Wetherspoon's - 10" Small Cold Chicken & Sweet Chilli Sauce Wrap
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
9
0 we grade moderate or higher
5 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 (9)
This label lists 3 acidity regulators, 2 raising agents, 2 thickeners and gelling agents, 1 preservative and 1 sweetener.
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
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
E955
Sucralose
Artificial sweetener
What it is. An intense sweetener made from sugar, around 600 times sweeter, so it is used in very small amounts.
Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, dairy and baked goods.
What the evidence says. Regulators have treated it as safe for decades and the acceptable daily intake has not changed. Newer laboratory work on a breakdown product, and the general question of sweeteners and the gut microbiome, keep it under discussion, but that work is early and has not moved any official position.
Permitted with an acceptable daily intake in all three regions.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E955
E415
Xanthan gum
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A fibre made by fermenting sugars with a bacterium, which thickens liquids at very low doses.
Why it is used. Thickens sauces and dressings and gives structure to gluten free baking.
What the evidence says. Passes through largely undigested and is treated as safe by regulators, with no numerical intake limit. Very large amounts act as fibre does, which is a digestive effect rather than a safety one.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E415
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E260 Acetic acid acidity regulator
- E296 Malic acid acidity regulator
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
- 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
10" Bar Marked Wrap(_Wheat_ Flour 61%(_Wheat_ Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Water, Vegetable Oils 7%(Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil), Sugar, Raising Agents(Sodium Bicarbonate, Diphosphates), Acidity Regulator(Malic Acid), Salt), Chicken Breast(Chicken Breast 96%, Water, Dextrose, Soya Bean Oil, Thickener(E407), Salt, Stabiliser(E451i), Salad Mix(Green Batavia, Baby Spinach, Red Salanova, Bulls Blood Chard), Sweet Chilli(Water, Sugar, Thickener(Modified Maize Starch),Red Pepper, Acidity Regulator(Acetic Acid), Salt, Spices, Garlic Powder, Chilli Flakes 0.5%,Stabiliser(Xanthan Gum), Preservative(Potassium Sorbate), Sweetener(Sucralose))
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.