Battenberg
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
13
0 we grade moderate or higher
9 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100g
53.90g
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 (13)
This label lists 4 acidity regulators, 2 colours, 2 thickeners and gelling agents, 1 emulsifier, 1 additive, 1 preservative and 1 raising agent. 1 more we cannot place from the code alone.
E202
Potassium sorbate
Preservative
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.
Permitted with maximum levels. EFSA has asked for further data rather than restricted it.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E202
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
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
E330
Citric acid
Acidity regulator
What it is. A mild acid found naturally in citrus fruit, made commercially by fermentation.
Why it is used. Adds tartness, balances flavour and helps preserve. One of the most used additives in food.
What the evidence says. Safe at food levels. No credible health concern for the additive itself.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E330
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E120 Cochineal, carminic acid, carmines colour
- E160B Annatto, bixin, norbixin colour
- E260 Acetic acid acidity regulator
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E334 Tartaric acid acidity regulator
- E422 Glycerol other
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E541 No entry in our register
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
Sugar, Water, Icing Sugar, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Vegetable Oils (Rapeseed, Palm), Apricot Filling (Glucose-Fructose Syrup, Apricot Purée, Sugar, Water, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Citrates), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate)), Soya Flour, Glucose Syrup, Humectant (Vegetable Glycerine), Skimmed Milk Powder, Ground Almonds, Dried Egg White, Dextrose, Rice Flour, Raising Agents (Sodium Aluminium Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate), Emulsifier (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Salt, Acids (Tartaric Acid, Acetic Acid), Gelling Agent (Carrageenan), Flavouring, Colours (Carmine, Annatto Norbixin).
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.