Cajun chicken and chorizo pasta
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
4
1 we grade moderate or higher
3 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
6.25g
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 1 antioxidant, 1 colour, 1 preservative and 1 raising agent.
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
- E160C Paprika extract, capsanthin colour
- E301 Sodium ascorbate antioxidant
- E450 Diphosphates 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
Pre-heat oven Fan 190°C/Gas 6. Remove outer packaging and pierce film lid several times. Place on a baking tray near the middle of the oven. 30 minutes into cooking time, stir, return to oven for a further 10 minutes. Stand for 1 minute, stir before serving OVEN from frozen: COOKED PENNE PASTA (34%) (WATER, DURUM WHEAT SEMOLINA), COOKED SEARED CHICKEN STRIPS (15%) (CHICKEN BREAST (97%), WATER, CHICKEN BOUILLON (SUGAR, TAPIOCA STARCH, YEAST EXTRACT, SALT, CHICKEN POWDER, GARLIC POWDER, SUNFLOWER OIL, ONION POWDER, DRIED PARSLEY, WHITE PEPPER, FLAVOURING), MODIFIED TAPIOCA STARCH, SALT, SMOKE FLAVOURING), SINGLE CREAM (MILK) (12%), WATER, MATURE CHEDDAR CHEESE (MILK) (5%), DICED CHORIZO (4%) (PORK, PORK FAT, SALT, DEXTROSE, CHILLI POWDER, FLAVOURINGS, GARLIC POWDER, GROUND SAGE, SMOKED PAPRIKA, WHITE VINEGAR, STABILISER: DIPHOSPHATES; LACTIC STARTER CULTURE, ANTIOXIDANT: SODIUM ASCORBATE: PRESERVATIVE: SODIUM NITRITE; PAPRIKA), WHITE WINE, GREEN PEPPER, GRILLED RED PEPPER, GRILLED YELLOW PEPPER MEDIUM FAT HARD CHEESE (MILK) (1.5%), MODIFIED MAIZE STARCH, GARLIC PURÉE, CAJUN SPICE (PAPRIKA, SALT, CHILLI POWDER, GROUND BLACK PEPPER, GARLIC GRANULES, MUSTARD POWDER, ONION POWDER, TURMERIC POWDER, GROUND CORIANDER, DRIED THYME, DRIED OREGANO, DRIED SAGE), WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, PARSLEY, LEMON JUICE, LEMON ZEST, CHICKEN STOCK (CONCENTRATED CHICKEN EXTRACT, WATER, CHICKEN STOCK, YEAST EXTRACT (CONTAINS BARLEY), SALT), YEAST EXTRACT (CONTAINS BARLEY), COLOUR: PAPRIKA EXTRACT. ALLERGY ADVICE:
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.