Which Has More Sodium, Pace or Herdez Salsa? It Depends

Per 2 Tbsp, Herdez Salsa Casera Medium lists the most sodium at 270 mg (12% DV), followed by Pace Chunky Salsa Medium at 230 mg (10% DV) and Herdez Chunky Salsa Medium at 220 mg (10% DV). None of the three reaches the 20% DV level that FDA classifies as high per serving, but serving sizes differ, so a larger scoop raises the total. The ingredient lists also differ in acidifiers, vinegar, and thickeners, and none of the three panels shows a chemical preservative such as sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate.

Key takeaways

• Per 2 Tbsp, Herdez Salsa Casera Medium (270 mg) has more sodium than Pace Chunky Medium (230 mg), which has more than Herdez Chunky Medium (220 mg).
• Serving sizes differ: 30 mL for Pace, 31 g for Herdez Casera, and 38 g for Herdez Chunky, so per-spoon and per-container comparisons can point in different directions.
• Ingredient lists differ. Pace uses distilled vinegar and lists no citric acid or calcium chloride. Both Herdez salsas list citric acid and calcium chloride, and Herdez Chunky also adds vinegar, xanthan gum, paprika, and serrano peppers.
• None of the three ingredient lists shows sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate.

Which Medium Salsa Has More Sodium Per 2 Tbsp: Pace, Herdez Casera, or Herdez Chunky?

Herdez Salsa Casera Medium has the highest sodium per 2 Tbsp of the three, at 270 mg (12% DV), compared with 230 mg (10% DV) for Pace Chunky Salsa Medium and 220 mg (10% DV) for Herdez Chunky Salsa Medium.

How Much Sodium Is in Pace Chunky Salsa Medium?

Pace Chunky Salsa Medium lists 230 mg of sodium per 2 Tbsp (30 mL), or 10% DV, on the brand's product page. The brand also sells Mild and Hot versions, but the sodium for those versions was not disclosed in the information used for this comparison.

Which Has More Sodium, Pace or Herdez?

The answer depends on which Herdez product you compare. Herdez Salsa Casera has more sodium than Pace Chunky (270 mg vs 230 mg per 2 Tbsp), while Herdez Chunky has less (220 mg vs 230 mg). The Casera figure comes from the 16 oz panel on the Herdez Salsa Casera page. The brand also sells 24 oz and 70 oz sizes, and their sodium per serving was not disclosed.

How Do Serving Sizes Differ Across These Three Medium Salsas?

The serving sizes are 2 Tbsp (30 mL) for Pace, 2 Tbsp (31 g) for Herdez Casera, and 2 Tbsp (38 g) for Herdez Chunky. The same spoonful therefore does not weigh the same across the three products, and the Herdez Chunky serving is the heaviest.

Servings per container also differ. Pace lists about 14 servings per container, Herdez Casera about 15 on the 16 oz panel, and Herdez Chunky about 11. The Pace page does not list a jar size, so multiplying 230 mg by 14 servings would be an estimate rather than a reported container total.

Because the three products use different serving measures, a per-serving comparison and a per-container comparison can rank them differently. Read the serving line and the container count on the panel you have in hand before comparing.

What Ingredients Are in Pace Chunky Salsa Medium Compared With the Herdez Medium Salsas?

Pace Chunky Salsa Medium lists crushed tomatoes (water, crushed tomato concentrate), jalapeno peppers, diced tomatoes in tomato juice, onions, distilled vinegar, salt, dehydrated onions, natural flavoring, and garlic extract.

Herdez Salsa Casera Medium lists tomatoes (including tomato juice, citric acid, and calcium chloride), onions, green chile peppers, iodized salt (contains potassium iodate), cilantro, citric acid, and calcium chloride.

Herdez Chunky Salsa Medium lists tomato puree, tomatoes, green chile peppers, onions, distilled vinegar, iodized salt (contains potassium iodate), jalapeno peppers, garlic powder, xanthan gum, serrano peppers, citric acid, calcium chloride, paprika, and natural flavor. On that panel, distilled vinegar and every ingredient after it fall under "contains 2% or less of."

Several differences stand out:

• Pace uses distilled vinegar and natural flavoring, and does not list citric acid or calcium chloride.
• Herdez Casera and Herdez Chunky both list citric acid (to acidify) and calcium chloride (firming).
• Herdez Chunky is the only one of the three that lists xanthan gum, paprika, and serrano peppers.
• Herdez Casera's ingredient list includes cilantro, which the other two do not list.

U.S. labels generally list ingredients by predominance, so the order on each panel is worth comparing when you read the three lists.

Do Any of the Three Salsas Contain Chemical Preservatives on Their Ingredient Lists?

