Sticky toffee muffin - Tesco
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
10
0 we grade moderate or higher
7 of them not yet assessed here
Sugars per 100g
35.06g
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 (10)
This label lists 3 thickeners and gelling agents, 2 emulsifiers, 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour, 1 additive, 1 preservative and 1 raising agent.
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
E466
Carboxymethyl cellulose
Thickener and stabiliser
What it is. A modified plant fibre used to thicken and stabilise.
Why it is used. Common in ice cream, low fat products, gluten free bakery and sauces.
What the evidence says. Falls in the same emulsifier and gut research bucket as polysorbate 80, with early human work hinting at effects on the microbiome. Interesting, not conclusive.
Permitted with limits.
Assessed against EFSA. Full entry for E466
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
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E150A Plain caramel colour
- E401 Sodium alginate thickener
- E422 Glycerol other
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E481 Sodium stearoyl-2-lactylate emulsifier
- E501 Potassium carbonates 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
Sugar, Pasteurised Egg, Rapeseed Oil, Sticky Toffee Sauce (7%) [Invert Sugar Syrup, Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk (Skimmed Milk, Sugar), Sugar, Whipping Cream (Milk), Salted Butter (Milk), Glucose Syrup, Water, Muscovado Sugar, Colour (Plain Caramel), Emulsifier (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Salt, Gelling Agent (Amidated Pectin), Flavouring], Rice Flour, Potato Starch, Tapioca Starch, Salted Caramel Fudge Pieces (5%) [Sugar, Fondant (Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Water), Sweetened Condensed Skimmed Milk (Skimmed Milk, Sugar), Glucose Syrup, Palm Fat, Stabilisers (Amidated Pectin, Sodium Alginate), Salt, Flavouring], Humectant (Glycerol), Nibbed Sugar, Rice Starch, Cornflour, Thickeners (Sodium Carboxy Methyl Cellulose, Sodium Stearoyl-2-Lactylate), Dried Whole Milk, Dried Egg White, Raising Agents (Disodium Diphosphate, Potassium Carbonate), Water, Date Syrup, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Caramelised Sugar, Emulsifier (Mono - and Diglycerides of Fatty Acids), Flavourings. Allergy Advice
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.