Cottage pie
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
3
1 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Fat per 100g
4.90g
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 2 preservatives and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
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
- E224 Potassium metabisulphite preservative
- E440 Pectin 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
Potatoes (36%), Water, Beef (15%), Red Wine (6%) (Preservative: Potassium Metabisulphite), Onion, Free Range Pasteurised Egg Yolk (3%), Carrots (3%), Celery (3%), Mature Cheddar Cheese (3%) [Milk], Beef Glace (Beef Stock (Beef Bones, Water, Salt), Natural Flavouring, Yeast Extract (Yeast Extract, Salt), Water, Glucose Syrup, Salt, Sugar, Maltodextrin), Salted Butter [Milk], Cornflour, Garlic, Tomato Puree, Worcester Sauce (Water, Sugar, Spirit Vinegar, Molasses, Onion Puree, Salt, Tamarind Paste, Cloves, Ginger Puree, Garlic Puree), Rapeseed Oil, Roast Beef Stock (Corned Beef (Cooked Beef, Salt, Preservative: Sodium Nitrite), Maltodextrin, Natural Flavouring, Salt, Sunflower Oil, Sugar, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Onion Powder), Redcurrant Jelly (Sugar, Water, Redcurrant Juice Concentrate, Gelling Agent (Pectin), Dextrose), Salt, Thyme, Parsley, Chives, Black Pepper, White Pepper.
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.