Pasta n Sauce - Cheese & Pancetta
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
7
2 we grade moderate or higher
3 of them not yet assessed here
Nutrients
–
Nothing above the low band
Or no figures recorded at all
Three separate readings, kept apart on purpose. This is not a score, and none of it says this product is harmful.
Additives (7)
This label lists 3 acidity regulators, 2 antioxidants, 1 emulsifier and 1 preservative.
E250
Sodium nitrite
Preservative and colour fixer, cured meats
What it is. A curing salt that keeps cured and processed meats pink and stops the growth of the bacteria behind botulism.
Why it is used. Used in bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs for preservation, safety and colour.
What the evidence says. The concern is not the additive in isolation but processed meat as a whole, which the WHO's cancer agency IARC classes as Group 1, meaning there is sufficient evidence it causes colorectal cancer. Nitrite can form nitrosamines during curing and cooking, and those are the likely culprit. Risk rises with how much processed meat you eat over time.
Permitted with strict maximum levels. The EU cut the allowed limits further from 2023 to reduce nitrosamine formation.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E250
E320
BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole)
Antioxidant
What it is. A synthetic antioxidant that stops fats and oils going rancid.
Why it is used. Used in some fatty foods, snacks and chewing gum.
What the evidence says. IARC lists it as possibly carcinogenic based mainly on high dose animal studies. Human relevance at food levels is uncertain, and it is used in small amounts, but it is one to watch rather than dismiss.
Permitted with limits. Its use has declined as makers switch to natural antioxidants like vitamin E.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA. Full entry for E320
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
- E310 Propyl gallate antioxidant
- E340 Potassium phosphates acidity regulator
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
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
Pasta Tubes 72% (Durum _Wheat_ Semolina, _Wheat_ Flour), _Wheat_ Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Cheese Powder 5% (_Milk_), Vegetable Oils (Palm, Sunflower), Yeast Extract, Dried Glucose Syrup, Flavourings (contain _Milk_), Salt, Emulsifiers (Pentasodium triphosphate, Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Dried Pork 1% (Pork, Palm Oil, Salt, Glucose Syrup, Antioxidants (Butylated Hydroxyanisole, Citric Acid, Propyl Gallate), Preservative (Sodium Nitrite)), Cream Powder (_Milk_), Toasted Garlic, _Milk_ Protein, Smoke Flavourings, Acid (Citric Acid), Stabiliser (Dipotassium Phosphate), Black Pepper Extract
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.