Fish super selection
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
10
0 we grade moderate or higher
6 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
5.80g
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 (10)
This label lists 3 acidity regulators, 2 antioxidants, 2 colours, 1 preservative, 1 raising agent and 1 sweetener.
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
E420
Sorbitol
Sweetener and humectant
What it is. A sugar alcohol, about half as sweet as sugar, which also holds moisture.
Why it is used. Used in sugar free sweets and gum, and to keep baked goods soft.
What the evidence says. Not a toxicity question at all. Sugar alcohols are poorly absorbed, so a large amount draws water into the gut and has a laxative effect. That is well established, predictable and dose dependent, which is why the label has to say so.
Permitted. Foods with more than 10 per cent polyols must carry the statement that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E420
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
- E160C Paprika extract, capsanthin colour
- E160D Lycopene colour
- E385 Calcium disodium EDTA antioxidant
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
- E452 Polyphosphates 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
Cooked rice (water, rice, sugar, spirit vinegar, rice vinegar, salt, rapeseed oil, fructose-glucose syrup, cane molasses), smoked salmon (8%) (salmon (fish), sea salt, demerara sugar), mayonnaise (rapeseed oil, water, pasteurised free range egg and egg yolk, sugar, spirit vinegar, salt, lemon juice from concentrate, preservative (potassium sorbate), antioxidant (calcium disodium EDTA), colour (paprika extract)), soy sauce (water, soya beans, wheat, salt, alcohol), cucumber, king prawns (3%) (king prawns (crustacean), salt), salmon (fish), avocado, sugar, pickled ginger (ginger, tapioca starch, water, sugar cane vinegar, salt, alcohol), water, white sesame seeds, lettuce, wasabi (horseradish, wasabi, tapioca starch, salt, mustard oil, acidity regulator (citric acid), antioxidant (ascorbic acid)), red chilli, Alaska pollock (fish) and/or hake (fish), seaweed, black sesame seeds, chilli powder, salt, reconstituted pasteurised free range egg white, wheat starch, chilli purée, spirit vinegar, red pepper powder, toasted sesame seed oil, modified maize starch, rapeseed oil, pea starch, soya beans, stabilisers (sorbitol, diphosphates, triphosphates, polyphosphates), wheat, soya protein, modified potato starch, natural flavouring (contains crustacean), lime juice, onion purée, apple juice concentrate, garlic purée, garlic powder, lime juice concentrate, colour (lycopene), alcohol.
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.