POPA BOBA Ⓡ BUBBLE TEA 珍珠奶茶 Just add milk & water.
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
13
0 we grade moderate or higher
9 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 6 thickeners and gelling agents, 2 acidity regulators, 1 anticaking agent, 1 colour, 1 emulsifier, 1 raising agent and 1 sweetener.
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
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
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
- E1414 Acetylated distarch phosphate thickener
- E1442 Hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate thickener
- E150C Ammonia caramel colour
- E296 Malic acid acidity regulator
- E340 Potassium phosphates acidity regulator
- E401 Sodium alginate thickener
- E440 Pectin thickener
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E551 Silicon dioxide anticaking 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
Tapioca pearls tapioca pearls (tapioca starch, water, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, acetylated distarch phosphate, caramel colour, sodium alginate, brown sugar flavour), water, fructose syrup, demerara sugar, molasses, xanthan gum, citrus pectin, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, acid (malic acid), monopotassium phosphate. Ingredients: Brown sugar milk ten powder non-dairy creamer (glucose syrup, fully hydrogenated palm kernel oil, WHEY POWDER, sodium caseinate, emulsifiers (mono-and diglycerides of fatty acids, sodium stearoyl-2-factylate (SSL)), sodium bicarbonate, stabiliser (dipotassium phosphate), silicon dioxide, milk flavour, ẞ-carotene), sugar, brown sugar, instant black tea powder, silicon dioxide, flavouring, maltodextrin, salt, sucralose (sweetener). tapioca pearls +(3x) 30g milk tea powder e the sachet in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. eamy blend of milk tea n sugar swirls. Inspired erfectly balances bold us sweetness. Whether ver or a first-timer, our es it easy to enjoy an experience at home.
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.