Macaroni Cheese

Name: Macaroni Cheese
Brand: Marks & Spencer

Marks & Spencer

29148011

Processing

Ultra-processed

Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale

Additives listed

1 we grade moderate or higher

1 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 (3)

This label lists 2 antioxidants and 1 acidity regulator.

E320 BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
Antioxidant Moderate limited evidence

What it is. A synthetic antioxidant that stops fats and oils going rancid.

Why it is used. Used in some fatty foods, snacks and chewing gum.

What the evidence says. IARC lists it as possibly carcinogenic based mainly on high dose animal studies. Human relevance at food levels is uncertain, and it is used in small amounts, but it is one to watch rather than dismiss.

Regulatory status UK Permitted with limits or a warning EU Permitted with limits or a warning US Permitted

Permitted with limits. Its use has declined as makers switch to natural antioxidants like vitamin E.

Assessed against IARC, EFSA. Full entry for E320

E330 Citric acid
Acidity regulator No real concern strong evidence

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.

Regulatory status UK Permitted EU Permitted US Permitted

Permitted freely.

Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E330

Also on the label, not assessed here yet

E310 Propyl gallate antioxidant

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

pork, mechanically separated turkey, water, salt, corn syrup solids, spices, dextrose, sugar, natural flavorings, bha, propyl gallate, citric 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.

Processing level

NOVA group 4: Ultra-processed

Industrial formulations with additives, isolates and ingredients you would not cook with at home. The strongest modern evidence links high intake of these to poorer health outcomes.

Nutrients per 100g

Fat

–

No data

Saturates

–

No data

Sugars

–

No data

Salt

–

No data

Judged on the UK FSA front of pack thresholds for solid foods. A dash means the source has no figure, which is not the same as a low one.

Where this came from

Product data from Open Food Facts, which is crowd sourced and can be incomplete or out of date. Photograph from the same source, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike licence. Our copy is from 17 August 2026: Open Food Facts is checked every night, and a product is rewritten only when its record there has changed, so an older date means the source has not moved rather than that we stopped looking. Something wrong? Correcting it at the source fixes it here and everywhere else that uses the same data. If the problem is one of our additive assessments, tell us.

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