Chicken carbonara
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
4
0 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Salt per 100g
0.60g
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 (4)
This label lists 2 antioxidants, 1 acidity regulator and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
E407
Carrageenan
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A gel forming fibre extracted from red seaweed.
Why it is used. Thickens dairy, plant milks, desserts and some processed meats.
What the evidence says. Food grade carrageenan is permitted. A degraded form called poligeenan is harmful, but that is not what goes into food. Some lab and animal work links carrageenan to gut inflammation, which keeps it under review, but human evidence is limited and mixed.
Permitted, including in organic food in many places, though a few specialist products avoid it as a precaution.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E407
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
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- 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
Cooked spaghetti (27%) (water, durum _wheat_ semolina), cooked seared chicken strips (16%) (chicken breast (97%), water, chicken bouillon (sugar, tapioca starch, spices, chicken powder (chicken, flavouring), yeast extract, salt, sunflower oil, dried parsley), modified tapioca starch, salt, smoke flavouring), water, mushrooms (11%), quark (skimmed _milk_ soft cheese), cooked smoke flavour pork (5%) (pork loin (82%), water, salt, stabilisers (triphosphates, carrageenan, sodium carbonates), antioxidants (sodium ascorbate, ascorbic acid), smoke flavouring), spinach (4.5%), cauliflower, cannellini beans, onion purée, garlic purée, spices (contain _mustard_), maize starch, yeast extract (contains _barley_), salt, flavourings, herb.
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.