To put together a high-protein meal, use the stock cube as a seasoning and check the protein content of the main ingredients in the dish. If you’re looking to limit sugar, compare the ‘sugars’ line in the nutrition information on a like-for-like basis. A reduced-salt claim on a stock cube does not mean it contains less sugar.
If you’re using a stock cube to season a dish, check its ‘sugars’ line and don’t confuse it with the food providing the protein in your meal. The Anses Ciqual food composition table lists sugar and protein content separately.
For flavouring vegetables, soups or meat dishes, some Maggi and Knorr products highlight reduced salt, and Knorr also offers a salt-free vegetable stock. These are separate considerations from sugar content.
The recipe name alone isn’t enough to tell whether a product is suitable for your dietary requirements. Stock product listings published by Carrefour and E.Leclerc show that ingredients and allergen statements vary by product.
For a high-protein meal, first work out what role the stock cube plays in the recipe, then compare the sugar and salt content and the ingredients of the variety you plan to use.
| Criteria | What to check | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars | Compare the ‘sugars’ line on a like-for-like basis, per 100 g or per prepared serving. Check any ‘reduced sugar’ claim separately. | When I’m seasoning a meal and keeping an eye on sugar, I want to know how much the stock cube contributes without confusing a displayed value with a reduction compared with another product. Around 42% of consumers put checking sugar at the top of their list. |
| Salt | Check the salt content and the recommended amount for the product you’ve chosen; distinguish ‘reduced salt’ from ‘salt-free’. | When I want to add flavour without using lots of stock cubes, I first look to manage the salt added by the seasoning. This is a priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Recipe and allergens | Check the ingredients list and any ‘may contain’ statements on the packaging of the specific variety. | If I need to avoid an ingredient or choose a stock that suits my dish, the exact ingredients matter more than the flavour name. Around 25% of consumers would make this suitability their top priority. |
The reduced-salt products offered by Maggi and Knorr highlight their salt content, not a reduction in sugar.
Check the full claim on the product, then compare sugar values for products presented on the same basis.
The presence of hydrolysed vegetable protein in an ingredients list isn’t enough to qualify a stock cube as a source of protein.
Assess the protein content of the main ingredients in your dish and use the stock cube to season it.
The amount of salt in your dish also depends on how many stock cubes you use and whether you add salt during cooking.
Follow the recommended amount for the variety you’ve chosen and taste the dish before adding salt.
A vegetable recipe may contain allergenic ingredients or carry ‘may contain traces’ statements. Carrefour’s listing for Maggi organic stock, for example, mentions wheat.
Check the ingredients and allergen information on the exact pack, even if you switch to a different size or recipe.
These brands offer useful points of comparison for recipes, salt content and the information shown on product listings. Their inclusion here doesn’t mean their stock cubes are reduced in sugar.
The documented products include vegetable KUB OR stock cubes, as well as vegetable and chicken varieties marketed as reduced salt.
Knorr offers reduced-salt stock cubes and a salt-free vegetable stock.
Carrefour product listings let you compare its own-brand stock cubes with Maggi varieties.
E.Leclerc’s ranges include several stock cube and cooking stock recipes, including chicken and vegetable varieties.
Auchan’s listings include vegetable Maggi KUB OR varieties and reduced-salt stock cubes.
These three varieties are designed to season dishes: the first highlights reduced salt, while the other two offer different recipes. When choosing, compare the nutritional information and ingredients for each variety against your sugar requirements.
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For seasoning a dish when reducing salt is also one of your priorities.
The 25% reduction applies to salt, not sugar. Check the nutritional information and allergens for the variety you choose.
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A chicken recipe to consider if this flavour suits the dish you’re preparing.
The box contains 12 cubes. Check the sugar values, recommended amount and ingredients for this variety before choosing it for your meal.
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A recipe with herbs and olive oil to consider if you’re looking for this kind of seasoning for your dish.
The pack contains 15 cubes and weighs 150 g. Compare the sugar content on the same basis as the other products you’re considering, and check the ingredients.
No. A reduction in salt doesn’t demonstrate a reduction in sugar. The salt claims on Maggi and Knorr products refer to a different criterion: check the ‘sugars’ line and look for any claim on the specific product.
Don’t rely on a stock cube for this: its role here is to season the dish. Instead, check the protein content of the main ingredients. The presence of an ingredient called ‘hydrolysed vegetable protein’ isn’t enough to establish the stock cube’s protein content.
Follow the recommended amount for the variety you’ve chosen. For its Maggi Kub chicken stock cubes with 25% less salt, the Auchan listing recommends one 10 g cube per half-litre of water. Don’t automatically apply this guidance to another variety.
It’s a nutrition claim, not another way of saying ‘reduced salt’ or simply displaying a sugar value. The DGCCRF states that permitted nutrition claims are regulated by Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. Check the exact wording on the product and compare its nutritional information on a like-for-like basis.
No. ‘Vegetable’ doesn’t mean ‘allergen-free’. Carrefour’s listing for Maggi organic stock mentions wheat, for example. Always check the ingredients and any ‘may contain traces’ statements for the variety you’re buying.