All five 400g cream-of-tomato tins compared here are under 500 kcal for the whole can: their declared values work out to 118–252 kcal, with ASDA’s at 118 kcal. Count bread and other sides separately, check the current tin for salt and allergens, and choose hot soup for a picnic only if you can keep it hot until eating, as Food Standards Scotland advises.
A 400g tin can form the centre of a lunch under 500 kcal, but its nutrition panel may give values for only half a can or per 100g. Calculate the amount you will eat, then count bread, cheese and other additions separately.
Soup is a more practical hot lunch when you can heat it before leaving and keep it hot in a suitable insulated container, or heat it at the destination. Food Standards Scotland advises keeping hot food hot and chilled food cold until eating.
The five cream-of-tomato examples are described as suitable for vegetarians. That wording does not establish that a soup is dairy-free: the ASDA and Heinz listings, for example, declare milk. Check the current tin if ingredients or allergens affect your choice.
Start with the amount of soup you will eat, then check the rest of the lunch and how you will carry it.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Whole-can calories | Check the tin’s weight and whether kcal are given per 100g or per half can. Calculate for the portion you will eat; count sides separately. | I want the soup and anything I add to fit my lunch plan, rather than treating a half-can figure as the total for a whole tin. |
| Salt | Compare salt for the same amount of soup, using the current nutrition panel. A half-can salt value needs adjusting if you will eat the whole can. | If I am eating a full tin, I want to compare its full-tin salt amount as well as its calories. |
| Picnic transport | Plan how to keep prepared soup hot until eating. Use a cool bag with cold packs for chilled accompaniments, in line with Food Standards Scotland’s picnic advice. | Soup works for my picnic only if I can heat, carry and serve it without leaving hot soup or chilled sides at an unsuitable temperature. |
| Ingredients | Read the current ingredient and allergen declaration on the exact tin. Check dietary statements separately from allergen information. | A vegetarian label alone does not answer my question if I also need to avoid milk or another ingredient. |
The ASDA, Heinz, Sainsbury’s and Tesco examples give calories per half can; a whole 400g tin contains two such portions. Bread, cheese and snacks add to the meal total.
Use the serving count and tin weight to calculate what you will eat, then account for additions separately.
Calories and salt are different label measures. In its 2026 analysis of 481 chilled and ambient soups, Action on Salt reported that 23% exceeded the Government’s voluntary maximum salt target.
Compare the salt shown on current tins for the portion you expect to eat, not just their calorie figures.
An unopened tin is straightforward to carry, but prepared hot soup needs suitable handling. Food Standards Scotland advises keeping hot food hot and chilled food cold until eating.
Heat soup before leaving only when you can carry it in a suitable insulated container; use a cool bag and cold packs for chilled sides.
A hot-soup picnic may require an insulated food flask, while chilled sides may require a cool bag and cold packs.
A soup can be suitable for vegetarians and still contain milk. GOV.UK guidance says regulated allergens in prepacked food must be clearly labelled in the ingredients list.
Read the ingredient and allergen declaration on the current tin when milk or another allergen matters.
These figures describe the named 400g cream-of-tomato tins, not every soup made by each brand; check the current pack before buying.
Heinz Cream of Tomato Soup is a 400g branded option listed at 102 kcal per half can by Heinz and ASDA Groceries, or 204 kcal for the whole tin.
ASDA Groceries lists its 400g Cream of Tomato Soup at 59 kcal per half can, or 118 kcal for the whole tin.
Sainsbury’s lists its 400g Cream of Tomato Soup at 114 kcal per half can. At two servings per tin, that is 228 kcal for the whole tin.
Tesco Groceries lists its 400g Cream of Tomato Soup at 116 kcal per half can, or 232 kcal for the whole tin.
Marks & Spencer lists its 400g Cream of Tomato Soup at 63 kcal per 100g, equivalent to 252 kcal for the whole tin.
These 400g tinned soups offer different flavours for a picnic lunch built around soup. They are separate from the cream-of-tomato examples above; check each current tin’s nutrition panel for the amount you plan to eat, and plan how to keep prepared soup hot.
Image unavailable
For a mushroom-soup picnic lunch, calculate calories and salt for the amount of this 400g tin you will eat. Check the current pack for milk and wheat if those allergens matter, and use a suitable insulated container if taking the soup hot.
Image unavailable
For a bisque lunch, check the full-tin nutrition figures and the current pack’s allergen declaration, particularly for crustaceans, milk, sulphites and celery. Follow its heating directions, including the warning not to reheat once cooled, when planning when to serve it.
Image unavailable
For a parsnip-and-carrot soup lunch, use the current 400g tin’s nutrition panel to calculate your portion. Check its heating directions before setting off, and inspect the allergen declaration for milk, wheat and celery if relevant.
For a lunch built around a whole tin, calculate calories for the whole tin. Listings from ASDA Groceries, Heinz, Sainsbury’s, Tesco Groceries and Marks & Spencer give whole-tin totals of 118–252 kcal for the five named 400g tomato soups. Bread, cheese, snacks and drinks count separately.
Yes, if you can keep the prepared soup hot until eating in a suitable container. Food Standards Scotland also advises keeping foods that need chilling cold, using a cool box or bag with cold packs.
Not necessarily: the vegetarian ASDA and Heinz cream-of-tomato listings declare milk. Check the current tin’s ingredients and allergen information rather than relying on its vegetarian description; GOV.UK guidance requires regulated allergens in prepacked food to be clearly labelled in the ingredients list.
Follow the storage and use instructions on that particular tin. Plan a way to refrigerate leftovers when necessary rather than leaving opened soup at the picnic.
Yes. Calories do not tell you the salt content of the portion you will eat. Compare the current tins’ salt figures on the same portion basis; Action on Salt’s 2026 analysis of 481 chilled and ambient soups reported that 23% exceeded the Government’s voluntary maximum salt target.