Fray Bentos Steak & Gravy
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
3
0 we grade moderate or higher
1 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
6.60g
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 (3)
This label lists 1 colour, 1 emulsifier and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
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
E415
Xanthan gum
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A fibre made by fermenting sugars with a bacterium, which thickens liquids at very low doses.
Why it is used. Thickens sauces and dressings and gives structure to gluten free baking.
What the evidence says. Passes through largely undigested and is treated as safe by regulators, with no numerical intake limit. Very large amounts act as fibre does, which is a digestive effect rather than a safety one.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E415
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E150A Plain caramel colour
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
Water, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Beef (11%), Margarine (Palm Oil, Rapeseed Oil, Water, Salt, Emulsifier (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids)), Modified Maize Starch, Salt, Onion Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Tomato Paste, Yeast Extract, Flavouring, White Pepper, Beef Extract, Chicory Extract, Stabiliser (Xanthan Gum), Sugar, Colour (Plain Caramel), Tomato Powder, Garlic Powder.
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.