Beef Lasagne with beef and merlot ragu sauce
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
7
1 we grade moderate or higher
5 of them not yet assessed here
Saturates per 100g
5.80g
High
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 (7)
This label lists 2 acidity regulators, 2 antioxidants, 1 preservative, 1 raising agent and 1 thickener or gelling 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
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
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E392 Extracts of rosemary antioxidant
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates 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
British beef lasagne made sauc free range egg pasta and finished with Cheddar cheese topping Ingredients Beef (30%), Fresh Pasta Sheets (15%) (Durum Wheat Semolina, Water, Free Range Powdered Whole Egg), Water, Milk, Red Wine (6%), Tomato Puree, Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese (Milk) (3%), Tomatoes, Smoke Flavour Pancetta With Added Water (2.5%) (Pork, Water, Potato Starch, Salt, Demerara Sugar, Sugar, Stabilisers: Triphosphates, Diphosphates; Maltodextrin, Smoke Flavouring, Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), Modified Maize Starch, Medium Fat Hard Cheese (Milk) (2%), Cream (Milk), Vegetables (Carrot, Celery, Onion), Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Butter (Milk), Garlic Puree, Beef Stock [Beef Stock, Yeast Extract (Yeast Extract, Salt), Water, Salt, Lemon Juice, Beef Fat, Anti-oxidant: Extract of Rosemary], Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena (Wine Vinegar, Concentrated Grape Must), Salt, English Mustard [Water, Mustard Flour, Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Salt, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Niacin Iron, Thiamin), Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Turmeric Powder, Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum)], Sugar, Red Wine Concentrate, Ground Black Pepper, Dried Thyme, Ground Bay, Thyme, Smoke Flavour, Ground White Pepper, Ground Nutmeg. Allergy Advice for allergens including Cereals containing Gluten, see
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.