For a world food night, compare salt per 100g on the exact tin, then choose a texture that works for the dish. ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g salt per 100g for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes, while Marks & Spencer lists 0.02g for its chopped Italian tomatoes; the Mutti finely chopped product listed by ASDA declares 0.30g per 100g and offers a finer texture. A lower figure for the tomatoes does not account for stock, sauces or salt added later in cooking, as NHS guidance makes clear.
The useful starting point depends on whether salt, sauce texture or the choice between familiar supermarket tins matters most for the meal.
If your curry, chilli or pasta sauce will also contain stock, condiments or cheese, compare the tomato tin’s salt per 100g before deciding how to season the finished dish. The NHS notes that salt already in food and salt added during cooking both count towards intake.
Chopped tomatoes can provide visible pieces for a simmered sauce; finely chopped tomatoes provide a different, pulpy base. Choose the format for the dish, then compare the salt declarations of the tins you are considering.
Similar-looking 400g chopped-tomato products can carry different salt declarations. ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g per 100g for its chopped tomatoes, while Tesco Groceries lists 0.07g per 100g for Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes. Check the product brand and the current label, not just the shelf category.
Start with a like-for-like salt figure, then check whether the tomato pieces and other recipe ingredients suit the sauce you plan to make.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Declared salt | Compare salt per 100g on the exact tins, rather than figures for different serving sizes. If using a whole tin, account for the amount of tomatoes going into the recipe. | I want to start a curry, chilli or sauce with less declared salt so I can consider the other ingredients before seasoning it. |
| Tomato texture | Check whether the product is chopped or finely chopped, and whether its description indicates pieces or pulp. Do not assume the formats will give the same texture. | For a sauce with visible tomato pieces, I would look at chopped tomatoes; for a finer base, I would consider finely chopped tomatoes. |
| Whole-recipe seasoning | Read the ingredients and salt declaration on the tin. Also check stock, soy sauce, cheese, cured ingredients and other additions; the NHS advises tasting food before adding salt. | My tomato base is only one part of the meal, so I need to consider what the rest of the recipe adds. |
ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g salt per 100g for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes, whereas the Mutti finely chopped product listed by ASDA declares 0.30g per 100g. A similar category name does not establish a similar salt figure.
Compare the per-100g declaration on each precise product, including any flavoured variant you might substitute.
A lower declared figure in a comparison describes the numbers on those tins; it does not establish what claim the product itself makes.
Use the salt declaration to compare products, and check the exact pack if a particular label claim matters to your purchase.
According to the NHS, salt already in food and salt added during or after cooking both contribute to the total. Choosing a tomato tin with less declared salt cannot determine the salt content of a finished sauce on its own.
Check salty additions as the dish develops. Herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon can add flavour; taste the sauce before adding salt.
A substitute product or a changed formulation could alter the salt figure you intended to use for a batch of meals.
Check the available product and its current ingredients and nutrition label before buying multiple tins.
These references concern the named tomato products, not every tin made or sold by each brand.
ASDA Groceries lists its 400g Chopped Tomatoes as a plain cooking base.
Marks & Spencer lists Chopped Italian Tomatoes in tomato juice.
Tesco Groceries lists Grower's Harvest Chopped Tomatoes 400g; Grower's Harvest is the product brand.
Sainsbury's lists a 400g own-label chopped-tomato tin for cooking.
Napolina describes its standard chopped tomatoes as chunky, a distinction worth considering for sauces with visible tomato pieces.
Mutti's finely chopped tomatoes offer a pulpy format rather than the chunkier texture of standard chopped tomatoes.
These chopped and finely chopped tomato multipacks give you pack-size and texture options for cooking. Compare the current salt declaration on the exact product you choose.
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Consider this chopped-tomato format when you want pieces of tomato in a simmered sauce. The pack contains 4 x 400g tins; compare the current salt declaration per 100g before choosing it for a lower-salt recipe.
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The 12 x 400g pack is an option if you plan to use chopped tomatoes across several meals. Check the salt per 100g and ingredients on the current product label when comparing it with a smaller pack.
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Choose the finely chopped format when a pulpy tomato base matters more to the recipe than visible pieces. This is a 4 x 400g pack; compare its current salt per 100g with other tins if reducing salt in the base is the priority.
Compare the declared salt per 100g on the exact tins you are considering, then choose the texture your dish needs. Bristol City Council's label-reading guidance describes 0.3g salt or less per 100g as low in salt; that threshold does not mean a product is labelled “reduced salt”.
Not necessarily. NHS guidance counts both salt already in food and salt added during or after cooking. Check ingredients such as stock, soy sauce, cheese and cured foods alongside the tomato tin, and taste before adding salt.
Try herbs, spices, garlic, chilli or lemon, then taste the finished sauce. The NHS suggests these flavourings as alternatives to automatically adding salt; choose the combination that fits the dish you are making.
Follow the storage instructions and use-within period on the exact product label. Do not assume different brands give the same deadline for leftover tomatoes.