Strawberry trifle
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
12
0 we grade moderate or higher
9 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100g
13.40g
Medium
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 (12)
This label lists 4 acidity regulators, 3 thickeners and gelling agents, 2 colours, 2 emulsifiers and 1 raising agent.
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
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
- E163 Anthocyanins colour
- E327 Calcium lactate acidity regulator
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E406 Agar thickener
- E410 Locust bean gum thickener
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids emulsifier
- E501 Potassium carbonates 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
Water, Cream (Milk), Strawberry, Milk, Skimmed Milk, Sugar, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Stabilisers (Modified Maize Starch, Carob Gum, Pectin, Agar), Pasteurised Egg, Dextrose, Fruit Concentrates (Apple Concentrate, Raspberry Concentrate, Lemon Concentrate, Elderberry Concentrate), Dried Skimmed Milk, Milk Proteins, Flavouring, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Potassium Bicarbonate), Acidity Regulators (Citric Acid, Trisodium Citrate, Calcium Lactate), Colours (Anthocyanins, Mixed Carotenes), Gelling Agent (Carob Gum), Sucrose, Emulsifiers (Polyglycerol Esters of Fatty Acids, Mono - and Di-Glycerides of Fatty Acids). Also, may contain nuts.
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.