12 mini pies
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
4
1 we grade moderate or higher
3 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
18.80g
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 (4)
This label lists 1 acidity regulator, 1 antioxidant, 1 preservative 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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E301 Sodium ascorbate 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
Mini shortcrust pastry pies filled with pieces of roast British chicken and reformed smoked British ham in a cream and white wine sauce, topped with a shortcrust pastry lid Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Palm Oil, 13% Roast British Chicken, Water, 5% Smoked British Ham (87% Pork, Water, Salt, Stabilisers: Triphosphates, Diphosphates; Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate; Sugar, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), Single Cream (Milk), Rapeseed Oil, White Wine, Onion, Egg, Cornflour, Honey, White Wine Vinegar, Salt, Chicken Stock (Dried Chicken, Yeast Extract, Salt, Chicken Fat, Water, Dried Leek, Dried Onion, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Natural Black Pepper Flavouring, Sage Extract, Canola Oil), Mustard Seeds, Garlic Purée, Mustard Flour, Mustard Bran, Dried Garlic, Ground White Pepper, Allspice, Fenugreek, Ground Black Pepper. Mini shortcrust pastry pies filled with diced British beef steak in a savoury ale sauce, topped with a shortcrust pastry lid Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), 21% British Beef Steak, Palm Oil, 4.5% Black Sheep Ale® (contains Barley, Wheat), Rapeseed Oil, Cornflour, Onion, Egg, Beef Dripping, Honey, Roast Beef Stock (Roast Beef, Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Salt, Tomato Paste, Molasses, Concentrated Lemon Juice, Dried Onion), Barley Malt Extract, Barley Malt Vinegar, Black Treacle, Ground Black Pepper, Tamarind Paste, Dried Garlic, Ground White Pepper, Ground Pimento, Ground Ginger, Ground Paprika, Ground Clove. Allergy Advice For allergens, see ingredients in bold.
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.