Ham & Egg Tiger Roll
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
12
1 we grade moderate or higher
8 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
5.60g
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 (12)
This label lists 3 emulsifiers, 3 preservatives, 2 antioxidants, 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour, 1 additive and 1 raising agent.
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
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
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
- E170 Calcium carbonate colour
- E282 Calcium propionate preservative
- E290 Carbon dioxide other
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
- E472E Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters (DATEM) emulsifier
- E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate 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
Tiger Roll (_Wheat_ Flour, Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamine, Water, Yeast, Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, _Soya_ Flour, Dextrose, Rice Flour, Bread Crumbs (_Wheat_), E481, E471, E472e, E300, E290, E282, E170), Gammon Ham 22% (Pork, Water, Salt, Dextrose, E450, E451, Potato Starch, E301, E250), Egg Mayonnaise 22% (Free Range Hen _Egg_, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Vinegar, Free Range Pasteurised _Egg_, Salt), Salt, Ground Black Pepper, E202
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.