PIPELINE PUNCH 617 PUNCH MONSTER CH EN
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
1 we grade moderate or higher
1 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100ml
8.60g
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 (5)
This label lists 2 preservatives, 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour and 1 sweetener.
E129
Allura Red AC
Red colour
What it is. A synthetic red dye, sometimes labelled Red 40 in the US.
Why it is used. Colours sweets, drinks, cereals and baked goods.
What the evidence says. Another Southampton Six colour. Beyond the hyperactivity signal, some newer animal research on gut inflammation has renewed interest, though that is early and not settled in humans.
Children's activity warning in the UK and EU. In the US it remains permitted, though several states have moved to restrict synthetic dyes in school food.
Assessed against UK FSA, EFSA, US FDA. Full entry for E129
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
E211
Sodium benzoate
Preservative
What it is. A preservative that stops yeasts, moulds and some bacteria growing in acidic foods.
Why it is used. Used in soft drinks, sauces, pickles and dressings.
What the evidence says. EFSA re-evaluated it in 2016 and kept an acceptable daily intake, with normal exposure below it. The known issue is specific: in acidic drinks that also contain vitamin C, benzoate can form small amounts of benzene, so manufacturers reformulated to avoid the combination. It was also present in the drink mixes used in the Southampton hyperactivity study, though the warning requirement that followed applies to the colours rather than to benzoate.
Permitted with maximum levels in the foods where it is allowed.
Assessed against EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E211
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E331 Sodium citrates 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
CARBONATED WATER, FRUIT JUICES FROM CONCENTRATE (6%) (ORANGE, APPLE, QUAV PINEAPPLE, PASSION FRUIT), SUCROSE, GLUCOSE SYRUP TAURINE (0.4%), ACID (CITRIC ACID) MALTODEXTRIN, FLAVOURINGS, ACIDITY REGULATOR (SODIUM CITRATES), PRESERVATIVES (POTASSIUM SORBATE, SODIUM BENZOATE), CAFFEINE (0,03%) VEGETABLE OILS (COCONUT, RAPESEED), SWEETENER (SUCRALOSE), MODIFIED STARCH, VITAMINS (B3, B6, 82,812) L-CARNITINE L-TARTRATE (0.004%), SODIUM CHLORIDE, INOSITOL, COLOUR (E129).
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.