Heinz tomato soup offers lycopene but is high in salt and sugar

Heinz Cream of Tomato soup remains a popular British staple, but its salt, sugar and low fibre and protein content may make it less suitable as a meal on its own. A nutritionist says it has some benefits, including a high tomato content and lycopene, which may support heart health; cooking tomatoes can also make lycopene easier to absorb.

A tin contains 204 calories, 2.2g of salt, 2.6g of fibre and 3.4g of protein, as well as nearly five teaspoons of sugar. The lower-sugar-and-salt Heinz version has half the sugar and 25 per cent less salt than the standard soup. For more fibre and protein with less fat, the article highlights Baxters Lentil and Vegetable soup, which provides 7.2g of fibre and 8.4g of protein per can, though it still contains 2.16g of salt.