Nutrition label discrepency

pizzle421

Hi there. Quick question.

I've been doing a lot of canned black beans in recent weeks. I'm a little confused by what I see on the label vs. what I see on my scale.

The label indicates that a serving is 1/2 cup drained @ 130g and that there are 4.5 servings in the can.

However, if I drain the liquid and weigh out to 130g (with a digital scale I know to be reliable) there are really only 3 servings in that can.

Should I just assume that there are indeed 4.5 servings in the can and divide into that number of servings and log calories accordingly or am I better off to go by weight and ignore the label?

Thanks in advance!

cmriverside

Canned foods are nearly always off. Soups are even worse! There is rarely the amount in the can that is stated on the label, and it seems like there is always less than the label says.

I started using dry black beans and cooking them from scratch. It's a lot cheaper and they taste better and I control how many of them I am eating.

cmriverside

With that said, my 35g of dried beans cooked from scratch come out to about 80g-90g per serving (cooked,) which would make your can four or more servings. I think they must use the liquid as part of the weight. I know, the numbers are confusing.

kimny72

Go with your weight, not the number of servings stated on the can.

My understanding is that the nutrition info is determined by the weight listed on the can as a serving. Then the volume measurement (like half cup) and the number of servings per package is estimated.

When in doubt, I'll search for the USDA entry for the food and see if what I'm coming up with seems close. The USDA usually gives info for both raw and cooked or prepared or something similar.

cmriverside

This bean thing is a problem!

When I cook black beans from scratch (from dried beans) and when they are done to the right tenderness, the serving weight is never more than 90g. So that is the beans (35g per serving) with around 50g of absorbed water.

I don't know how they get 130g as a serving, truly. Unless they are using some of the liquid that's in the can OR unless the salt in the recipe causes the dried bean to absorb more water - which is something that makes sense, actually. I don't use salt when cooking dried beans. But then, wouldn't they be fluffy? My prepared beans don't seem noticeably less plump/smaller than the store-bought canned (salted) beans.

It's a mystery.

kimny72

Agreed, canned beans labeling is weird! Especially since some of them include the liquid in the weight and some don't!

kshama2001

pizzle421 wrote: »

Hi there. Quick question.

I've been doing a lot of canned black beans in recent weeks. I'm a little confused by what I see on the label vs. what I see on my scale.

The label indicates that a serving is 1/2 cup drained @ 130g and that there are 4.5 servings in the can.

However, if I drain the liquid and weigh out to 130g (with a digital scale I know to be reliable) there are really only 3 servings in that can.

Should I just assume that there are indeed 4.5 servings in the can and divide into that number of servings and log calories accordingly or am I better off to go by weight and ignore the label?

Thanks in advance!

It is my experience as well that the servings in cans of beans are off. I go by the actual weight.

kshama2001

cmriverside wrote: »

Canned foods are nearly always off. Soups are even worse! There is rarely the amount in the can that is stated on the label, and it seems like there is always less than the label says.

I started using dry black beans and cooking them from scratch. It's a lot cheaper and they taste better and I control how many of them I am eating.

Ya, I keep a can or two of black beans in the house for when I fail to plan, but usually cook dried beans overnight/8 hours in the slow cooker (no presoaking required.)

pizzle421

Appreciate the feedback. Sounds like I can safely go with weight measurements... thanks all!