diff --git a/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py b/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
index 58cae5d0e65750a3e47618b5b228fabc007a097a..a6e442941a4d5c91367f866f56ec5d0ffa166ae6 100644
--- a/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
+++ b/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
@@ -201,13 +201,14 @@ def assure_object_is_in_list(obj, containing_object, property_name,
     to_be_updated.append(containing_object)
 
 
-def assure_has_parent(entity, parent, to_be_updated, verbose=True):
+def assure_has_parent(entity, parent, to_be_updated=None, verbose=True):
     """
     Checks whether `entity` has a parent with name `parent`.
 
-    If this is the case this function returns. Otherwise the entity is assigned
-    a new parent and is added to the supplied list to_be_updated in order to
-    indicate, that the entity `entity` should be updated.
+    If this is the case this function ends. Otherwise the entity is assigned
+    a new parent. The list to_be_updated is supplied, the entity is added to
+    the list in order to indicate, that the entity `entity` should be updated.
+    Otherwise it is directly updated
     """
     parents = entity.get_parents()
     contained = False
@@ -227,7 +228,11 @@ def assure_has_parent(entity, parent, to_be_updated, verbose=True):
     if verbose:
         print("Adding  parent {} to entity {}".format(parent, entity.id))
     entity.add_parent(parent)
-    to_be_updated.append(entity)
+
+    if to_be_updated is None:
+        entity.update(unique=False)
+    else:
+        to_be_updated.append(entity)
 
 
 def insert_id_based_on_name(entity):