The Club Sandwich
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
6
2 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
10.30g
Medium
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 (6)
This label lists 2 antioxidants, 2 emulsifiers and 2 preservatives.
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
E251
Sodium nitrate
Preservative, cured meats and some cheeses
What it is. A curing agent that slowly converts to nitrite in the product, giving a longer acting preservative effect.
Why it is used. Used in dry cured meats and a few traditional cheeses.
What the evidence says. Sits under the same processed meat evidence as nitrite, since it ends up as nitrite in the food. Same practical takeaway: the issue is regular processed meat intake, not a trace in one meal.
Permitted with maximum levels, tightened in the EU alongside nitrite.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E251
E471
Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
Emulsifier
What it is. Fat derived emulsifiers, closely related to ordinary dietary fats.
Why it is used. One of the most used additives in food: bread, margarine, ice cream, cakes and sauces.
What the evidence says. The body handles these much as it handles other fats, and EFSA's re-evaluation raised no safety concern at the levels used. They sit in the same broad emulsifier and gut microbiome research question as the others, which remains unsettled.
Permitted without a numerical limit. The fat source is not always stated, which matters for some diets rather than for safety.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E471
E300
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Antioxidant
What it is. Vitamin C, added to protect colour and flavour and sometimes to fortify.
Why it is used. Stops browning in juices and cut fruit, protects fats, and boosts vitamin content.
What the evidence says. Beneficial and harmless at the levels used. Included here as a reminder that an E number is just a code, and plenty of them are ordinary nutrients.
Permitted freely, no concern.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E300
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E472E Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters (DATEM) emulsifier
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
Wheatflour* · Water · Roast Chicken Breast (13%) · Tomatoes (12%) · Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (6%) · Cucumber · Smoked British Bacon (4.5%) (Pork Belly (made with 185g of Raw Pork per 100g of Smoked Bacon) · Curing Salt (Salt · Preservative: Sodium Nitrite, Sodium Nitrate) · Sugar · Natural Flavouring · Antioxidant: E301) · Lettuce · Rapeseed Oil · Oatmeal · Butter (Milk) · Wheat Bran · Cornflour · Chicken Stock (Water · Chicken Bones · Seaweed · Yeast Extract · Shiitake Mushrooms · Chicken Skin · Salt · Sugar) · Salt · Pasteurised Egg Yolk · Yeast (Yeast · Vitamin D Yeast) · Vinegar · Pasteurised Egg · Dried Fermented Wheatflour · Emulsifier: E471, E472e · Concentrated Lemon Juice · Wheat Gluten · Potato Starch · Malted Barley Flour · Palm Oil · Sugar · Mustard Seeds · Dried Mustard · Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) · Palm Fat. *Fortified with Calcium, Iron, Vitamins B3, B1 and Folic Acid. May contain bones. For allergens, including cereals containing Gluten, see ingredients in bold.
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.