Tiramisu
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
6
0 we grade moderate or higher
3 of them not yet assessed here
Saturates per 100g
8.60g
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 (6)
This label lists 2 raising agents, 1 carrier, 1 emulsifier, 1 sweetener and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
E407
Carrageenan
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A gel forming fibre extracted from red seaweed.
Why it is used. Thickens dairy, plant milks, desserts and some processed meats.
What the evidence says. Food grade carrageenan is permitted. A degraded form called poligeenan is harmful, but that is not what goes into food. Some lab and animal work links carrageenan to gut inflammation, which keeps it under review, but human evidence is limited and mixed.
Permitted, including in organic food in many places, though a few specialist products avoid it as a precaution.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E407
E420
Sorbitol
Sweetener and humectant
What it is. A sugar alcohol, about half as sweet as sugar, which also holds moisture.
Why it is used. Used in sugar free sweets and gum, and to keep baked goods soft.
What the evidence says. Not a toxicity question at all. Sugar alcohols are poorly absorbed, so a large amount draws water into the gut and has a laxative effect. That is well established, predictable and dose dependent, which is why the label has to say so.
Permitted. Foods with more than 10 per cent polyols must carry the statement that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E420
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E1510 Ethanol carrier
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
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
Reconstituted Skimmed Cows' Milk Powder (Water, Skimmed Cows' Milk Powder), Glucose Syrup, Water, Mascarpone Cheese (Cows' Milk) (7%), Sponge Biscuit (7%) (Pasteurised Free Range Egg, Wheat Flour, Sugar, Dextrose, Emulsifier: Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Raising Agents: Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate), Sugar, Coconut Oil, Skimmed Cows' Milk Powder, Pasteurised Free Range Egg Yolk, Ethanol, Marsala Wine (1.5%), Stabiliser: Sorbitols; Cocoa Powder, Citrus Fibre, Coffee Powder, Thickener: Carrageenan; Emulsifier: Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Flavourings (Egg, Milk), Coffee Extract.
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.