Waitrose Apple and Mango Squash

Name: Waitrose Apple and Mango Squash
Brand: Waitrose

Waitrose

5000169202821

Processing

Ultra-processed

Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale

Additives listed

0 we grade moderate or higher

3 of them not yet assessed here

Sugars per 100ml

25.61g

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 (5)

This label lists 2 preservatives, 1 acidity regulator, 1 antioxidant and 1 thickener or gelling agent.

E202 Potassium sorbate
Preservative Low moderate evidence

What it is. The potassium salt of sorbic acid, which stops mould and yeast growth.

Why it is used. Used in cheese, baked goods, dried fruit, wine and dressings.

What the evidence says. Widely used and long regarded as one of the gentler preservatives. EFSA's 2015 re-evaluation lowered the acceptable daily intake and noted gaps in the genotoxicity data, asking for more work, while finding no evidence of harm at the levels actually used.

Regulatory status UK Permitted EU Permitted US Permitted

Permitted with maximum levels. EFSA has asked for further data rather than restricted it.

Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E202

E300 Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Antioxidant No real concern strong evidence

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.

Regulatory status UK Permitted EU Permitted US Permitted

Permitted freely, no concern.

Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E300

Also on the label, not assessed here yet

E223 Sodium metabisulphite preservative
E296 Malic acid acidity regulator
E440 Pectin thickener

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

Apple juice from concentrate (40%), water, sugar, mango purée (10%), malic acid, flavourings, preservatives (potassium sorbate, sodium metabisulphite), antioxidant (ascorbic acid), stabiliser (pectin)

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.

Processing level

NOVA group 4: Ultra-processed

Industrial formulations with additives, isolates and ingredients you would not cook with at home. The strongest modern evidence links high intake of these to poorer health outcomes.

Nutrients per 100ml

Fat

0.08g

Low

Saturates

0.02g

Low

Sugars

25.61g

High

Salt

0.01g

Low

These figures are estimated from the ingredients rather than read off the packaging, so treat the bands as approximate. The pack is the authority.

Judged on the UK FSA thresholds for drinks, which are stricter than the ones for solid foods. A dash means the source has no figure, which is not the same as a low one.

Where this came from

Product data from Open Food Facts, which is crowd sourced and can be incomplete or out of date. Photograph from the same source, under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike licence. Our copy is from 17 August 2026: Open Food Facts is checked every night, and a product is rewritten only when its record there has changed, so an older date means the source has not moved rather than that we stopped looking. Something wrong? Correcting it at the source fixes it here and everywhere else that uses the same data. If the problem is one of our additive assessments, tell us.

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