Weight of food

katie_adlam
katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I scanned a can of baked beans, it said 420g for whole can but when I weighed it out there was only 262g?
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Replies

  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
    Did you include all the liquid when you weighed it?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,128 Member
    Scanning doesn't necessarily = an accurate entry so worth checking the info is correct anyway. But it will normally have a drop down box in the quantity/measurement allowing your to change it to 262 Qty and 1g

    If not you can search the database for a better entry or make your own.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,128 Member
    Maxxitt wrote: »
    Did you include all the liquid when you weighed it?

    You don't normally drain baked beans of the tomato sauce (unlike tins of Kidney Bean,etc), it's a British convenience food, so I imagine they did include the liquid.



  • Luke_rabbit
    Luke_rabbit Posts: 1,031 Member
    I have found the exact same issue with baked beans!
  • katie_adlam
    katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
    I just tipped the whole can into a bowl so might have missed a bit of liquid but would 420g include the can weight? I had half the can which weighed 130g x
  • katie_adlam
    katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
    edited January 2020
    Yes I'm in the UK both the tin and mfp said the exact same weight and nutritional info but when I weighed just the beans it came to 262g and not 420g so I'm confused why it says 420g on the tin?
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    It's the water. If you don't weigh with the water (which is hard when using a partial can), then I think it's easier to find an entry (there are USDA ones) for that type of bean, canned, drained.
  • autumnblade75
    autumnblade75 Posts: 1,661 Member
    Is it possible that the scale is not correct? Perhaps it needs new batteries?
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    That does seem like a big difference. I can't help but the next time I open a tin I am weighing the contents. I usually just share contents between the 2 of us and log it as 0.5 of a tin.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,233 Member
    What does the outside of the can say about its size?
  • katie_adlam
    katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
    The can says 420g, I weighed the entire contents with the juice, I did not drain them and it said 262g.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,233 Member
    That seems like a large difference.

    If I had a second can I would take live video of me weighing the unopened can and finding out that the whole thing is so much less than stated amount and contact the vendor.

    A lot of cans have gross and net weight on them. But I am basically understanding that the gross weight was less than stated, by >37.5%
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    So if you didn't drain it, the most likely scenario is that something went wrong with the weighing -- either the scale is broken or user error, which can happen. A can of beans with water should be more (they vary, but over 400 is normal). The exception would be if it seemed to be well under-filled when you opened it. In that situation, I'd check the cup measurements.
  • katie_adlam
    katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
    @middlehaitch they were Lidl beans I'll go and weigh something else and see what happens
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    So if you didn't drain it, the most likely scenario is that something went wrong with the weighing -- either the scale is broken or user error, which can happen. A can of beans with water should be more (they vary, but over 400 is normal). The exception would be if it seemed to be well under-filled when you opened it. In that situation, I'd check the cup measurements.

    @lemurcat2
    You are talking about a different product. Baked beans aren't in water and you eat the whole contents of the can (cooked haricot beans in a tomato based sauce).
    Also in the UK we typically only use measuring cups for baking and it wouldn't appear on the food labelling as a measurement.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited January 2020
    sijomial wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    So if you didn't drain it, the most likely scenario is that something went wrong with the weighing -- either the scale is broken or user error, which can happen. A can of beans with water should be more (they vary, but over 400 is normal). The exception would be if it seemed to be well under-filled when you opened it. In that situation, I'd check the cup measurements.

    @lemurcat2
    You are talking about a different product. Baked beans aren't in water and you eat the whole contents of the can (cooked haricot beans in a tomato based sauce).
    Also in the UK we typically only use measuring cups for baking and it wouldn't appear on the food labelling as a measurement.

    I still don't see how that makes it more likely that the contents of the can would be so much less than the given weight unless it looks much, much smaller.

    You can likely find cup measurements on line if you want to check whether it's an issue with the amount in the can vs. the weighing, which was my point (although yes, if no volume measurements on the can that makes it harder).

    [Edit: I see OP has concluded that it was the scale, so an issue with the weighing, as I suspected.]
  • katie_adlam
    katie_adlam Posts: 8 Member
    middlehaitch wrote: »
    Hooray, mystery solved.

    You may just need new batteries if it is a digital one.
    If it isn’t, I would recommend the new one being a digital one with a tarre function.

    While I was losing I used my big Salter balance scale (I had both metric and imperial weights for it) it was more work but I loved weighing things in the big ‘pan’.
    My digital is much quicker but not as satisfying.

    I did notice there were lots of very attractive, colourful, as well functional digital scales available in the UK when I was home last year, moreso than what I see in Canada- ours are more utilitarian looking.

    Cheers, h.

    I tried new batteries but still seemed to be weighing less, I've just ordered some from Amazon for delivery tomorrow so will try the beans on the new one and hopefully that was the problem! X
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    Tesco Baked beans in tomato sauce 420g tin.
    Weighed whole tin with beans actually weighed =478g
    Weighed empty tin = 60g
    Weighted beans and juice =400g

    So given that I could not scrape out every bit of juice this seems about right, but if the 420g on the label is for contents only, then I have been short changed by 20g

    I also weighed 3 other full tins and got 480g 484g and 482g so there is some variance between the stated amount on the tin and the actual weight of the full tin. Maybe being a bit short changed on the contents which is hardly surprising.

    But on the upside a few less calories in the contents to be consumed.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,089 Member
    edited January 2020
    Never mind. I see the batteries issue was addressed on page 2.
  • kiwiroz
    kiwiroz Posts: 57 Member
    Oh my I saw the original thread and was going to weigh my heinz beans this weekend but I have been beaten to it :p
  • katsheare
    katsheare Posts: 1,025 Member
    edited January 2020
    katie_adlam wrote: »
    @middlehaitch they were Lidl beans I'll go and weigh something else and see what happens

    I'm going to make sure I weigh the next lot of baked beans I do for my son. We have Waitrose and Tesco own brand at home just now (how do you like the Lidl ones, BTW?).

    @middlehaitch Baked beans were one of the products that I literally gasped when I saw the price at a US supermarket. I feel your pain!

    @manderson27 What have you done with 4 tins worth of baked beans?
  • manderson27
    manderson27 Posts: 3,510 Member
    @manderson27 What have you done with 4 tins worth of baked beans? [/quote]

    @katsheare I only opened one to weigh contents and weighed the other 3 unopened just out of curiosity.

    I have way to much time on my hands since I retired.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    @katsheare, only baked beans imported from the UK are expensive. I’m in Canada and the Canadian ones are similarly price to UK beans in the UK. (Same in the USA)

    Cheers, h.
  • fourtotwentychars
    fourtotwentychars Posts: 36 Member
    There was some bloke not so long ago who opened a tin of beans and claimed to find one (1) bean swimming in an entire tin of juice.

    https://geekologie.com/2019/09/man-opens-can-of-heinz-beans-to-find-onl.php

    If the ratio of beans to juice isn't right I expect that would cause the net weight to differ from what it says on the tin. Benas don't float, so they're denser than the juice, so if your beans are light then you've probably got more juice and fewer beans in the tin than you're supposed to.

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