Lunch planners comparing salt
If you make tomato-based soups, pasta or bean dishes for work, the salt figure per 100g lets you compare tins without relying on their branding or description.
Who is this for?
People cooking one lunch at a time
Sainsbury's lists its 227g chopped-tomato tin as one serving. If your recipe needs less than a 400g tin, check the opened-can storage instructions before deciding what to do with the remainder.
Batch lunch cooks
A 400g tin may fit a recipe for more than one lunch. ASDA Groceries declares 0.01g salt per 100g for its chopped tomatoes, compared with Tesco Groceries' declaration of 0.09g per 100g for Tesco Italian Chopped Tomatoes.
What should you check?
Start with salt per 100g, then choose a tin size that fits your recipe and check how you will store any remainder.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | Compare declared salt per 100g across similar tomatoes. Then check how much tomato your lunch recipe uses. | I want to compare the tomato base on the same basis, even when the tins contain different amounts. |
| Portion size | Check the tin weight and stated servings. Sainsbury's lists its 227g chopped tomatoes as one serving; the ASDA Groceries 400g listing suggests two. | For one lunch, I would rather choose an amount my recipe can use than open a larger tin without a plan for the rest. |
| Leftovers | Read the tin's instructions for transferring and refrigerating opened contents, and follow its stated use-within period. | If I prepare lunches ahead, I need to know when I will use the remaining tomatoes. |
| Ingredients | Read the ingredient list as well as the nutrition table. The ASDA Groceries listing for Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes names salt as an ingredient and declares 0.30g salt per 100g. | I want to check what is in the tin without assuming that its brand, texture or Italian origin tells me its salt level. |
Common buying mistakes
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Assuming an Italian or premium tin has less salt
The ASDA Groceries listing declares 0.30g salt per 100g for Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes, while its own-brand chopped tomatoes declare 0.01g per 100g. The product description does not replace the nutrition figure.
Compare salt per 100g first; consider texture and ingredients separately.
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Comparing salt per can across different tin sizes
A per-can figure reflects the amount in that particular tin. It does not compare salt concentration consistently between a 227g tin and a 400g tin.
Use per-100g figures to compare products, then check the amount your lunch recipe will use.
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Opening a tin without a plan for the remainder
A 400g tin can leave tomatoes unused after a single-portion recipe. Opened-can instructions also differ: Marks & Spencer says to refrigerate its chopped tomatoes in a non-metallic container and eat them within three days; the Tesco Groceries listing for Napolina says to refrigerate opened contents and use them within two days.
Choose a tin size that fits your recipe, or transfer leftovers and follow the instructions on the tin you buy.
Brand references for comparing chopped tomatoes
Asda
ASDA Groceries lists its own-brand chopped tomatoes in a 400g tin.
- The listing declares 0.01g salt per 100g and suggests two servings per tin.
- One tin may leave a remainder when the recipe uses a single serving.
M&S
Marks & Spencer lists Chopped Italian Tomatoes as another 400g option to compare.
- Its product information declares 0.02g salt per 100g.
- Opened contents must be stored in a non-metallic container, refrigerated and eaten within three days, according to Marks & Spencer.
Sainsbury's
Sainsbury's lists a 227g chopped-tomato tin as one serving.
- The smaller listed serving may fit a single-lunch recipe.
- Its declared salt is 0.07g per 100g, compared with 0.01g for the Asda tin and 0.02g for the M&S tin.
Tesco
Tesco Groceries lists Italian Chopped Tomatoes in a 400g tin.
- Its nutrition information declares 0.09g salt per 100g.
- That figure is higher than the declared figures for the Asda, M&S and Sainsbury's chopped tomatoes described here.
Napolina
Napolina Chopped Tomatoes is a branded 400g option.
- The Tesco Groceries listing gives a declared salt figure of 0.10g per 100g.
- The listing says to refrigerate opened contents and use them within two days.
Mutti
Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes offers a different cut of tomato for recipes where texture matters.
- The product is identified as finely chopped on its ASDA Groceries listing.
- The listing declares 0.30g salt per 100g, so compare that figure before choosing it for a reduced-salt lunch.
Joybuy tomato options
These Laila options cover a multipack of chopped tomatoes and a single tin of plum tomatoes for tomato-based lunches. Check the salt declaration on the tin when comparing either option with the chopped tomatoes above.
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Laila Canned Chopped Tomatoes 12x400g
The twelve 400g tins offer multiple openings for batch lunch preparation. Check how much tomato each recipe uses and read the tin's salt and opened-can storage instructions.
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Laila Canned Plum Tomatoes 400g
This 400g tin contains plum rather than chopped tomatoes, so consider the form your lunch recipe calls for. Read the tin's per-100g salt figure before comparing it with chopped varieties, and check its opened-can instructions if you expect leftovers.
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare the salt in different tinned tomatoes?
Use the declared salt per 100g to compare concentration, then check how much tomato your recipe uses. In the listings discussed here, ASDA Groceries declares 0.01g per 100g for Asda Chopped Tomatoes 400g and Marks & Spencer declares 0.02g for M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes.
Is a 400g tin practical for one office lunch?
It can be if your recipe uses the tin or you have a plan for the remainder. For a smaller recipe, Sainsbury's lists its 227g chopped tomatoes as one serving; if you open a 400g tin, follow that product's instructions for storing leftovers.
How long can opened tinned tomatoes be kept for meal prep?
Follow the instructions on the particular tin, because the stated periods differ. Marks & Spencer says to transfer its chopped tomatoes to a non-metallic container, refrigerate and eat within three days; the Tesco Groceries listing for Napolina Chopped Tomatoes says to refrigerate opened contents and use them within two days.
Does a smaller tin necessarily contain less salt?
A smaller tin contains less tomato, but its per-100g salt figure still needs checking. Sainsbury's lists 0.07g salt per 100g and 0.16g per can for its 227g chopped tomatoes; use the per-100g figure when comparing it with another tin and the per-can figure when the recipe uses the whole can.