Hunt's Diced Tomatoes: Labelgrade B (76/100)
B 76 / 100 — Very low saturated fat and effectively zero sugar.
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Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes delivers 1g of protein and 30.2 calories per 1/2 cup (121g) (USDA FDC 2769539). Per 100g that’s 0.8g of protein; per oz, 0.2g. The Labelgrade is B (76 / 100): Very low saturated fat and effectively zero sugar.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | D | 51 / 100 | 0.8g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | B+ | 83 / 100 | Short 5-ingredient list, no additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | B+ | 83 / 100 | 200mg per serving (47mg per oz) — moderate |
| Sugar load | A+ | 97 / 100 | 3g sugar, no added sugar listed |
| Fiber | D | 42 / 100 | 2.06g per serving — modest fiber contribution |
| Overall | B | 76 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes (this product) | 1g | 0.8g | 0.2g | 30.2 |
| Del Monte Fresh Cut French Style Green Beans | 1g | 0.8g | 0.2g | 20.6 |
| Del Monte Fresh Cut Cream Style Sweet Corn | 1g | 0.8g | 0.2g | 70 |
| Green Giant Whole Kernel Sweet Corn | 2g | 1.7g | 0.5g | 79.9 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
The one canned vegetable that can beat fresh
Most of the time “canned” means “a convenient, slightly-less-vitamin-rich version of fresh.” Diced tomatoes are the exception. The antioxidant tomatoes are prized for — lycopene — is locked inside the fruit’s cell walls when raw, and your body only absorbs a fraction of it. The heat of canning ruptures those walls and converts the lycopene into a form you take up far more readily, so a can of diced tomatoes actually delivers more usable lycopene than the same weight of fresh ones. That’s a genuinely unusual win: a shelf-stable, 30-calorie pantry item that out-performs the fresh produce on its signature nutrient.
It helps that this is a clean can to begin with. The label is diced tomatoes, tomato juice, and less than 2% salt, citric acid, and calcium chloride — the citric acid is for safe canning acidity and the calcium chloride keeps the dice firm, both standard and benign. There’s no added sugar; the 3g of sugars is simply the tomatoes’ own. For a cooking base you’ll use constantly, that’s about as honest as a can gets, which is why it lands a respectable 76 despite carrying almost no protein.
A cheap cooking staple — mind the salt, add the oil
The honest pitch for canned tomatoes is that they make good home cooking effortless and nearly free: 30 calories a serving, endless shelf life, and the backbone of pasta sauce, chili, soup, shakshuka, and a hundred stewed dishes. Unlike whole canned vegetables you’d drain, you cook tomatoes into the dish — the liquid is flavor — so the usual drain-and-rinse trick doesn’t apply here.
That makes sodium the one thing to manage by recipe rather than at the colander. At 200mg per serving this can is moderate, not high, but it adds up across a pot of sauce, so the simple discipline is to taste before adding more salt — or buy the no-salt-added version and season it yourself for the same lycopene at a fraction of the sodium. One bonus worth knowing: lycopene is fat-soluble, so cooking the tomatoes with a little olive oil measurably increases how much of it you actually absorb. Cheap, low-calorie, and quietly one of the most nutritious cans in the aisle — the tomatoes earn their grade.
Scope
This page covers Hunt’s Diced Tomatoes (58 ONZ), UPC 00027000181799, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2769539. Hunt’s sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
Diced Tomatoes, Tomato Juice, less than 2% of: Salt, Citric Acid, Calcium Chloride.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1/2 cup (121g)
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1/2 cup (121g)) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 30.2 |
| Protein | 1g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 6g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.06g |
| Total Sugars | 3g |
| Added Sugars | 0g |
| Sodium | 200mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 0mg |
| Potassium | 230mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Diced Tomatoes (58 ONZ) · UPC 00027000181799. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
no wheat, barley, rye, or malt detected in USDA ingredient list
Frequently Asked Questions
Are canned tomatoes healthy?
Yes — canned tomatoes are one of the genuinely smart staples to keep in a pantry. They're cheap, they never spoil, and they keep most of fresh tomatoes' nutrition. In one respect canned actually beats fresh: the heat of canning makes lycopene — the antioxidant that gives tomatoes their color — more available to your body, so canned tomatoes are an excellent everyday lycopene source. This Hunt's can is just 30 calories per 1/2 cup with a clean five-ingredient list and no added sugar. The only real knock, as with all canned veg, is the sodium (200mg), and a no-salt-added version exists if you want to dodge even that.
Why do these tomatoes grade B (76/100)?
Because they're a clean, low-calorie cooking staple that scores well everywhere except the dimensions no plain vegetable can win. Saturated fat is a perfect A+, sugar is an A+ (3g, all from the tomatoes themselves), and the five-ingredient list earns a B+. The two drags are structural: protein density grades D and fiber grades D, because the scorecard compares everything to high-protein, high-fiber foods and a tomato is neither. Sodium grades B+ at 200mg — moderate, and the single point worth managing. The 76 reads as: a genuinely good, near-free cooking base that simply isn't a protein or fiber source.
Are canned tomatoes as nutritious as fresh — and what about lycopene?
For most purposes, yes, and for lycopene they're arguably better. Canning keeps the fiber, potassium, and most minerals; you lose a little vitamin C to the heat. But that same heat breaks down the tomato's cell walls and converts lycopene into a form your body absorbs more easily, so a can of tomatoes delivers more usable lycopene than the same weight of raw ones. Combined with the price and shelf life, that makes canned diced tomatoes one of the few cases where 'canned' isn't a compromise. The trade-off is the added salt, which fresh tomatoes don't have.
What's a serving, and can I cut the sodium?
A serving is 1/2 cup (121g) — about 30 calories. Unlike whole vegetables, you usually cook tomatoes into a sauce, soup, or chili rather than draining them, since the liquid carries flavor. That means rinsing isn't always practical here. To control sodium, the cleanest move is to buy the no-salt-added version of canned diced tomatoes and season the dish yourself — you'll get the same lycopene and low calories with a fraction of the 200mg. If you do use this salted can, just hold back on additional salt elsewhere in the recipe.
What's the best way to use canned diced tomatoes?
They're a cooking base, not a snack: simmer them into pasta sauce, chili, curry, soup, shakshuka, or stewed dishes. Because they're already cooked and the lycopene is heat-stable, longer cooking is fine and even helps. Pair them with a drizzle of olive oil — lycopene is fat-soluble, so a little fat meaningfully boosts how much you absorb. The main thing to watch across any tomato dish is total sodium, so taste before you add more salt.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2769539. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days of a reformulation.