The commercial, which likened a portion of baked beans to a protein shake, was struck down by the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority. In the ad a man comes home from a run and has a protein shake.
He tells his wife it contains “protein, with high fibre and minimal fat”. She replies:
We’re just having some beans.” And a caption comes on the screen saying: “High in protein. High in Fibre. Low in Fat. Good for you, without going on about it.”
It’s against ASA rules to claim a food is as nutritious as another. So the ad, you might say. It’s a has-beans.
Legumes, such as beans, are high in protein and low in fat. A 200g serving of Heinz baked beans will contain 9.7g of protein (19% of an adult’s recommended daily intake), 0.4g of fat (1% of the recommended intake), and 0g of saturates.
On the downside, there’s a significant amount of sugar and salt in a standard can.
Nutritionist Jo Travers, author of The Low-Fad Diet, is a fan of baked beans. “They’re high in protein, minerals and fibre, and low in fat,” she says.
“The trouble with Heinz baked beans and supermarket baked beans is that they chuck a load of sugar, salt and preservatives in. It’s not like a breakfast cereal, which might have much more sugar than that, but if you can get the low-sugar, low-salt versions they’re better.” – The Telegraph