Bacon letuce and tomato
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
1 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
7.20g
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 (5)
This label lists 2 antioxidants, 2 emulsifiers and 1 preservative.
E251
Sodium nitrate
Preservative, cured meats and some cheeses
What it is. A curing agent that slowly converts to nitrite in the product, giving a longer acting preservative effect.
Why it is used. Used in dry cured meats and a few traditional cheeses.
What the evidence says. Sits under the same processed meat evidence as nitrite, since it ends up as nitrite in the food. Same practical takeaway: the issue is regular processed meat intake, not a trace in one meal.
Permitted with maximum levels, tightened in the EU alongside nitrite.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E251
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
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E472E Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters (DATEM) 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
and lettuce on malted bread british beechwood smoked bacon, tomatoes, seasoned mayonnaise malted bread (wheat flour [wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin], water, malted wheat flakes, wheat bran, yeast, wheat gluten, malted barley flour, malted wheat flour, spirit vinegar, emulsifiers: mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, mono - and diacetyl tartaric acid esters of mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, rapeseed oil, sugar, palm oil, flour treatment agent: ascorbic acid), 18% british beechwood smoked bacon (89% pork, water, salt, antioxidant: sodium ascorbate, preservative: sodium nitrate), 14% tomatoes, 11% seasoned mayonnaise (water, rapeseed oil, free range egg, cornflour, spirit vinegar, salt, mustard flour), 8% lettuce, allergy advice for allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold, lidl
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.