free from 4 chocolate eclairs
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
13
0 we grade moderate or higher
10 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 (13)
This label lists 5 emulsifiers, 4 thickeners and gelling agents, 2 acidity regulators and 2 raising agents.
E471
Mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids
Emulsifier
What it is. Fat derived emulsifiers, closely related to ordinary dietary fats.
Why it is used. One of the most used additives in food: bread, margarine, ice cream, cakes and sauces.
What the evidence says. The body handles these much as it handles other fats, and EFSA's re-evaluation raised no safety concern at the levels used. They sit in the same broad emulsifier and gut microbiome research question as the others, which remains unsettled.
Permitted without a numerical limit. The fat source is not always stated, which matters for some diets rather than for safety.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E471
E322
Lecithin
Emulsifier
What it is. A natural emulsifier, usually from soya or sunflower.
Why it is used. Keeps chocolate smooth and stops ingredients separating.
What the evidence says. Safe and widely used. Only relevant if the source, such as soya, is an allergen for you.
Permitted freely. Source allergen must be declared.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E322
E415
Xanthan gum
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A fibre made by fermenting sugars with a bacterium, which thickens liquids at very low doses.
Why it is used. Thickens sauces and dressings and gives structure to gluten free baking.
What the evidence says. Passes through largely undigested and is treated as safe by regulators, with no numerical intake limit. Very large amounts act as fibre does, which is a digestive effect rather than a safety one.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E415
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E339 Sodium phosphates acidity regulator
- E412 Guar gum thickener
- E435 Polysorbate 60 emulsifier
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E461 Methyl cellulose thickener
- E464 Hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose thickener
- E475 Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids emulsifier
- E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate emulsifier
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
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
belgian chocolate flavoured topping (32%) [sugar, glucose syrup, water, cocoa mass, cocoa butter, emulsifiers (mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, soya lecithins), flavouring, pasteurised egg, water, partially inverted sugar syrup, palm oil, palm kernel oil, potato starch, maize starch, emulsifiers (polysorbate 60, mono - and diglycerides of fatty acids, sunflower lecithins, polyglycerol esters of fatty acids, sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate), dried egg white, dextrose, raising agents (disodium diphosphate, sodium bicarbonate), rice flour, stabilisers (hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, xanthan gum), salt, flavouring, thickeners (guar gum, methyl cellulose), inulin, acidity regulators (disodium phosphate, sodium citrate), iodine
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.