Among four checked UK chopped-tomato products, M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes has the lowest listed salt figure at 0.02g per 100g; Tesco lists 0.09g, Napolina 0.10g and the finer-cut Mutti Polpa 0.30g. All four meet the NHS definition of low salt, but the cut still needs to suit the picnic dish. If you prepare a dish that normally needs chilling, plan to keep it cold during travel and serving.
If you are choosing tomatoes for a lower-salt dish, compare the salt figures per 100g rather than relying on wording on the front of a tin. The NHS defines low salt as 0.3g or less per 100g; the checked M&S, Tesco, Napolina and Mutti products all meet that threshold, though their listed figures differ.
If you are preparing a tomato topping, salsa-style dish or pasta salad before leaving, choose a cut that works for the recipe and plan how to transport it. The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland advise keeping food that would normally be refrigerated cold at a picnic.
If visible tomato pieces matter to the dish, consider chopped tomatoes; if you want smaller pieces, consider finely chopped Polpa. Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky, while Mutti describes Polpa as fine tomato pulp.
Compare salt on the same per-100g basis, choose the cut for the finished dish, then work out whether that dish will need chilling.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | Compare salt per 100g, not figures for different serving sizes. The NHS defines low salt as 0.3g or less per 100g; check the ingredients too if added salt matters to your choice. | I want a chopped-tomato base with a lower listed salt figure. Among the four checked products, M&S lists 0.02g per 100g, Tesco 0.09g, Napolina 0.10g and Mutti Polpa 0.30g, according to their respective product information. |
| Tomato cut | Check whether the product contains standard chopped tomatoes, fine pulp or whole tomatoes. Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky; Mutti describes Polpa as finely chopped. | For a topping where I want visible pieces, I would look at chopped tomatoes. If smaller pieces matter more, fine pulp may fit the recipe better, even though the checked Mutti Polpa lists more salt than the other three checked products. |
| Picnic storage | Read the opened-tin storage instructions. If the prepared dish would normally be refrigerated, use a cool bag or cool box with ice or gel packs, as advised by the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland. | I am making the dish before travelling, so I need to plan for its ingredients, journey and serving time—not assume it can be kept at ambient temperature because the unopened tomatoes came in a tin. |
Products can meet the same NHS low-salt threshold yet have different listed amounts: the four checked products range from 0.02g to 0.30g salt per 100g.
Compare the current per-100g nutrition panels, then choose a tomato cut that also works for your dish.
Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky, whereas Mutti Polpa is fine tomato pulp. Those cuts may produce different-looking toppings.
Choose visible pieces for a recipe that calls for them, or fine pulp when smaller pieces are wanted; do not infer salt content from the cut.
Opening the tomatoes and combining them with ingredients that normally need refrigeration changes the storage plan. The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland advise keeping such picnic foods cold.
Take a cool bag or cool box with ice or gel packs, remove only what you need for serving, and follow the tin’s instructions for any opened contents.
These figures describe the named products, not every tomato tin made by each brand.
M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes 400g is a standard chopped-tomato option for comparing lower listed salt figures.
Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes 400g provides a standard chopped-tomato cut.
Napolina Chopped Tomatoes are worth considering when the recipe calls for a chunkier cut.
Mutti Polpa offers finely chopped tomato pulp when smaller pieces are the deciding factor.
These Joybuy options include chopped-tomato multipacks and one whole-plum-tomato multipack. Choose the cut and pack size for your planned dishes, and check the current label for salt and storage instructions.
No image available
This chopped-tomato pack is an option if you plan to use several tins for picnic dishes or other meals.
Compare the current salt figure per 100g and follow the label’s directions once a tin is opened.
No image available
These are plum tomatoes rather than chopped tomatoes, so allow for cutting them if the picnic recipe needs smaller pieces.
The pack contains 12 x 400g tins. Check the current per-100g salt figure and opened-tin directions.
No image available
This four-tin chopped-tomato pack fits a recipe that calls for visible tomato pieces.
Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky and lists 0.10g salt per 100g for the product; check the current pack label before making a salt comparison.
No image available
The six-tin pack is an option when your plans call for more than a few tins of chopped tomatoes.
Check the current pack’s salt per 100g and its instructions for storing any opened contents.
No image available
This 24-tin pack makes sense only if you have a use for that many 400g tins beyond the picnic dish.
For the lower-salt decision, compare the current label’s per-100g figure; follow its storage instructions after opening a tin.
The NHS defines a food as low in salt when it contains 0.3g salt or less per 100g. Compare that per-100g figure across tins, since serving sizes may differ.
No: read both the nutrition panel and ingredients list. Mutti Polpa lists salt as an ingredient and 0.30g salt per 100g; the checked M&S, Tesco and Napolina products list 0.02g, 0.09g and 0.10g respectively, according to their product information.
Keep it cold if it contains food that would normally be refrigerated. The Food Standards Agency advises that, at warm temperatures of 8°C or above, bacterial risk increases after four hours or more out of the fridge; in extremely hot weather, it advises using food within two hours. Food Standards Scotland advises eating ready-to-eat food within four hours of taking it from the fridge. Use a cool bag or cool box with ice or gel packs.
Follow the storage instructions on that product’s current label. For example, Marks & Spencer instructs shoppers to move leftover Chopped Italian Tomatoes into a non-metallic container, refrigerate them and eat them within three days; other products may give different instructions.