To add flavour to a homemade lunch with an organic stock cube, check its certification, then the salt content, ingredients and allergens for the specific product you’re considering. A vegetable stock base may suit a plant-based recipe once you’ve checked its ingredients. Poultry and beef stock bases contain animal ingredients, while a no-salt range is not automatically organic.
For soup, grains or a vegetable stir-fry, look for an organically certified product and check the ingredients list. The word ‘vegetable’ alone doesn’t confirm that it’s suitable for every dietary restriction.
If salt content matters to you, compare the nutritional information and the amount recommended for your dish. Knorr lists its organic and no-salt ranges separately, so check the exact product.
If you have an allergy or avoid animal ingredients, read the ingredients and ‘may contain’ information on the pack you choose. Ingredients and warnings can vary, particularly between vegetable, poultry and beef products.
For a homemade lunch, start with what matters most to you: organic certification, salt content, dietary restrictions or suitability for your dish. The Ministry of the Economy presents organic labels as certification markers, while Anses recommends reading food labels to compare salt levels.
| Criterion | What to check | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|
| Organic certification | Look for the Euro-leaf or AB logo and the certifying body; check the ingredients list too. | For my lunch, I want to identify a certified product rather than rely on the word ‘natural’ alone. Around 36% of consumers would put this certification at the top of their list of priorities. |
| Salt content | Compare the ‘salt’ value on the same basis and check how much stock cube the recipe calls for. | I want to season my dish while keeping an eye on how much salt the stock adds. Around 29% of consumers would make this their main priority. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients and ‘may contain’ information on the exact product, rather than assuming what it contains from the flavour name alone. | I need to avoid an allergen or certain animal ingredients, so I can’t choose based on the appearance of a vegetable recipe alone. Around 21% of consumers would put this compatibility first. |
| Suitability for your recipe | Choose a flavour base to suit your dish, then check the recommended amount and storage instructions. | When making soup, rice or a stir-fry, I’m looking first for a suitable base that’s easy to measure out. Nearly 14% of consumers would prioritise this culinary use. |
The product listings for MAGGI Bio Légumes and Auchan Bio vegetable stock cubes put salt first in their ingredients lists. Organic certification alone doesn’t tell you how much salt a product contains.
Compare the ‘salt’ figure in the nutritional information and check how much you need for your dish.
Carrefour’s listing for the MAGGI Bio Légumes stock cube says it may contain, among other things, eggs, fish, wheat gluten, milk and soya.
If you need to avoid an ingredient completely, check the ingredients and warnings on the packaging of the product you buy.
A no-salt range isn’t necessarily organically certified. Anses also notes that some potassium-based salt substitutes may pose risks for specific groups of people.
Check the ingredients of the exact product. If you’re following a prescribed diet, ask your healthcare professional for advice before changing your seasoning.
Carrefour France product listings include organic vegetable and beef stock cubes.
Knorr offers organic stock and no-salt stock ranges.
The range includes an organic poultry stock cube for recipes that can contain animal ingredients.
Auchan offers organic vegetable and herb stock cubes, with suggested amounts for various savoury dishes.
Look for the Euro-leaf or AB logo on the packaging, then check the certifying body and the product description. The Ministry of the Economy states that at least 95% of the agricultural ingredients in a processed food labelled organic must come from organic farming.
No. Organic certification alone doesn’t determine how much salt a stock cube contains. Compare the ‘salt’ value on the same basis and take into account the amount recommended for your dish, in line with Anses’ advice to read the labels on salty foods.
Follow the instructions on the packaging of the product you’ve bought. The Auchan Bio vegetable product listing recommends protecting its stock cubes from heat and moisture and, after opening, preferably storing them in an airtight container.
No. Check the ingredients of the product you’re considering. Anses warns that some potassium-based salt substitutes may pose risks for specific groups of people. Ask your healthcare professional for advice before changing your seasoning products.