Chicken and bacon caesar
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
6
1 we grade moderate or higher
5 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
9.70g
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 (6)
This label lists 2 acidity regulators, 2 preservatives and 2 raising agents.
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E1105 Lysozyme preservative
- E296 Malic acid acidity regulator
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
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
Fortified wheat flour (wheat flour, iron, thiamin, nicotinic acid, calcium carbonate), Cooked chicken (22%) (chicken breast, rice starch, salt), Water, Caesar dressing (8%) (rapeseed oil, water, pasteurised liquid whole egg, medium fat hard cheese (milk), white wine vinegar, garlic purée, red wine vinegar, concentrated lemon juice, cornflour, herbs, salt, sugar, anchovy (fish), mustard seed, sunflower oil, black pepper, mustard flour, spirit vinegar), Lettuce, Smoke flavoured bacon (5%) (pork belly, sugar, salt, emulsifier (triphosphates), smoke flavouring, honey, preservative (sodium nitrite)), Vegetable oil (rapeseed, palm), Grana Padano cheese (cheese (milk), preservative (egg lysozyme)), Sugar, Cornflour, Spirit vinegar, Raising agents (sodium carbonates, diphosphates), Acidity regulator (malic acid), Pasteurised liquid egg yolk, White wine vinegar, Concentrated lemon juice, Salt, Mustard seed, Wheat starch. ALLERGY ADVICE For allergens, including cereals containing gluten, see ingredients in bold. May also contain nuts and sesame seed. Warning Based on public health advice pregnant women should avoid eating this product. Although every care has been taken to remove all bones, some may remain.
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.