Cup A Soup Chicken
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
25.07g
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 colour 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
E160A
Carotenes
Yellow to orange colour
What it is. The orange pigments found in carrots and other vegetables, either extracted or made synthetically.
Why it is used. Colours margarine, soft drinks, dairy, and sweets.
What the evidence says. The same compound the body turns into vitamin A, and safe at the levels used in food. High dose beta-carotene supplements have been linked to harm in smokers, but those doses are far above anything a colour in food delivers, and conflating the two is a common mistake.
Permitted. The supplement findings apply to concentrated doses, not to food colouring.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E160A
Ingredients
water, glucose syrup, onion, potato starch, maize starch, chicken (1%), palm oil, salt, flavourings, milk protein, parsley, emulsifier (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), sea salt, sage extract, turmeric, colour (beta-carotene), allergy advice: for allergens, see ingredients in bold, may also contain celery, soya and wheat, chicken
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.