Prawn cocktail Quavers
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
4
0 we grade moderate or higher
1 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
28.60g
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 (4)
This label lists 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour, 1 flavour enhancer and 1 sweetener.
E955
Sucralose
Artificial sweetener
What it is. An intense sweetener made from sugar, around 600 times sweeter, so it is used in very small amounts.
Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, dairy and baked goods.
What the evidence says. Regulators have treated it as safe for decades and the acceptable daily intake has not changed. Newer laboratory work on a breakdown product, and the general question of sweeteners and the gut microbiome, keep it under discussion, but that work is early and has not moved any official position.
Permitted with an acceptable daily intake in all three regions.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E955
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
E621
Monosodium glutamate
Flavour enhancer
What it is. The sodium salt of glutamate, an amino acid found naturally in tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms.
Why it is used. Boosts savoury, umami flavour in stocks, crisps, ready meals and sauces.
What the evidence says. The old idea of MSG causing headaches and flushing, once called Chinese restaurant syndrome, has not held up in controlled trials. Regulators worldwide treat it as safe at normal intake. A genuinely useful example of a feared additive that the evidence exonerates.
Permitted and classed as safe. Adds to total sodium, so it counts towards salt if a product uses a lot.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA, US FDA. Full entry for E621
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
Potato Starch, Sunflower Oil, Prawn Cocktel Flavour [Com (Maize), Flavouring, Sugar, Slt, Dextrose, Potassium Chloride, Acid (Citric acid), Onion powder, Tomato powder, Colour (Paprika extract), Sweetener (Sucralose)], Rice Flour, Soya Flour, Salt, Yeast, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium glutamate), Onion Powder (Ma Flour from Barley), Pepper, Wheat flour (contains Calci Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (Annatto Norbòin).
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.