None of the three ingredient lists shows a chemical preservative such as sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate.

Does Herdez Salsa Have Preservatives?

The Herdez Salsa Casera ingredient list does not include sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate. It lists citric acid (to acidify) and calcium chloride (firming), which the panel itself describes by their function rather than as preservatives.

Does Pace Chunky Salsa Have Preservatives?

The Pace Chunky ingredient list does not include sodium benzoate or potassium sorbate. Its acidic ingredient is distilled vinegar, which appears in the ingredient list without a preservative label.

How Do Calories, Fat, and Sugar Compare Side by Side on These Three Salsas?

All three products list 10 to 15 calories per 2 Tbsp, 0 g total fat, 0 g added sugars, and 1 g total sugars. Pace lists 10 calories, Herdez Casera lists 10 calories, and Herdez Chunky lists 15 calories.

Per 2 Tbsp	Pace Chunky Medium	Herdez Salsa Casera Medium	Herdez Chunky Medium
Serving size	30 mL	31 g	38 g
Calories	10	10	15
Total fat	0 g	0 g	0 g
Sodium	230 mg (10% DV)	270 mg (12% DV)	220 mg (10% DV)
Total carbohydrate	3 g (1% DV)	2 g (1% DV)	3 g (1% DV)
Dietary fiber	less than 1 g	not disclosed	0 g
Total sugars	1 g	1 g	1 g
Added sugars	0 g	not a significant source	0 g
Protein	0 g	0 g	0 g
Potassium	not disclosed	not disclosed	2% DV

Is Herdez Salsa Healthier Than Pace?

The verified label information does not support ranking these salsas as healthier or less healthy. Calories, total fat, and added sugars are close or identical across the three, and sodium per serving ranges only from 220 mg to 270 mg. Whether any of these differences matters depends on your own eating pattern and on the health guidance you have received.

How Does FDA's Daily Value Scale Apply to These Three Salsas?

FDA sets the Daily Value for sodium at less than 2,300 mg per day. Under FDA's scale, 5% DV or less of sodium per serving is considered low, and 20% DV or more is considered high. Each of the three salsas falls between 10% and 12% DV per 2 Tbsp, so none reaches the high line at that serving.

A larger scoop changes the total. Two servings of Pace would provide 460 mg of sodium, two of Herdez Casera 540 mg, and two of Herdez Chunky 440 mg. These figures are simple arithmetic from the per-serving panels, not separate measurements.

FDA reports that Americans eat on average about 3,400 mg of sodium per day and that more than 70% of dietary sodium comes from packaged and prepared foods. For people whose clinicians have advised them to limit sodium, a condiment used in multiple servings can add up, so checking the serving size matters.

Who Should Check Sodium Numbers on Salsa Labels More Closely?

People who track sodium for medical reasons, or who have been told by a clinician to limit it, may want to check the per-serving figure and the serving size on each jar. Anyone who eats salsa in larger amounts than the labeled serving should also account for the multiplication effect described above.

The verified information for these three products does not include a sodium figure for chips or other foods eaten with salsa, so this article does not estimate a combined snack total. Readers who want that broader view can start with Campbell's vs Progresso Chicken Noodle: 2,100+ mg vs 1,320 mg Sodium, which shows how sodium totals can differ between two packaged foods.

How Can You Compare Salsa Sodium Using Serving Size and Ingredient Order?

Use the same steps on any jar:

• Find the serving size in mL or grams, and note whether it matches the other product's measure.
• Check the servings per container, and remember that the jar size is not always listed on brand pages.
• Compare sodium in mg and % DV per serving, then calculate totals only for the amount you actually eat.
• Look for salt-containing ingredients, such as iodized salt, and note how they appear in the list.
• Compare the ingredient order and the acidifiers, thickeners, and flavorings listed on the panel.

For a broader look at sodium sources in packaged foods, the Sodium Beyond Salt: 6 Scanned Labels With Sodium Additives guide shows how sodium appears in ingredient lists beyond table salt.

What Details Were Not Disclosed for These Three Salsas?

Several details were not disclosed in the information used here. The Pace page lists about 14 servings per container but no jar size. Sodium for the Mild and Hot versions of Pace and for the Herdez Mild and Hot versions was not disclosed. For Herdez Salsa Casera, the panel does not give fiber, saturated fat, or potassium figures. Sodium for the 24 oz and 70 oz Herdez Casera sizes was not disclosed. No sodium-per-bag figure for chips is available.

These results describe the labels only. They cannot show how any individual's body responds to sodium. Both Herdez pages note that product formulation and packaging may change, so the Nutrition Facts panel on the jar you have is the most reliable source for current numbers.