Smooth Brussels Pâté
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
1 we grade moderate or higher
4 of them not yet assessed here
Saturates per 100g
6.20g
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 (5)
This label lists 3 thickeners and gelling agents, 1 colour and 1 preservative.
E250
Sodium nitrite
Preservative and colour fixer, cured meats
What it is. A curing salt that keeps cured and processed meats pink and stops the growth of the bacteria behind botulism.
Why it is used. Used in bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs for preservation, safety and colour.
What the evidence says. The concern is not the additive in isolation but processed meat as a whole, which the WHO's cancer agency IARC classes as Group 1, meaning there is sufficient evidence it causes colorectal cancer. Nitrite can form nitrosamines during curing and cooking, and those are the likely culprit. Risk rises with how much processed meat you eat over time.
Permitted with strict maximum levels. The EU cut the allowed limits further from 2023 to reduce nitrosamine formation.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E250
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E150A Plain caramel colour
- E406 Agar thickener
- E410 Locust bean gum thickener
- E428 Gelatine thickener
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
Pork Liver (27%), Pork Fat, Madeira Jelly (12%) [Water, Madeira Wine, Pork Gelatine, Dextrose, Gelling Agents (Agar, Carob Gum), Colour (Plain Caramel), Salt], Water, Shallot, Single Cream (_Milk_), Tapioca Starch, Butter (_Milk_), Cognac, Salt, Dextrose, Potato Starch, Flavouring, Sugar, Spices, Preservative (Sodium Nitrite).
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.