It’s a British winter warmer staple, found in cupboards across the country.
But one of the UK’s top diet experts has issued a clear warning about much loved tinned and packet tomato soups, due potential health risks.
According to Professor Tim Spector, founder of the popular nutrition ZOE app, they are lacking in vital nutrients.
And unlike some of their fresh counterparts, they are often packed full of ‘extra chemicals and extracts’.
In an Instagram video posted to the Kings College London academic’s profile, he pointed to tomatoes as a dietary essential, explaining they are full of polyphenols.
These compounds found in plants that have antioxidant properties — and may help manage blood pressure.
However, when formulated in a tinned soup, these benefits can be lost among the host of other ultra-processed ingredients required to extend shelf life.
In the video, which has amassed more than 6,000 likes, he said: ‘In the UK, we eat more ultra-processed food (UPFs) than any other country in Europe.
According to Professor Tim Spector, founder of the popular nutrition ZOE app, tinned soups are lacking in vital nutrients
Unlike some of their refrigerated counterparts, they are packed full of ‘extra chemicals and extracts’
‘So to get down to those levels, we need to know exactly what we’re eating and a great example is tomatoes.
‘They contain lots of polyphenols, particularly one you might have heard of called lycopene.
‘Having [fresh tomatoes] on their own would be classed as unprocessed…’
Processed foods, he explains, are items that have been modified to make them taste better or last longer.
Tinned vegetables, canned fish, freshly made bread and cheese are all examples.
Pointing to cans and jars of plum and chopped tomatoes, Professor Spector said: ‘You might be a bit worried about them because they can come in tins or cans.
‘But there is nothing to be worried about, virtually all of these are really good for you.
‘Sometimes they might actually have more nutrients than in the raw state.’
Tinned Heinz Cream of Tomato soup tinned contains 89 per cent tomatoes as well as modified cornflour, dried skimmed milk, milk proteins, citric acid, meaning it scounts as a UPF
Tomotoes make up 36 per cent of the contents of a sachet, however next on the list is sugar, followed by modified potato starch, glucose syrup, whey powder and red beetroot powder
However, pointing to much-loved tins and boxes of Heinz Cream of Tomato soup, he added: ‘These contain extra chemicals and extracts from foods you wouldn’t find in your kitchen cupboard.’
His warning — that readymade tinned or packet tomato soup are UPFs — come amid growing concern about these foods.
UPFs — which also include bread, cereals and even salad dressing — are made with artificial ingredients used to preserve, add flavour and enhance texture.
They have gone through multiple levels of processing and are usually full of added fats, colours and sugars.
Some have even gone as far as to say they could be as dangerous, in terms of causing cancer, as tobacco — and should come with a cigarette-style health warning.
One recent study found that every 10 per cent increase in the proportion of UPFs in the diet was associated with a four per cent higher risk of colorectal cancer.
While Heinz Cream of Tomato Cup Soup claims to contain ‘no artificial colours or preservatives’ a quick look at the ingredient list reveals numerous unusual-looking ingredients.
Tomotoes make up 36 per cent of the contents of a sachet, however next on the list is sugar, followed by modified potato starch, glucose syrup, whey powder and red beetroot powder.
Foods can be broken down into four broad categories, fresh foods, simple ingredients that are used in cooking, processed foods which combined the latter two groups, and ultra-processed foods, which are made with numerous additives and preservatives
Food experts say some UPFs can be ‘part of a healthy diet’. Baked beans, fish fingers and wholemeal bread all make the cut, according to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF)
Under ‘colours’ it lists carotenes and riboflavin and modified cornflour.
There’s also citric acid, palm oil and palm fat. It also lists something called ‘mono- and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids’ and potassium phosphate, which is apparently a ‘stabiliser’.
The tinned version has a smaller ingredients list, with 89 per cent tomatoes.
However it also contains modified cornflour, dried skimmed milk, milk proteins, citric acid, meaning it still counts as a UPF.
Prof Spector concludes: ‘Hopefully this gives you a greater insight into what to choose and what to avoid, in order to help you and your gut microbes.’
An adult portion of fruit or vegetables is 80g — roughly one medium tomato or 7 cherry tomatoes, according to the NHS.
Despite concerns about UPFs many dietitians argue zealots wrongly label nutritious options such as fish fingers and baked beans as unhealthy.
The UK consumes more UPFs than any other European country, with the foods making up an estimated 57 per cent of the national diet.
They are thought to be a key driver of obesity, which costs the NHS around £6.5billion a year.
