If keeping an eye on salt is your priority, putting together your tacos with separate ingredients makes it easier to compare labels and control how much sauce and seasoning you use. A kit can make preparation simpler, but “no preservatives” doesn’t tell you how much salt it contains: the Crousti Taco Old El Paso kit featured by Auchan contains salt in its shells, sauce and spice mix.
If you want to control the salt in your lunch, check the sauce, spices and cheese as well as the filling. The DGCCRF says that nutrition information on pre-packed products is given per 100 g or 100 ml, making it easier to compare them.
Tinned pulses can make a ready-cooked filling, while a taco kit brings together several components. Your choice depends on how much time you have and how much control you want over the sauce and seasoning.
Kidney beans, chickpeas and lentils are all options for adding variety to plant-based fillings. Manger Bouger recommends eating pulses at least twice a week. To compare two products, check their fibre, protein and salt values on the same basis.
To choose between a kit and tacos made at home, start with what matters most to you: controlling the amount of salt, choosing your filling, saving time or having the freedom to season as you like.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Salt in your meal | Compare the “salt” figure per 100 g on pre-packed products, then take the amounts you’ll use into account. | I want to control the sauce and seasoning rather than rely on a claim on the kit. Around 36% of consumers would make controlling salt their priority. |
| Fibre and plant-based protein | Compare the values per 100 g of pulses prepared in the same way, as well as their ingredients lists. | I want to fill my tacos with pulses and choose a product that meets my nutritional expectations. This would be a priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Preparation time | Check what’s ready to use and what needs cooking or extra ingredients. | When lunch needs to be put together quickly, I’d rather avoid a filling that needs soaking and cooking. Around 21% of consumers would put speed first. |
| A recipe you can adapt | Check what’s included in the kit, or choose your tortillas, filling and seasoning separately. | If everyone wants a different filling or level of heat, I want to be able to customise the tacos as I make them. The option to personalise would be a priority for around 14% of consumers. |
According to the ingredients published by Auchan, all three components of the Crousti Taco Old El Paso kit—the shells, sauce and spice mix—contain salt.
Check the nutrition information and ingredients list on the product you buy. If you want to control the seasoning, you can choose your sauce and spices separately.
Tinned beans that are already cooked can be used to put a meal together quickly; dried beans need to be prepared and cooked before they can be eaten.
Choose according to how much time you have, then compare the salt in ready-to-use products rather than assuming that tinned beans are salt-free.
If you’re using dried beans, allow time for soaking and cooking before lunch.
The sauce, cheese and seasoning all contribute to the taco’s overall contents. So choosing tinned beans for their salt content won’t determine how much salt is in the whole meal.
Check every ingredient you add and portion salty fillings according to how much you’re actually serving.
Carrefour notes that temporary recipe changes can mean the information shown for its Old El Paso wholemeal wraps is out of date.
Check the ingredients, allergens and nutrition information on the packaging of the product you receive or pick up in store.
The brand offers wraps and kits for putting tacos together.
Its tinned kidney beans can be used as a ready-cooked filling.
Another tinned kidney bean option to consider for a quick filling.
A dried kidney bean option for preparing and seasoning your own filling.
These dried red lentils are suited to a taco recipe made with separate ingredients. They need to be cooked before serving as a filling.
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For a homemade plant-based filling, these dried lentils need to be cooked before you assemble the tacos. The bag contains 2 kg; check the cooking instructions and allergen information on the packaging.
First compare their “salt” values per 100 g or 100 ml: the DGCCRF says this makes it easier to compare pre-packed products. Then consider how much you’ll actually use, remembering to include the sauce and seasoning.
No. Nutri-Score is a voluntary label that’s separate from the “salt” figure. The D’aucy kidney beans featured by Auchan have both a Nutri-Score A and 0.53 g of salt per 100 g. Check the nutrition information to find out the salt content.
In the European Union, Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 reserves the claim “low in sodium/salt” for products containing no more than 0.12 g of sodium, or the equivalent amount of salt, per 100 g or 100 ml. The claim “no preservatives” doesn’t tell you whether a product meets this requirement.
Yes, they can be used as a ready-cooked filling. Manger Bouger recommends eating pulses at least twice a week. When choosing a tin, check its ingredients and “salt” value, as these vary from one recipe to another.