Shoppers planning a quick office lunch
If you expect to eat a whole tin, compare its total calories with labels that give figures for only half a tin. Per-100 g figures help you compare different sizes before working out your portion.
Who is this choice for?
Shoppers considering a lentil or vegetable soup
Check the fibre, protein and salt figures together. The Tesco Low Fat Lentil & Vegetable and M&S Spiced Lentil & Tomato labels list fibre and protein per 100 g, but neither nutrient figure tells you how satisfying your lunch will feel.
Vegetarian or vegan lunch shoppers
Choose by the exact recipe rather than its vegetable flavour. M&S Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup is labelled suitable for vegans, while individual ingredient and allergen statements still matter.
What should you compare?
Start with a like-for-like calorie comparison, then use your planned portion and the rest of the label to decide whether the soup suits your lunch.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Calories and portion | Compare kcal per 100 g, then the serving size and servings per tin. Work out the figure for the amount you intend to eat. | I might eat the whole tin, so a half-tin figure alone will not describe my lunch. |
| Salt | Read salt per 100 g and for your portion. Where shown, use the front-of-pack traffic-light label to compare products, as the Food Standards Agency advises. | A lower calorie figure matters to me, but I also want to know how much salt is in the bowl I serve. |
| Recipe and nutrients | Look at the ingredients and the listed fibre and protein per 100 g. Compare specific recipes rather than assuming that all tomato or lentil soups have the same values. | If soup is my lunch rather than one part of it, I want to see what the recipe and measured nutrients contribute. |
| Dietary suitability | Check the exact vegetarian or vegan statement, ingredients and highlighted allergens. For condensed soup, check whether preparation calls for water, milk or a milk substitute. | I need the particular tin and the way I prepare it to fit the ingredients I avoid. |
Common buying mistakes
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Comparing half a tin with a whole tin
Tesco Groceries lists 61 kcal for a 200 g half-tin of Low Fat Tomato Soup. The Heinz Weight Watchers Tomato Soup listing at Sainsbury's gives 76 kcal for its entire 295 g tin. Those labelled portions are different sizes.
Compare kcal per 100 g first, then check the servings per tin and calculate the amount you plan to eat.
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Letting a low-calorie label stand in for a salt check
The Heinz Weight Watchers Tomato Soup listing gives 76 kcal and 1.7 g salt for the same 295 g tin. A calorie figure does not describe its salt content.
Read the salt line for your portion and use the traffic-light label where one is provided.
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Comparing condensed soup as though it were ready to heat
Ocado lists Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Condensed Soup at 90 kcal per 100 g as sold. Its instructions call for a tin of water, or milk or a milk substitute, to be added.
Work out the finished serving using the liquid you will actually add, including its ingredients and any relevant allergens.
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Assuming a vegetable flavour settles dietary suitability
Recipes differ: the M&S Cream of Tomato Soup ingredient list includes milk and double cream, while the M&S Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup listing states that it is suitable for vegans.
Read the dietary statement, ingredients and allergen information on the particular tin, especially if its recipe or packaging has changed.
Brand and product-line references
These label examples show why the recipe and portion matter more to this decision than the brand name alone.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists Low Fat Tomato and Low Fat Lentil & Vegetable soups in 400 g tins.
- The tomato soup lists 31 kcal and 0.35 g salt per 100 g.
- The lentil-and-vegetable soup lists 1.3 g fibre and 2.0 g protein per 100 g, alongside 0.47 g salt per 100 g. Compare the values for the portion you serve.
Heinz
The cited Heinz listings include a 400 g lentil soup and a 295 g Weight Watchers Tomato Soup.
- The lentil soup listing gives 45 kcal, 0.8 g fibre and 2.4 g protein per 100 g.
- The Weight Watchers Tomato Soup is listed at 76 kcal but also 1.7 g salt for its one-tin serving.
M&S
The cited M&S recipes include Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup and Cream of Tomato Soup.
- Ocado lists the spiced lentil soup as suitable for vegans, with 43 kcal, 1.1 g fibre and 2.1 g protein per 100 g.
- Its Cream of Tomato Soup is a different recipe: the listing gives 63 kcal per 100 g and names milk and double cream in the ingredients.
Campbell's
Campbell's Cream of Mushroom is a condensed soup intended to be diluted before eating.
- The Ocado listing gives preparation choices of water, milk or a milk substitute.
- Its listed 90 kcal and 0.96 g salt per 100 g are for the soup as sold. Account for the chosen liquid and finished serving before comparing it with a ready-to-heat soup.
Tinned soup options on Joybuy
These 400 g bean and vegetable soup tins are options to consider for this lunch decision. Check the label for the portion you intend to eat before comparing them with the ready-to-heat examples above.
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Suma Organic Tuscan Bean Soup 400g
This bean soup offers a 400 g tinned option for lunch. Check calories and salt for the amount you plan to serve; it contains celery.
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Baxters Vegetarian Country Garden Soup 400g
This vegetarian vegetable soup comes in a 400 g tin. Compare calories and salt for your intended serving, and note that it contains milk.
Questions about tinned soup
How can I compare calories across different tin sizes?
Compare kcal per 100 g first, then calculate the amount you expect to eat. Tesco Groceries lists 31 kcal per 100 g and 61 kcal per 200 g half-tin for Low Fat Tomato Soup; the Heinz Weight Watchers Tomato Soup listing gives 76 kcal for its entire 295 g tin.
Does a lower calorie figure settle the lunch choice?
No. Check the salt and other labelled nutrients for your portion as well as calories. The Food Standards Agency says traffic-light labels help shoppers compare calorie, fat, sugar and salt content; the recipe and portion still determine what you are comparing.
What if I want fibre and protein from the soup?
Compare the listed amounts in specific recipes rather than relying on the soup type alone. Tesco Low Fat Lentil & Vegetable Soup lists 1.3 g fibre and 2.0 g protein per 100 g; Ocado lists 1.1 g fibre and 2.1 g protein per 100 g for M&S Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup. These figures do not guarantee how satisfying either portion will be.
Is a vegetable soup necessarily vegan or free from allergens?
No. Check the particular tin's dietary statement, ingredients and allergen information. For example, the M&S Cream of Tomato Soup listing includes milk and double cream, whereas its Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup listing states that the recipe is suitable for vegans.