Who is choosing a tin?

The useful tin size depends on how many portions you are cooking and whether you intend to keep any tomatoes after opening.

Cooking one meal

A smaller tin can match a single recipe without leaving opened tomatoes to store. For a meal built around protein, choose that ingredient separately from the tomato base.

Preparing more than one portion

A 400g tin may suit a two-portion chilli, bean dish or ragù. If the recipe uses less than the whole tin, check the pack's instructions for storing the remainder.

Comparing salt as well as protein

Look at the amount the entire recipe will use. The salt values listed by M&S, Sainsbury's and Napolina differ across their 400g chopped-tomato products, even when compared on a whole-tin basis.

What should you check?

Start with the recipe quantity, then read the nutrition panel for the portion you will actually use.

Priority What to check Your needs
Protein in the meal Read protein per serving and work out how much tomato the recipe uses. Sainsbury's lists 2.8g per 227g tin; Ocado lists 1.3g per 100g for M&S Organic Italian Chopped Tomatoes, or 5.2g per 400g tin. I'm using tomatoes for a sauce, not counting on them as the meal's main protein ingredient. Cambridge University Hospitals identifies foods including eggs, fish, pulses and tofu as protein-rich options.
Tin size Sainsbury's lists its 227g chopped tomatoes as one serving and its 400g tin as two. For an opened remainder, follow the storage and use-by-opening instructions on the tin. For one meal, I'd rather not have tomatoes left over. If I'm cooking two portions, a 400g tin could fit the recipe.
Salt Compare the amount used, not just the per-100g figure. Per complete 400g tin, Ocado's M&S listing works out to 0.08g salt, Sainsbury's lists 0.28g, and Napolina's panel works out to 0.40g. When I'm using the whole tin, its salt contribution matters alongside other ingredients such as stock, cheese or sauces.
Tomato texture Check whether the recipe calls for chopped, finely chopped or whole plum tomatoes. Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky; Mutti describes Polpa as finely chopped. I want the tomato pieces to suit the sauce I'm making, rather than choosing by tin size alone.

Common buying mistakes

  • Counting tomatoes as the main protein ingredient

    The cited Sainsbury's 227g tin provides 2.8g of protein; the cited 400g examples provide 4.0–5.2g per complete tin. Those figures describe the tomatoes, not the finished dish.

    Choose the tin for sauce quantity, texture and salt, and plan a separate protein-rich ingredient if that is the purpose of the meal.

  • Assuming a 400g tin is one serving

    Sainsbury's lists its 400g chopped tomatoes as two half-can servings, while its 227g product is listed as one serving. An opened remainder needs appropriate storage.

    Match the tin to your recipe. Sainsbury's instructs shoppers to transfer unused tomatoes to a non-metallic container, refrigerate them and use them within two days; follow the instructions on the product you buy.

  • Comparing salt on different quantities

    For 400g chopped-tomato tins, the listed nutrition works out to 0.08g salt for M&S Organic Italian Chopped Tomatoes and 0.40g for Napolina Chopped Tomatoes. A per-100g figure does not describe the contribution of a whole tin.

    Compare like-sized portions, then consider how much of the tin and any other salty ingredients the recipe uses.

  • Using an old online listing instead of the pack

    The tin you buy carries the information relevant to that product, including its ingredients, nutrition and storage instructions.

    Check the current label before cooking, particularly if an ingredient or allergen matters to you.

Brand and product-line references

These examples show how tin size, texture and labelled nutrition vary by product; a brand name alone does not settle the choice.

Sainsbury's

Its chopped-tomato listings include a 227g tin labelled as one serving and a 400g tin labelled as two servings.

  • The 227g tin lists 2.8g protein and 0.16g salt per can.
  • For the 400g tin, compare nutrition using the listed half-can serving or calculate it for the quantity in your recipe.

M&S

Ocado lists M&S Organic Italian Chopped Tomatoes as a 400g product serving two.

  • Its listed values of 1.3g protein and 0.02g salt per 100g amount to 5.2g protein and 0.08g salt per complete tin.
  • A 400g tin is a different quantity from a dedicated one-serving 227g tin.

Napolina

Napolina describes its chopped tomatoes as chunky and lists both 227g and 400g formats.

  • The manufacturer's 400g product panel lists 1.3g protein per 100g, or 5.2g per complete tin.
  • Its listed 0.10g salt per 100g amounts to 0.40g if the whole 400g tin is used.

Tesco

Tesco's Everyday Value Chopped Tomatoes listing describes a 400g tin with nutrition shown per half can.

  • The listing gives 2.0g protein and less than 0.01g salt per 200g half can.
  • Check the current listing if you intend to buy this particular product; it was marked out of stock when the cited page was checked.

Mutti

Mutti describes Polpa as finely chopped tomatoes, offering a different texture from chunkier chopped varieties.

  • The manufacturer lists 1.2g protein per 100g for Polpa.
  • Its listed salt value is 0.30g per 100g; compare the label for the pack size and quantity you intend to use.

A Joybuy chopped-tomato option

This 400g chopped-tomato tin is an option for a tomato-based recipe. Check the quantity your recipe needs rather than assuming the whole tin is one serving.

KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g tin

KTC Chopped Tomatoes 400g

Use this 400g tin as the tomato base for a dish with a separately chosen protein ingredient. Check the can's nutrition and storage instructions for the quantity you use.

View on Joybuy

Questions about portions and storage

Can tinned tomatoes be the main protein ingredient in this meal?

Plan a separate protein-rich ingredient if protein is the focus of the meal. The cited product panels list 2.8g protein for Sainsbury's 227g tin and 4.0–5.2g for the complete 400g tins compared here; Cambridge University Hospitals identifies foods such as fish, eggs, pulses and tofu as protein-rich options.

How should I store tomatoes left in an opened tin?

Transfer the unused tomatoes to a non-metallic container, cover and refrigerate them, following the instructions on your tin. Sainsbury's and Tesco specify using their cited chopped-tomato products within two days of opening.