Sui Mai dumpling
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
6
2 we grade moderate or higher
2 of them not yet assessed here
Saturates per 100g
5.90g
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 (6)
This label lists 2 colours, 2 flavour enhancers, 1 preservative and 1 raising agent.
E102
Tartrazine
Yellow colour
What it is. A synthetic lemon yellow dye.
Why it is used. Colours soft drinks, sweets, sauces and snacks.
What the evidence says. One of the Southampton Six colours linked in a 2007 UK study to increased hyperactivity in some children. The effect is modest and does not affect every child, but it was enough for a mandatory on pack warning.
UK and EU require the label to warn it may affect activity and attention in children. Permitted in the US without that warning.
Assessed against UK FSA, EFSA. Full entry for E102
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
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
E621
Monosodium glutamate
Flavour enhancer
What it is. The sodium salt of glutamate, an amino acid found naturally in tomatoes, cheese and mushrooms.
Why it is used. Boosts savoury, umami flavour in stocks, crisps, ready meals and sauces.
What the evidence says. The old idea of MSG causing headaches and flushing, once called Chinese restaurant syndrome, has not held up in controlled trials. Regulators worldwide treat it as safe at normal intake. A genuinely useful example of a feared additive that the evidence exonerates.
Permitted and classed as safe. Adds to total sodium, so it counts towards salt if a product uses a lot.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA, US FDA. Full entry for E621
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E631 Disodium inosinate flavour enhancer
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 (60%), Prawn (Crustacean) (32%), Wheat Gluten, Wheat Flour, Wheat Flour (Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Raising Agent (E500 Light Soy Sauce (Water, Salt, Soybean, Sugar, Wheat Flour, Preservative (Sodium Benzoate), Flavour Enhancers (Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate) Pork Fat, Ginger, Onion, Spring Onion, Potato Flour, Rapeseed Oil, Salt, Sesame Oil Blend (Sesame Oil, Soybean Oil, Corn Oil), Sugar, Water, Colours (E102, E129), Flavour Enhancer (E621), White Pepper. E102, E129: may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.
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.