Campervan gingerbread cookie kit
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
18
1 we grade moderate or higher
11 of them not yet assessed here
Nutrients
–
Nothing above the low band
Or no figures recorded at all
Three separate readings, kept apart on purpose. This is not a score, and none of it says this product is harmful.
Additives (18)
This label lists 4 colours, 4 thickeners and gelling agents, 2 acidity regulators, 2 anticaking agents, 2 emulsifiers, 2 preservatives, 1 glazing agent and 1 raising agent.
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
E202
Potassium sorbate
Preservative
What it is. The potassium salt of sorbic acid, which stops mould and yeast growth.
Why it is used. Used in cheese, baked goods, dried fruit, wine and dressings.
What the evidence says. Widely used and long regarded as one of the gentler preservatives. EFSA's 2015 re-evaluation lowered the acceptable daily intake and noted gaps in the genotoxicity data, asking for more work, while finding no evidence of harm at the levels actually used.
Permitted with maximum levels. EFSA has asked for further data rather than restricted it.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E202
E211
Sodium benzoate
Preservative
What it is. A preservative that stops yeasts, moulds and some bacteria growing in acidic foods.
Why it is used. Used in soft drinks, sauces, pickles and dressings.
What the evidence says. EFSA re-evaluated it in 2016 and kept an acceptable daily intake, with normal exposure below it. The known issue is specific: in acidic drinks that also contain vitamin C, benzoate can form small amounts of benzene, so manufacturers reformulated to avoid the combination. It was also present in the drink mixes used in the Southampton hyperactivity study, though the warning requirement that followed applies to the colours rather than to benzoate.
Permitted with maximum levels in the foods where it is allowed.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E211
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
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
E100
Curcumin
Yellow colour
What it is. The yellow pigment from turmeric root.
Why it is used. Colours mustards, sauces, dairy, confectionery and savoury snacks.
What the evidence says. A plant pigment people have eaten as a spice for a very long time, and regulators treat it as safe with an acceptable daily intake. EFSA noted that children who eat a lot of the foods it is used in could approach that intake, which is a reason to watch total use rather than a sign of harm.
Permitted with maximum levels in the foods where it is allowed.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E100
E330
Citric acid
Acidity regulator
What it is. A mild acid found naturally in citrus fruit, made commercially by fermentation.
Why it is used. Adds tartness, balances flavour and helps preserve. One of the most used additives in food.
What the evidence says. Safe at food levels. No credible health concern for the additive itself.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E330
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E120 Cochineal, carminic acid, carmines colour
- E160C Paprika extract, capsanthin colour
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E406 Agar thickener
- E414 Acacia gum (gum arabic) thickener
- E435 Polysorbate 60 emulsifier
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E570 Fatty acids anticaking agent
- E572 Magnesium stearate anticaking agent
- E903 Carnauba wax glazing 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
gingerbread cookies 340g: wheatflour eniched (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), sugar, shortening (palm oil, mono and diglycerides of fatty acids, emulsifier: polysorbate 60), molasses, water, raising agent: sodium bicarbonate, cinnamon, salt, ginger, icing 227g: confectioners' sugar (sugar, corn starch*), water, sugar, corn* syrup, colour: titanium dioxide, salt, anti-caking agent: stearic acid, thickener: agar , preservative: potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, artificial flavouring, candy lights 28g: dextrose, corn starch, thickener: maltodextrin, anti-caking agent: magnesium stearate, colour: spirulina, paprika oleoresin, glazing agent: confectioner's glaze, gum arabic, carnauba wax, colour: curcumin, carrot juice, gumdrops 28g: sugar, corn syrup, pectin, colour: curcumin, paprika oleoresin, beet red, spirulina, titanium dioxide, acidity regulator: citric acid, sodium citrate, black icing pen 19,5g: sugar , water, corn syrup, modified corn starch, colour: spirulina, curcumins, cochineal, thickener: carrageenan, acidity regulator: citric acid, preservative: potassium sorbate, colour: paprika oleoresin, titanium dioxide, salt, red icing pen 19,5g: sugar, water, corn syrup, modified corn starch, colour: paprika oleoresin, thickener: carrageenan, acidity regulator: citric acid, preservative: potassium sorbate, colour: titanium dioxide, salt, *produced from genetically modified maize,
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.