4 Richly Fruited Hot Cross Buns
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
2
0 we grade moderate or higher
Counted from the label, not by quantity
Sugars per 100g
26.60g
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 1 antioxidant and 1 emulsifier.
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
Ingredients
Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), soaked sultanas (19%) (sultanas, water), water, soaked raisins (7%) (raisins, water), yeast, currants (4%), Chilean flame raisins (3%) (Chilean flame raisins, water), pasteurised free range egg, mixed peel (orange peel, lemon peel), unsalted butter (milk), sugar, invert sugar syrup, wheat gluten, salt, potato starch, emulsifier (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), mixed spices, rapeseed oil, palm fat (certified sustainable), flavouring, flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid)
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.