iced strawberry and vanilla cake
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
10
0 we grade moderate or higher
8 of them not yet assessed here
Nutrients
–
Nothing above the low band
Or no figures recorded at all
Three separate readings, kept apart on purpose. This is not a score, and none of it says this product is harmful.
Additives (10)
This label lists 2 additives, 2 preservatives, 2 raising agents, 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour, 1 emulsifier and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E120 Cochineal, carminic acid, carmines colour
- E282 Calcium propionate preservative
- E401 Sodium alginate thickener
- E422 Glycerol other
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E516 Calcium sulphate other
- E575 Glucono-delta-lactone 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
cake (wheat flour (with calcium, iron, niacin, thiamin), sugar, pasteurised liquid egg, vegetable oil (rapeseed), water, whey powder (milk), modified starch, coconut oil, glycerine, emulsifier (e471), raising agents (e575, e500, e450), glucose syrup, salt, preservatives (e202,e282), stabilisers (e401, e516), milk protein, colour (e120), natural vanilla flavouring)
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.