29g salt per 100g for its Reduced Sugar and Salt beans, while Waitrose Essential lists 0.30g and more fibre at 4.9g per 100g. Heinz No Added Sugar lists fewer calories at 66kcal per 100g, but more salt at 0.40g per 100g, according to the respective retailer nutrition panels.
If baked beans are a convenient part of your meal, check how much of the tin you will eat and what else is on the plate. NHS guidance on weight loss focuses on an approach to calorie intake that works in everyday life.
If salt matters to your choice, compare the amount per 100g and in your intended portion. A percentage reduction refers to the product named in the claim, not to every other tin on the shelf.
If you are open to own-label beans, Tesco and Waitrose Essential have reduced-salt products with published per-100g nutrition figures. Compare their current packs with branded options on the measures that matter to your meal.
Start with per-100g values to compare formulations, then use the portion you expect to eat to assess the contribution to your meal.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calories and portion | Compare kcal per 100g, then check the pack’s serving size and the amount you expect to eat. | I want to account for the beans as part of the whole meal, rather than assume that a reduced-salt label says anything about calories. |
| Salt | Read salt in g per 100g and per serving. Check which standard product a reduced-salt claim uses for comparison. | If I am choosing on salt, I need the actual amount in my portion, not just the percentage reduction printed on the front. |
| Fibre and protein | Compare the listed grams per 100g on the same basis, alongside calories and portion size. | I want to see what the beans contribute to my meal without judging a tin by a single nutrient. |
| Sugars and ingredients | Check sugars per 100g and the ingredients list. If a tin says no added sugar, check whether it contains a sweetener. | A no-added-sugar or reduced-sugar formulation might suit my preferences, but I still want to know what is in it. |
| Traffic-light labels | Use the colours, where shown, for a quick comparison of salt and sugars; read the nutrition panel for the amounts and serving basis. | I would use the colours as a starting point, not a substitute for the figures. In a Food Standards Agency and Ipsos Northern Ireland survey of 611 people interviewed from September to November 2024, 92% recognised traffic-light labels and approximately 49% actively used them when shopping for food. Those figures describe food-label recognition and use, not baked-bean preferences. |
Reduced salt describes a comparison with another product. It does not describe the tin’s calorie contribution or the rest of your meal.
Compare calories and salt per 100g, then check the amount of beans you plan to eat. NHS guidance places overall calorie intake within the wider approach to weight management.
A per-serving figure can understate what you will consume if you eat more than the stated serving.
Check how many servings the pack contains and calculate the calories, salt and sugars for your intended portion.
Heinz No Added Sugar lists sugars in its nutrition panel and steviol glycosides in its ingredients. The front-of-pack claim does not describe every ingredient.
Read the sugars figure and ingredients list if sweeteners or particular ingredients affect your choice.
A changed recipe could alter the figures you used to compare tins.
Check the current pack’s nutrition and allergen information before choosing, especially if an ingredient matters to you.
These figures describe the named products, not every baked-bean tin from each brand.
Tesco Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans come in a 420g tin. Tesco compares their salt and sugar content with its standard baked beans.
Essential Reduced Salt & Sugar Baked Beans are a 420g own-label option compared by Waitrose with its regular Essential beans.
Heinz No Added Sugar is a 415g option for shoppers comparing a no-added-sugar formulation with reduced-salt tins.
Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans are compared with standard Branston beans in the product claim.
The option shown here is a Branston reduced sugar and salt multipack. Check its per-100g values and your intended portion when comparing it with other tins.
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This multipack suits a comparison based on stated portion and per-100g nutrition rather than the reduced-salt claim alone. Its product information lists 85kcal, 0.39g salt, 5.1g fibre and 5.0g protein per 100g. The salt reduction is relative to standard Branston beans; check the current pack’s ingredients if sweeteners matter to you.
No. A reduced-salt claim compares the tin with a specified reference product, often the brand’s standard beans. Compare the salt listed per 100g and in the portion you plan to eat.
No individual tin determines weight change. NHS guidance focuses on finding a workable approach to overall calorie intake when trying to lose weight. Check the beans’ calories for the amount you will eat and consider them alongside the rest of the meal.
Use per 100g to compare formulations, then calculate the amount for your portion. Tesco lists 0.29g salt per 100g for its Reduced Sugar and Salt beans, while Waitrose lists 0.30g per 100g for Essential Reduced Salt & Sugar; those figures alone do not tell you how much salt is in the amount you will eat.
Not necessarily. The Waitrose panel for Heinz No Added Sugar lists 1.9g sugars per 100g, and its ingredients include the sweetener steviol glycosides. Check both the sugars line and ingredients list.
Check the physical pack before eating. Tesco and Waitrose advise that product information can change, so a current label is particularly important when an ingredient or allergen affects your choice.