Salt-first breakfast shoppers
If custard goes with weekday fruit, porridge or another quick breakfast, compare salt per 100g rather than treating a low-fat name as a salt comparison.
Who this choice matters to
Shoppers comparing fat and sugars
If fat and sugars matter more to your choice than the lowest salt figure, compare those lines alongside salt on the same per-100g basis.
Households planning several breakfasts
A ready-to-serve can can be used hot or cold. Pack size matters if you need to refrigerate what remains and use it over the next few days.
What to check before buying
For a salt-first choice, compare cans per 100g before looking at their differently sized stated servings. Tesco Groceries and ASDA Groceries also instruct shoppers to refrigerate their respective cans after opening and use the contents within three days.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Declared salt | Compare salt per 100g on current can labels, then check salt for the portion you intend to serve. | If I am choosing custard for breakfast and salt comes first, differently sized stated servings should not decide the comparison for me. About 42% of consumers put the lowest declared salt first. |
| Fat and sugars | Read fat, sugars and salt per 100g together; a low-fat name does not establish a lower salt figure. | I may accept a different salt figure if comparing fat and sugars is my main reason for choosing a can. For about 25% of consumers, that is the primary need. |
| Weekday use | Check the pack size and instructions for serving and storing custard after opening. | When breakfast needs to be quick, I want a ready-to-serve pack whose remainder I can use within its storage window. Practical use comes first for about 33% of consumers. |
Common buying mistakes
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Reading “low fat” as “lower salt”
Tesco Groceries lists 0.10g salt per 100g for its standard 400g can, while its listing for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard gives 0.12g per 100g.
Compare the salt line directly, then use the fat and sugars figures to make a separate choice.
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Comparing only the stated servings
Tesco Groceries states a 200g serving for its can; ASDA Groceries states a 130g serving for Ambrosia Devon Custard. Their per-serving salt figures therefore describe different quantities of custard.
Compare per 100g first, then check the label against the portion you will actually serve.
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Opening more than you will use
The Tesco and Ambrosia can instructions call for refrigeration after opening and use within three days.
Choose a pack size that fits the breakfasts you have planned, and follow the storage instructions on your can.
Custard left beyond the instructed opened-pack window may have to be discarded.
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Skipping the allergen statement
The Tesco and Ambrosia ready-to-serve products in this comparison contain milk.
Check the current label for the exact can and variant before buying if milk is relevant to your household.
Brands to consider for this choice
Ambrosia
Its 400g Devon Custard and Low Fat Custard cans are ready-to-serve options for comparing salt with other cans.
- ASDA Groceries lists 0.11g salt per 100g for Devon Custard; Tesco Groceries lists 0.12g per 100g for Low Fat Custard.
- The Low Fat can is not the lower-salt choice of these two. Both products contain milk, and their opened-pack instructions specify use within three days.
Tesco
Tesco Ready To Serve Custard is a 400g can in the direct salt comparison.
- Tesco Groceries declares 0.10g salt per 100g for this can, the lowest figure of the three compared here.
- Its separate 500g reduced-fat UHT custard is not a tinned-custard comparison product; reduced fat should not be read as reduced salt.
Sainsbury's
Its 500g Ready To Eat Custard provides an ambient, ready-to-serve option for shoppers also considering other pack formats.
- Sainsbury's declares 0.15g salt per 100g and 0.19g per stated 125g serving.
- Treat this 500g pack separately when the purchase needs to be a can; its listed pack format does not establish that it is tinned.
Bird's
Bird's lists custard powders and instant sachets for making custard, rather than a ready-to-serve can for this comparison.
- Its powder and instant formats offer a different way to prepare custard.
- Check the prepared product and its serving information separately; a powder or sachet is not a like-for-like tinned custard.
Joybuy tinned custard selections
These Ambrosia 400g cans suit shoppers comparing a standard ready-to-serve custard with a low-fat variant for weekday breakfasts. Choose by the salt, fat and sugars information that matters to you, rather than by the variant name alone.
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Ambrosia Devon Custard 400g
This ready-to-serve can suits a breakfast where standard Ambrosia custard and its declared salt figure fit your choice; it can be served hot or cold.
ASDA Groceries declares 0.11g salt per 100g and 0.14g per stated 130g portion. That per-100g figure is above Tesco Ready To Serve Custard’s 0.10g. Contains milk; refrigerate the remainder after opening and use within three days.
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Ambrosia Low Fat Custard 400g
This ready-to-serve can fits a breakfast choice led by its declared fat and sugars figures rather than by the lowest salt figure; it can be served hot or cold.
Tesco Groceries lists 2.0g fat, 7.4g sugars and 0.12g salt per 100g. Its salt figure is higher than those of the two standard cans compared above. Contains milk; refrigerate the remainder after opening and use within three days.
Questions about tinned custard
Is low-fat custard automatically lower in salt?
No. Tesco Groceries declares 0.12g salt per 100g for Ambrosia Low Fat Custard, against 0.10g for Tesco Ready To Serve Custard. Compare the current salt labels rather than using “low fat” as a shortcut.
How should I assess the salt in my breakfast portion?
Use the can’s salt figure for the amount you plan to serve, alongside the rest of your food that day. The NHS advises adults to have no more than 6g of salt a day, including salt in packaged foods.
Can I serve ready-to-serve tinned custard cold?
Yes, the Tesco and Ambrosia cans described here can be served hot or cold. If heating custard, follow the instructions on the particular can.
What should I do with custard left in an opened can?
Refrigerate the remainder and use it within three days for the Tesco and Ambrosia cans described here. Tesco Groceries directs shoppers to transfer unused custard to a non-metallic container and cover it.
Do these cans contain milk?
Yes, the Tesco and Ambrosia custards in this comparison contain milk. Check the allergen statement on the current pack for the exact product you are buying.