The Big Cheese
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
2
0 we grade moderate or higher
1 of them not yet assessed here
Saturates per 100g
5.70g
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 (2)
This label lists 2 colours.
E160A
Carotenes
Yellow to orange colour
What it is. The orange pigments found in carrots and other vegetables, either extracted or made synthetically.
Why it is used. Colours margarine, soft drinks, dairy, and sweets.
What the evidence says. The same compound the body turns into vitamin A, and safe at the levels used in food. High dose beta-carotene supplements have been linked to harm in smokers, but those doses are far above anything a colour in food delivers, and conflating the two is a common mistake.
Permitted. The supplement findings apply to concentrated doses, not to food colouring.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E160A
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E160C Paprika extract, capsanthin colour
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, Water, Mozzarella Cheese (Milk), Tomato Purée, Red Cheddar Cheese (Cheddar Cheese (Milk), Colour: Carotenes), Cheddar Cheese (Milk), Palm Oil, Yeast, Sugar, Rapeseed Oil, Maize Starch, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt, Garlic Oil (Rapeseed Oil, Garlic Purée, Palm Oil, Salt, Parsley), Rice Flour, Paprika, Yeast Extract, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper, White Pepper, Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Ginger, Oregano, Paprika Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Basil.
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.