Ham and Cheese Tortelloni
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
1 we grade moderate or higher
3 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
7.40g
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 3 preservatives, 1 antioxidant 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
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E1105 Lysozyme preservative
- E252 Potassium nitrate preservative
- E301 Sodium ascorbate 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
Wheat Flour, 12% Egg, Ricotta Cheese (Milk), Durum Wheat Semolina, 8% Hard Cheese (Milk), Water, 4.5% Cooked Ham (80% Pork, Water, Salt, Potato Starch, Dextrose, Natural Flavouring, Stabiliser: Carrageenan; Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate; Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), Bacon (93% Pork Belly, Salt, Dextrose, Spices, Natural Flavouring, Antioxidant: Sodium Ascorbate; Preservatives: Sodium Nitrite, Potassium Nitrate), Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour, Salt, Yeast), Whey Powder (Milk), Sunflower Oil, 1% Grana Padano Cheese P.D.O (Grana Padano Cheese (Milk), Preservative: Lysozyme (Egg)), Vegetable Fibre (Bamboo, Psyllium), Salt, Garlic, Black Pepper, Nutmeg.
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.