Christmas cooks using salty accompaniments
If a tomato sauce, soup, stuffing or vegetable dish will also contain stock, gravy, cheese or cured meat, the tomato tin's salt figure is one part of the wider recipe to check.
Who is this for?
Cooks choosing a cupboard staple
A plain chopped tomato can work across several dishes. Compare salt per 100g on the exact tin, including when a variant or flavour sounds similar to one you have bought before.
Cooks deciding on sauce texture
Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky for thick sauces, while Mutti Polpa is finely chopped. Choose the texture your dish calls for, then check its salt figure separately.
What should you check?
Start with the salt figure for the amount of tomato you plan to use, then consider the other ingredients and the texture your dish needs.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs and label use |
|---|---|---|
| Salt in the dish | Compare salt per 100g and the amount of tomato going into the recipe. The NHS says salt already in food and salt added during cooking both count towards intake. | My Christmas sauce may also contain stock, gravy, cheese or cured meat, so I want to account for those ingredients before adding salt. |
| The exact label | Read the nutrition panel on the specific tin, including flavoured variants. NHS Inform defines low salt as 0.3g or less per 100g; that threshold does not mean every qualifying tin has the same figure. | I would rather compare numbers than rely on the pack description. In the Food Standards Agency and Ipsos 2024 tracker, 49% of 611 Northern Ireland respondents said they actively used traffic-light labelling when shopping for food; that figure is not specific to tinned tomatoes. |
| Tomato texture | Check whether the product is standard chopped tomato or finely chopped pulp. Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky; Mutti describes Polpa as finely chopped. | For a thick sauce, I may want distinct tomato pieces. For a more uniform base, finely chopped tomatoes may fit the recipe better, but I still need to compare salt per 100g. |
| Leftovers | Check the opened-pack storage instruction before planning how to use the rest of a tin. Keep leftover tomatoes covered and refrigerated as directed on that product's pack. | If I am preparing several Christmas dishes at different times, I need a plan for the tomatoes left after the first recipe. |
What can catch you out?
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Assuming plain tins contain the same amount of salt
The listed figures for the four products compared here run from 0.02g to 0.30g salt per 100g, according to Ocado, Sainsbury's, Napolina and Mutti. All meet the NHS Inform low-salt threshold, but they will not contribute identical amounts when used in the same quantity.
Compare the salt figure on the exact tin, particularly when the dish also contains stock, gravy, cheese or cured meat.
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Choosing texture without checking the nutrition panel
Mutti lists added salt and 0.30g salt per 100g for its finely chopped Polpa. Its texture is a separate consideration from how much salt the tomato base contributes.
Decide whether the recipe needs chunky or finely chopped tomato, then compare the salt figures of tins that meet that texture need.
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Seasoning before tasting the finished dish
The NHS notes that salt already present in food and salt added during cooking both count. Stock, gravy and sauces can change the amount of seasoning a tomato dish needs.
Use the other ingredients and seasonings in the recipe, taste the dish, and only then decide whether to add salt.
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Leaving opened tomatoes without a storage plan
Sainsbury's and Joybuy's Napolina product information instruct cooks to move opened tomatoes to a non-metallic container and refrigerate them. Christmas meal preparation can also put raw meat and ready-to-eat food in the fridge at the same time.
Cover and refrigerate leftovers, follow the time stated on the specific pack, and keep them separate from raw meat. The Food Standards Agency advises keeping the fridge at 5°C or below.
Relevant brand references
These figures describe specific tomato products, not every tin sold under each brand.
M&S
Ocado lists M&S Organic Italian Chopped Tomatoes as a 400g tin containing organic tomatoes, organic tomato juice and citric acid.
- The Ocado listing gives 0.02g salt per 100g for this product.
- Check the current pack label when buying, especially from a different retailer.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's Chopped Tomatoes Can is a 400g plain chopped-tomato option.
- Sainsbury's lists 0.07g salt per 100g for the product.
- Check the current pack label and whether the tin is available where you shop.
Napolina
Napolina describes its standard chopped tomatoes as chunky and suited to thick sauces.
- Napolina lists 0.10g salt per 100g for its standard chopped tomatoes.
- Garlic, herb and chilli variants should be checked individually rather than assumed to have the same nutrition values.
Mutti
Mutti Polpa is a finely chopped tomato pulp-and-juice product with added salt.
- The fine texture offers an alternative when a more uniform tomato base suits the dish.
- Mutti lists 0.30g salt per 100g, at the NHS Inform low-salt threshold; compare it with other tins if minimising the tomato base's salt contribution is the priority.
Joybuy tinned tomato options
These Joybuy options are chopped and finely chopped tomatoes for Christmas sauces, soups and other cooked dishes. Compare the salt figure and pack size that fit your recipe rather than treating the options as interchangeable.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes, 12 × 400g
Chopped tomatoes for a sauce, soup or stew where you want to compare the tomato base's salt contribution.
The Joybuy product information lists 0.03g salt per 100g. This is a 12-tin pack; check that the quantity suits your plans and storage space. Follow the pack label for current nutrition and opened-tin instructions.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes, 4 × 400g
Napolina describes these chopped tomatoes as chunky, a texture to consider for a thick Christmas sauce.
The Joybuy product information lists 0.10g salt per 100g. The pack contains four 400g tins; check the exact tin's label before cooking.
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KTC Chopped Tomatoes, 400g
A single tin of chopped tomatoes for a sauce, soup, casserole or stew.
The Joybuy product information lists 0.09g salt per 100g. Check the tin's label for current nutrition and instructions for storing any leftovers.
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Napolina Chopped Tomatoes, 6 × 400g
This six-tin pack is another Napolina chopped-tomato option when planning several cooked dishes.
The Joybuy product information lists 0.10g salt per 100g and describes a hearty texture. Check whether six 400g tins suit the quantity you expect to use, and confirm the current nutrition on the cans.
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Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes, 4 × 400g
Choose the finely chopped Polpa texture when a more uniform tomato base suits your Christmas recipe.
Mutti and the Joybuy product information list 0.30g salt per 100g, at the NHS Inform low-salt threshold. The pack contains four 400g tins; check the current label and account for other salty ingredients in the dish.
Frequently asked questions
What does low salt mean on a food label?
NHS Inform defines low salt as 0.3g salt or less per 100g. Read that figure on the exact tin: products that meet the threshold can still contribute different amounts of salt to the same recipe.
Do low-salt tomatoes mean I can ignore salt in the rest of Christmas dinner?
No. The NHS says its adult daily maximum of 6g includes salt already in food and salt added during and after cooking. Account for stock, gravy, sauces, cheese and cured meat in the dish, and taste before adding salt.
How should I store tomatoes left in an opened tin?
Follow the instruction on the specific pack. Sainsbury's and Joybuy's Napolina product information say to transfer leftovers to a non-metallic container, cover, refrigerate and use within two days. Check the physical pack for other products rather than applying that period to every tin.
What should I check when the Christmas fridge is crowded?
Keep leftover tomatoes covered and follow their pack storage instructions. The Food Standards Agency advises setting the fridge to 5°C or below and keeping raw meat separate from ready-to-eat food.