Breakfast shoppers comparing salt
If you serve beans on toast or alongside other breakfast foods, compare salt per 100g first, then check how much salt your own portion contains.
Who is comparing these tins?
Households sharing a tin
A half-tin serving makes the portion figures useful, but check the tin weight and stated serving size before comparing products.
Shoppers checking sugar and sweeteners too
ASDA and Heinz label the relevant tins no added sugar, while Tesco and Branston label theirs reduced sugar and salt. Read the ingredients if sweeteners affect your choice.
What should you check before choosing?
Start with comparable salt figures, then choose a tin size and recipe that fit the breakfast you will serve.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt content | Compare salt per 100g, then the amount in your portion. Tesco Groceries lists 0.60g per 210g half-can for its reduced sugar and salt beans, about 0.29g per 100g; ASDA Groceries lists 0.34g per 100g for its reduced-salt tin. | I want to compare tins on the same basis, rather than assume every reduced-salt label means the same salt content. |
| Portion size | Check the tin weight and the serving used for the nutrition figures. Work out the salt in the amount you expect to put on each plate. | One tin might be split between two people, or I might serve a different amount with the rest of breakfast. |
| Sugar and ingredients | Distinguish no added sugar from reduced sugar. If you avoid sweeteners, check the ingredients list as well as the front-of-pack wording. | I may want no added sugar, or I may care more about the ingredients used in the recipe. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming all reduced-salt tins contain the same amount
The Tesco, ASDA, Branston and Heinz listings give different salt figures, and their stated portions are not identical.
Compare per 100g before checking the salt in the portion you will serve.
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Choosing by a sugar claim without reading the ingredients
A no-added-sugar or reduced-sugar label does not answer whether a recipe fits a preference about sweeteners.
Read the ingredients list if that distinction matters to you.
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Comparing a whole small tin with half a larger one
Those figures describe different amounts of beans, so the numbers alone do not make a like-for-like portion comparison.
Decide how much you will eat, then use the per-100g figure to assess that serving.
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Relying on an older online nutrition listing
Ingredients and nutrition information can change when a product is reformulated.
Check the label on the tin you buy, particularly if an ingredient or nutrition value affects your choice.
Relevant brand ranges
Tesco
Tesco Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans comes in a 420g tin.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.60g salt per 210g half-can, equivalent to about 0.29g per 100g.
- Check the current label if sugar or ingredients affect your choice.
ASDA
ASDA Reduced Salt & No Added Sugar Baked Beans comes in a 410g tin.
- ASDA Groceries lists 0.34g salt per 100g and 0.70g per suggested half-can serving.
- Check the ingredients if you prefer to avoid sweeteners.
Heinz
Heinz No Added Sugar Beanz offers a Heinz recipe in a 415g tin.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.40g salt per 100g for the 415g product.
- Its listed salt per 100g is above the Tesco and ASDA tins compared here.
Branston
Branston Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans comes in a 410g tin.
- Tesco Groceries lists 0.39g salt per 100g; the product is described as containing 30% less sugar and salt than standard Branston beans.
- Check the ingredients if sugar or sweeteners affect your choice.
Waitrose Essential
Waitrose Essential Reduced Salt & Sugar Baked Beans comes in a 420g tin.
- The Waitrose & Partners product listing identifies it as baked beans in a reduced sugar and salt tomato sauce.
- Check its current salt-per-100g figure before comparing it with the other tins here.
Branston tins on Joybuy
This four-tin Branston pack is an option for breakfasts where you want reduced sugar and salt baked beans across more than one serving.
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Branston Reduced Sugar & Salt Baked Beans, 4 x 410g
Four 410g tins allow you to plan beans for more than one breakfast. Compare the salt figure on the tins with the portion you intend to serve, and check the ingredients if sugar or sweeteners matter to you.
Questions about reduced-salt beans
Does reduced salt mean a tin is low in salt?
No. A reduced-salt claim describes a reduction against a reference product, not an identical salt level across brands. Compare the numeric figure per 100g and per serving; GOV.UK explains that traffic-light labels can also indicate whether a food is low, medium or high in salt.
Which of these tins lists the least salt per half-can?
Tesco Reduced Sugar and Salt Baked Beans lists 0.60g per 210g half-can on Tesco Groceries. ASDA Groceries lists 0.70g per suggested half-can for its reduced-salt, no-added-sugar tin. Check serving weights as well as salt amounts when comparing the other tins.
Are no-added-sugar beans also the lowest in salt?
Not necessarily. ASDA Groceries lists 0.34g salt per 100g for its no-added-sugar tin, while Tesco Groceries lists 0.40g per 100g for Heinz No Added Sugar Beanz and about 0.29g per 100g for Tesco's reduced sugar and salt beans. Choose for your sugar preference, then compare salt separately.
Should I check the can if I have read the nutrition information online?
Yes. Ingredients and nutrition information can change, so read the label on the can you buy, especially when an ingredient, allergen or nutrition value is important to your decision.