If you want to avoid added salt, a tin labelled as having no added salt is quicker to prepare than dried chickpeas. Dried chickpeas, meanwhile, let you decide whether to add salt as they cook. Neither option on its own confirms that a product is suitable for a strict gluten-free diet: check for a ‘gluten-free’ claim and any may-contain warnings on the specific product you choose. The Auchan product pages for the D'AUCY and AUCHAN products reviewed here both warn that they may contain traces of gluten.
The apparent ingredients in chickpeas aren’t enough to confirm that a specific product is suitable. Check for a ‘gluten-free’ claim and any may-contain warnings: the Auchan product pages for D'AUCY chickpeas in a jar and AUCHAN chickpeas in a bag both warn that they may contain traces of gluten.
If you’re making a quick salad, hummus or hot dish, you may want a product that’s ready to drain and has no added salt. The Auchan product page for the D'AUCY jar says ‘no added salt’ and lists 0.08 g of salt per 100 g. Its gluten warning still needs to be considered separately.
You’re happy to soak and cook the chickpeas so you can decide whether to add salt. The Auchan product page for the AUCHAN bag of dried chickpeas lists chickpeas as the only ingredient and recommends adding salt at the end of cooking, but also warns that the product may contain traces of gluten.
For gluten-free meals with less added salt, first check that the specific product meets your gluten requirements. Then choose between the convenience of a tin and the control you get over seasoning when you cook dried chickpeas.
| What to consider | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free suitability | Look for a ‘gluten-free’ claim on the exact product and read any warnings about traces of cereals containing gluten. | If I need to avoid gluten strictly, the convenience of a tin doesn’t outweigh a may-contain warning; around 42% of consumers would make gluten-free suitability their top priority. |
| No-added-salt tins | Compare the ‘no added salt’ claim, the ingredients and the ‘salt’ value per 100 g; check the gluten information separately. | When I’m making hummus quickly, I want a tin that’s ready to drain and has no added salt; around 33% of consumers would put this format at the top of their list. |
| Seasoning during cooking | Check the ingredients, soaking and cooking instructions, and any may-contain warnings on the bag. | I’d rather take the time to cook chickpeas so I can decide whether to salt them; nearly 25% of consumers would prioritise having this control over seasoning. |
These claims refer to two different things. The Auchan product page for the D'AUCY jar says ‘no added salt’, but also warns that it may contain traces of cereals containing gluten.
If you need to avoid gluten strictly, check the gluten claim and any may-contain warnings separately from the salt information.
The product pages from E.Leclerc, Monoprix Courses and Auchan list 0.7 g of salt per 100 g for ECO+, 0.43 g for Monoprix Bio and 0.08 g for the no-added-salt D'AUCY jar, respectively. These values apply to these specific products, not every tinned product from these brands.
Compare the ‘salt’ value per 100 g and the ingredients list on the products you’re considering.
At Monoprix Courses, the title of the PROSAIN product includes ‘No Added Salt’, but its product page lists sea salt in the ingredients.
If you spot this contradiction, check the packaging of the product on offer or ask the manufacturer to confirm before choosing it to avoid added salt.
The Auchan product page for the 1 kg bag of AUCHAN chickpeas lists chickpeas as the only ingredient, but warns that the product may contain traces of gluten.
Check the gluten information on every bag, even when the ingredients list is short.
The Auchan product page features a jar of organic chickpeas with no added salt and a drained weight of 215 g.
The Auchan product page features a 1 kg bag of dried chickpeas to cook and season yourself.
The E.Leclerc product page features a tin of chickpeas containing soaked chickpeas, water and salt.
The Monoprix Courses product page features a 265 g tin of organic chickpeas.
A Monoprix Courses product page features an organic product with ‘No Added Salt’ in its title.
No. ‘No added salt’ tells you nothing about whether the product may contain gluten. The Auchan product page for the D'AUCY jar makes this claim about salt, while also warning that it may contain traces of cereals containing gluten. Check the gluten information for the specific product you choose.
According to the DGCCRF, food labelled ‘gluten-free’ must not contain more than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram, or 20 ppm. This claim relates to the product’s gluten content; it says nothing about its salt content.
Choose dried chickpeas if you’re happy to soak and cook them so you can decide for yourself whether to add salt. The Auchan product page for the 1 kg bag of AUCHAN chickpeas lists chickpeas as the only ingredient, but warns that the product may contain traces of gluten. Check this separately from your choice of seasoning.