Americans Like Their Beans Sweet

Here’s something I learned while researching baked beans:

The best-selling brand [of baked beans] in the UK is Heinz Baked Beans [originally imported from the US]. … The American product contains brown sugar where the British beans do not, and the U.S. product contains 14 g of sugar per 16 oz tin compared to 7 g for the British version (equating to 140 versus 90 calories). The U.S. beans have a mushier texture and are darker in color than their UK counterpart. This has resulted in a situation where the product is now imported back to the brand’s home country.

It’s true. Our grocery store had the US version of Heinz beans (on the left below), with 14 grams of sugar and 140 calories per serving (not per can as stated above), while the UK version had 7 grams of sugar and 90 calories per serving. And you pay less for all that sugar and all those calories: $0.99/can for US version vs. $2.59/can for UK version.

2 thoughts on “Americans Like Their Beans Sweet”

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Cynthia Conlin January 2, 2020 at 2:16 am

Thank you for the comparison. The amount of unnecessary sugar put into American foods is ridiculous. Americans “like” the beans that way because they’re used to them — because companies like Heinz add too much sugar (and salt). There’s simply too much sugar in this and other packaged foods in the U.S.

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Pingback: Vegetarian Baked Beans | Fanatic Cook
Cynthia Conlin January 2, 2020 at 2:16 am

Thank you for the comparison. The amount of unnecessary sugar put into American foods is ridiculous. Americans “like” the beans that way because they’re used to them — because companies like Heinz add too much sugar (and salt). There’s simply too much sugar in this and other packaged foods in the U.S.

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