BLT on malted bread
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
1 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
7.20g
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 (5)
This label lists 2 emulsifiers, 1 acidity regulator, 1 antioxidant 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
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
E300
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
Antioxidant
What it is. Vitamin C, added to protect colour and flavour and sometimes to fortify.
Why it is used. Stops browning in juices and cut fruit, protects fats, and boosts vitamin content.
What the evidence says. Beneficial and harmless at the levels used. Included here as a reminder that an E number is just a code, and plenty of them are ordinary nutrients.
Permitted freely, no concern.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E300
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E339 Sodium phosphates acidity regulator
- E472E Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters (DATEM) emulsifier
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
Wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium, folic acid, iron, niacin, thiamin), Tomato (19%), Water, Sweetcure smoked bacon (16%) (pork belly, sugar, salt, smoked water, emulsifier (sodium phosphates), honey, preservative (sodium nitrite)), Lettuce (8%), Malted wheat flakes, Rapeseed oil, Wheat bran, Wheat protein, Yeast, Cornflour, Malted barley flour, Salt, Spirit vinegar, Emulsifiers (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, mono - and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids), Egg yolk, Malted wheat flour, Black pepper, Sugar, White wine vinegar, Concentrated lemon juice, Mustard seed, Flour treatment agent (ascorbic acid), Wheat flour, Wheat starch.
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.