For a lower-salt tomato base, compare labels per 100g: ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g salt for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes, Marks & Spencer lists 0.02g for M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes, and ASDA Groceries lists 0.30g for Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes. Diabetes UK says salt does not affect blood glucose; also check carbohydrate per 100g, the portion used and other ingredients in the meal rather than treating a lower-salt tin as a judgement on the finished dish.
If you consider blood pressure as well as carbohydrate when planning meals, a tin’s salt figure answers only part of the question. Diabetes UK says salt does not affect blood glucose, while its food-label guidance directs shoppers to the carbohydrate information on the nutrition label.
A tomato base is one ingredient in the finished dish. Check stock, cheese, sauces and other additions separately when comparing the salt in recipes.
For comparable 400g chopped-tomato products, ASDA Groceries lists 0.01g salt per 100g for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes, Marks & Spencer lists 0.02g for M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes, and Sainsbury’s lists 0.10g for Stamford Street Co. Chopped Tomatoes. Compare the particular product, not its supermarket name alone.
Start with the nutrition figures per 100g to compare tins, then consider how much tomato and which other ingredients will go into the meal.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Salt | Compare salt per 100g on the current label. Check whether salt appears in the ingredients list; do not rely on a product description alone. | I want to compare tomato bases without assuming that all plain chopped tomatoes have the same salt figure. |
| Carbohydrate | Read carbohydrate per 100g on the nutrition label and consider the amount used. Diabetes UK notes that front-of-pack information does not include carbohydrate. | For meal planning, I need to consider the tomatoes alongside foods such as pasta, rice or bread, not use the tin’s salt figure as a substitute for carbohydrate information. |
| Recipe additions | Check the labels of stock, sauces and other additions separately. Consider how much of each ingredient goes into the finished dish. | A lower-salt tomato base matters to me, but I also want to know what else I am adding to the pan. |
| Storage | Read the opened-tin instructions for that product. For example, Sainsbury’s says to use its Stamford Street Co. chopped tomatoes within two days of opening, while ASDA says four days for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes; both specify refrigeration. | If I will use only part of a tin, I need a plan for storing and using the remainder according to its label. |
Diabetes UK says salt does not affect blood glucose. A lower salt figure therefore tells you nothing by itself about the carbohydrate in the meal.
Compare both salt and carbohydrate per 100g, then consider your portion and the foods served with it.
Stock, cheese, processed meat and condiments can add salt to a tomato-based dish even when the tin’s declared salt figure is lower.
Check additions as you cook, and taste the dish before adding salt.
Serving sizes may differ from the amount a recipe uses. Diabetes UK recommends the per-100g nutrition column for comparison when traffic-light labels are unavailable.
Shortlist tins using their per-100g figures, then work from the quantity you will use.
Opened-life instructions differ: Sainsbury’s Stamford Street Co. chopped tomatoes specify two days, while ASDA Chopped Tomatoes specify four days.
Check the current can label and follow that product’s instructions for transferring, refrigerating and using leftovers.
These figures describe the named chopped-tomato products, not every tin made or sold by each brand.
ASDA Chopped Tomatoes is a 400g tin with tomatoes, concentrated tomato juice and citric acid listed as ingredients.
M&S Chopped Italian Tomatoes is a 400g tin of chopped tomatoes in tomato juice.
Napolina Chopped Tomatoes has a chunky texture in tomato juice and is sold in single-tin and multipack formats.
Stamford Street Co. Chopped Tomatoes in Tomato Juice is a 400g Sainsbury’s product.
Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes is a 400g product with a finer chopped texture.
These are three pack sizes of Napolina chopped tomatoes for sauces and other cooking. If salt is your main consideration, compare their current labels with other tins as well as checking the rest of the recipe.
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A four-tin pack for tomato-based cooking. The product information declares 0.10g salt and 3.6g carbohydrate per 100g. Once opened, transfer unused contents to a non-metallic container, cover, refrigerate and use within two days.
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A six-tin pack for recipes using chopped tomatoes. The product information declares 0.10g salt and 3.6g carbohydrate per 100g. Check the current pack ingredients if the stated tomato proportion matters to you; once opened, transfer unused contents to a non-metallic container, cover, refrigerate and use within two days.
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A 24-tin pack for households planning repeated use in cooking. The product information declares 0.10g salt and 3.6g carbohydrate per 100g. For each opened tin, transfer unused contents to a non-metallic container, cover, refrigerate and use within two days.
No: Diabetes UK says salt does not affect blood-glucose levels. Compare carbohydrate information and consider the whole meal separately from the tin’s salt figure.
Compare salt and carbohydrate per 100g, then check the ingredients and the quantity your recipe uses. Diabetes UK notes that front-of-pack information does not include carbohydrate, so read the nutrition label rather than relying on a traffic-light colour alone.
Do not treat those descriptions as interchangeable. To compare the products in front of you, check both the declared salt per 100g and the current ingredients list; a tin can have a stated salt value even when salt is not listed as an ingredient.
Follow that product’s label rather than a single rule for all tins. Sainsbury’s specifies use within two days for Stamford Street Co. Chopped Tomatoes, ASDA specifies four days for ASDA Chopped Tomatoes, and the ASDA Groceries listing for Mutti Finely Chopped Tomatoes specifies five days; follow each product’s refrigeration and container instructions too.