Cheese He Party Deal Cheese & Bacon Potato Skins P
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
2
1 we grade moderate or higher
Counted from the label, not by quantity
Fat per 100g
7.30g
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 (2)
This label lists 1 colour and 1 preservative.
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
E160A
Carotenes
Yellow to orange colour
What it is. The orange pigments found in carrots and other vegetables, either extracted or made synthetically.
Why it is used. Colours margarine, soft drinks, dairy, and sweets.
What the evidence says. The same compound the body turns into vitamin A, and safe at the levels used in food. High dose beta-carotene supplements have been linked to harm in smokers, but those doses are far above anything a colour in food delivers, and conflating the two is a common mistake.
Permitted. The supplement findings apply to concentrated doses, not to food colouring.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E160A
Ingredients
Potato, Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese (10%) (Cows' Milk), Red Leicester Cheese (6%) (Cows' Milk, Colour: Beta-carotene), Semi Skimmed Cows' Milk, British Reformed Smoked Bacon (6%) (Pork, Water, Salt, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), Mature Cheddar Cheese (3%) (Cows' Milk), Single Cream (Cows' Milk), Rapeseed Oil, Full Fat Soft Cheese (1.5%) (Cows' Milk), Maize Starch, Potato Flakes, Sugar. Allergy advice:
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.