Cake
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
11
0 we grade moderate or higher
7 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100g
52.55g
High
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 (11)
This label lists 3 acidity regulators, 2 emulsifiers, 2 raising agents, 2 thickeners and gelling agents, 1 additive and 1 preservative.
E202
Potassium sorbate
Preservative
What it is. The potassium salt of sorbic acid, which stops mould and yeast growth.
Why it is used. Used in cheese, baked goods, dried fruit, wine and dressings.
What the evidence says. Widely used and long regarded as one of the gentler preservatives. EFSA's 2015 re-evaluation lowered the acceptable daily intake and noted gaps in the genotoxicity data, asking for more work, while finding no evidence of harm at the levels actually used.
Permitted with maximum levels. EFSA has asked for further data rather than restricted it.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E202
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
E322
Lecithin
Emulsifier
What it is. A natural emulsifier, usually from soya or sunflower.
Why it is used. Keeps chocolate smooth and stops ingredients separating.
What the evidence says. Safe and widely used. Only relevant if the source, such as soya, is an allergen for you.
Permitted freely. Source allergen must be declared.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E322
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
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E414 Acacia gum (gum arabic) thickener
- E422 Glycerol other
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- 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
sugar, wheat flour (wheat flour, calcium carbonate, iron, niacin, thiamin), white chocolate (9%) (sugar, cocoa butter, dried whole milk, dried skimmed milk emulsifier (soya lecithins), flavouring), rapeseed oil, butter (milk), egg glucose-fructose syrup, raspberry purée, invert sugar syrup, whipping cream (milk), glucose syrup, maize starch, humectant (glycerol), raising agents (diphosphates, potassium carbonate, sodium carbonates), wheat starch, preservative (potassium sorbate), emulsifiers (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, soya lecithins), cocoa butter, freeze dried raspberries, gelling agent (pectins), acidity regulators (citric acid, sodium citrates), dried skimmed milk, dried whole milk, wheat flour, cocoa mass, flavouring, malted wheat flour, glazing agent (acacia gum), acid (citric acid), dried egg white, salt.
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.