Teresa Dupay blog

In my local gym, the consensus appears to be that Kiss FM playing at high volume is an indispensable aid to working out. This may be true despite the obvious, though seemingly widely ignored, fact that the same  bloke has made all the records being played.

However, the current state of the UK pop chart is not the subject of my blog today.

What really pricked up my ears was an advertisement for Heinz Tomato Soup.

There was all the usual flannel about dad coming in from a snowball fight to the warm and cosy kitchen being comforted by the delicious................you get the picture.

And to round it off was the claim that a can of Heinz Tomato Soup counts as one of your five-a-day.

OMG!

Upon checking the product label in my local supermarket, there it is. A sort of quasi-award-winning greeny shieldy graphic broadcasting 1 of your 5-a-day to the world.

Why does Heinz market their tomato soup in this way?

My guess is that it is intended to portray Heinz Tomato Soup as a healthy foodstuff.

But is it really healthy?

The ingredient list on the can reveals that both sugar and salt are added ingredients.

We see that the standard 400 gram can of soup, typically one serving, contains almost 20 grams of sugar and almost 2.5 grams of salt.

This equates to almost a quarter of the Guideline Daily Allowance (GDA) of sugar  and 40% of the GDA of salt.

This is heart attack territory.

But, hey, it still counts as one of your five-a-day.

But is Heinz taking liberties or are they genuinely working within the current guidelines?

The NHS website states:

"Fruit and vegetables don't have to be fresh to count as a portion".

Furthermore, one fresh medium sized tomato is considered to count as one of your five-a-day.

So, because we must assume that a can of tomato soup contains at least one tomato, Heinz are in the right after all.

Five cans of Heinz Tomato Soup a day is all you need to remain fit and healthy.

However, if five cans of salty, sugary red stuff a day does not hit the spot, according to NHS guidelines, you can also get one of your five-a day here:

• A can of Heinz Spaghetti Hoops
• Two mince pies
• A Pizza Express Sloppy Giuseppe pizza
• A handful of chocolate raisins
• A Kiddlylicious Jelly Pot
• A packet of Waitrose Beer-Battered Onion Rings
• A generous slice of Christmas cake
• Three tablespoons of hummus
• Half a can of Heinz Baked Beans
• A packet of Tyrells Veg Crisps

Bon Appetit!