APPLE + ELDERFLOWER
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
7
0 we grade moderate or higher
4 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 (7)
This label lists 2 colours, 1 acidity regulator, 1 antioxidant, 1 emulsifier, 1 sweetener and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
E955
Sucralose
Artificial sweetener
What it is. An intense sweetener made from sugar, around 600 times sweeter, so it is used in very small amounts.
Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, tabletop sweeteners, dairy and baked goods.
What the evidence says. Regulators have treated it as safe for decades and the acceptable daily intake has not changed. Newer laboratory work on a breakdown product, and the general question of sweeteners and the gut microbiome, keep it under discussion, but that work is early and has not moved any official position.
Permitted with an acceptable daily intake in all three regions.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E955
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
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
- E141 Copper complexes of chlorophylls colour
- E150D Sulphite ammonia caramel colour
- E414 Acacia gum (gum arabic) thickener
- E445 Glycerol esters of wood rosin emulsifier
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, apple juice from concentrate (12%) flavouring: natural elderflower and other flavours, antioxidant: ascorbic acid, stabilisers gum arabic and glycerol esters of wood rosins, sweeter Sucralose, vitamin blend: vitamin C, niacin, pantothenic acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, folic acid, biotin, vitamin B12; natural colours: copper complexes of chlorophylls, copper complexes of chlorophyllines and sulphite ammonia caramel. Maté tea, L-carnitine and citric acid.
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.