diff --git a/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py b/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
index 44ba253eb48241451307e25d8cb1f0b11a968444..76f7bce4244f5a6cf96f075bade8748591ef29e9 100644
--- a/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
+++ b/src/caosadvancedtools/cfood.py
@@ -156,14 +156,12 @@ class AbstractCFood(object):
             entity.add_property(prop, value)
 
 
-def assure_entity_is_in_list(entity, containing_object, property_name,
+def assure_object_is_in_list(obj, containing_object, property_name,
                              to_be_updated):
     """
-    Checks whether `entity` is one of the values in the list property
+    Checks whether `obj` is one of the values in the list property
     `property_name` of the supplied entity  containing_object`.
 
-    This check is done based on ids.
-
     If this is the case this function returns. Otherwise the entity is added to
     the property `property_name` and the entity `containing_object` is added to
     the supplied list to_be_updated in order to indicate, that the entity
@@ -179,7 +177,7 @@ def assure_entity_is_in_list(entity, containing_object, property_name,
     contained = False
 
     for el in current_list:
-        if el.id == entity.id:
+        if el == obj:
             contained = True
 
             break
@@ -187,7 +185,7 @@ def assure_entity_is_in_list(entity, containing_object, property_name,
     if contained:
         return
 
-    current_list.append(entity)
+    current_list.append(obj)
     to_be_updated.append(containing_object)
 
 
diff --git a/unittests/test_cfood.py b/unittests/test_cfood.py
index a7d584a9531fdadeac3debba8f7ca0e969ca9fdb..2f00c1c1065d39cba3d2e6a3cc92ecc4079f7648 100644
--- a/unittests/test_cfood.py
+++ b/unittests/test_cfood.py
@@ -25,8 +25,8 @@ import unittest
 
 import caosdb as db
 
-from caosadvancedtools.cfood import (AbstractCFood, assure_entity_is_in_list,
-                                     assure_has_parent)
+from caosadvancedtools.cfood import (AbstractCFood, assure_has_parent,
+                                     assure_object_is_in_list)
 
 PATTERN = "h.*"
 
@@ -52,15 +52,13 @@ class InsertionTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_contained_in_list(self):
         entity_with_list = db.Record()
         prop_name = "list_prop"
-        contained_entity = db.Record(id=1005)
         to_be_updated = []
-        assure_entity_is_in_list(contained_entity, entity_with_list, prop_name,
+        assure_object_is_in_list(1005, entity_with_list, prop_name,
                                  to_be_updated)
         assert to_be_updated[0] is entity_with_list
-        assert (to_be_updated[0].get_property(prop_name).value[0] is
-                contained_entity)
+        assert (to_be_updated[0].get_property(prop_name).value[0] == 1005)
         to_be_updated = []
-        assure_entity_is_in_list(contained_entity, entity_with_list, prop_name,
+        assure_object_is_in_list(1005, entity_with_list, prop_name,
                                  to_be_updated)
         assert len(to_be_updated) == 0