Chicken & bacon pasta bake
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
3
1 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Salt per 100g
1.58g
High
UK FSA front of pack threshold
Three separate readings, kept apart on purpose. This is not a score, and none of it says this product is harmful.
Additives (3)
This label lists 1 antioxidant, 1 preservative and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
E250
Sodium nitrite
Preservative and colour fixer, cured meats
What it is. A curing salt that keeps cured and processed meats pink and stops the growth of the bacteria behind botulism.
Why it is used. Used in bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs for preservation, safety and colour.
What the evidence says. The concern is not the additive in isolation but processed meat as a whole, which the WHO's cancer agency IARC classes as Group 1, meaning there is sufficient evidence it causes colorectal cancer. Nitrite can form nitrosamines during curing and cooking, and those are the likely culprit. Risk rises with how much processed meat you eat over time.
Permitted with strict maximum levels. The EU cut the allowed limits further from 2023 to reduce nitrosamine formation.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E250
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E440 Pectin thickener
Names and jobs come from the register of additives permitted in Great Britain, which we have not finished transcribing: a code shown without a name is a gap in our coverage, not a finding that it is unapproved. Naming one is not grading it either. Full detail appears only where we have an assessment against a named authority, so all of this describes our coverage rather than these additives. Most are common and low concern.
Ingredients
Pâtes cuites (32 %) (Semoule de blé dur (contient _Gluten_), Eau), _Lait_ demi-écrémé, Blanc de poulet cuit (10 %), Crème britannique (_Lait_) (8 % ) Eau, Fromage à pâte dure (_Lait_), Bacon fumé cuit (5 %) (Viande de porc (86 %), Sels de salaison (Sel, Conservateur: Nitrite de sodium) Eau Antioxydant : E301) Huile de colza, Fromage parmesan (_Lait_) Fécule de maïs, Jus de citron, Sel, Fromage regato (_Lait_), Persil, Farine de blé (contient _Gluten_), Purée d'ail, Ail, Fécule de pomme de terre, Stabilisant: Pectine, Poivre noir grossièrement moulu.
As printed on the pack, in the producer's own order: ingredients are listed by weight, so what comes first is most of what is in it. E numbers link to their assessment where we have one.