Chicken in White Sauce
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
1
1 we grade moderate or higher
Counted from the label, not by quantity
Salt per 100g
0.53g
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 (1)
This label lists 1 colour.
E171
Titanium dioxide
Whitener and opacifier
What it is. A bright white pigment used to make sweets, icing, sauces and coatings look opaque and white.
Why it is used. Purely cosmetic. It changes appearance, not taste or safety of the food.
What the evidence says. In 2021 the EU food safety body EFSA concluded it could no longer be considered safe as a food additive, mainly because possible genetic damage from the tiny particles could not be ruled out. That is a precautionary call rather than proof of harm in people.
Banned as a food additive in the EU since 2022. Still permitted in the UK and the US, which reached different conclusions on the same evidence. A clear case of the same additive, different rules.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA, US FDA. Full entry for E171
Ingredients
Water, COOKED CHICKEN (44%), Modified Maize Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Wheat Flour (Wheat Four Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour: Titanium Dioxide; Onion Powder, White pepper.
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.