Custard Doughnuts
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
10
1 we grade moderate or higher
6 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100g
15.30g
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 (10)
This label lists 2 colours, 2 raising agents, 2 thickeners and gelling agents, 1 acidity regulator, 1 antioxidant, 1 emulsifier and 1 preservative.
E171
Titanium dioxide
Whitener and opacifier
What it is. A bright white pigment used to make sweets, icing, sauces and coatings look opaque and white.
Why it is used. Purely cosmetic. It changes appearance, not taste or safety of the food.
What the evidence says. In 2021 the EU food safety body EFSA concluded it could no longer be considered safe as a food additive, mainly because possible genetic damage from the tiny particles could not be ruled out. That is a precautionary call rather than proof of harm in people.
Banned as a food additive in the EU since 2022. Still permitted in the UK and the US, which reached different conclusions on the same evidence. A clear case of the same additive, different rules.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA, US FDA. Full entry for E171
E466
Carboxymethyl cellulose
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A modified plant fibre used to thicken and stabilise.
Why it is used. Common in ice cream, low fat products, gluten free bakery and sauces.
What the evidence says. Falls in the same emulsifier and gut research bucket as polysorbate 80, with early human work hinting at effects on the microbiome. Interesting, not conclusive.
Permitted with limits.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E466
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
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
- E200 Sorbic acid preservative
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E472E Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters (DATEM) emulsifier
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E575 Glucono-delta-lactone acidity regulator
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
Fortified British Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Sugar, Vanilla Flavour Filling (24%) (Water, Sugar. Glucose Syrup. Maize Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Gelling Agent: Pectin, Salt, Colours: Titanium Dioxide, Mixed Carotenes; Flavouring, Acidity Regulator: Glucono-delta-lactone; Emulsifier: Sorbitan Yeast, Emulsifiers: Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Monostearate; Preservative: Sorbic Acid), Rapeseed Oil, Acids, Mono - and Diacetyl Tartaric Acid Esters of Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids; Wheat Fibre. Raising Agents: Disodium Diphosphate, Sodium Hydrogen Carbonate; Stabiliser: Carboxymethylcellulose: Salt, Flavouring, Flour Treatment Agent: Ascorbic Acid.
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.