BGE OCT 2026 5205 CHEFS SELECTIONS CATEFORCE TOMAT
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
5
0 we grade moderate or higher
3 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 (5)
This label lists 2 sweeteners, 1 acidity regulator, 1 colour and 1 preservative.
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
E951
Aspartame
Artificial sweetener
What it is. An intense sweetener around 200 times sweeter than sugar, used in tiny amounts.
Why it is used. Sweetens diet drinks, sugar free gum and low calorie desserts.
What the evidence says. In 2023 IARC listed it as possibly carcinogenic, its weakest evidence tier. At the same time the expert intake committee JECFA kept the safe daily limit unchanged, noting you would need a very high daily intake to approach it, roughly a dozen or more cans of diet drink a day for an adult. So headline scary, practically low concern for normal use.
Permitted with an acceptable daily intake. People with the condition PKU must avoid it, which is why packs carry a phenylalanine note.
Assessed against IARC, JECFA, EFSA. Full entry for E951
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E150C Ammonia caramel colour
- E260 Acetic acid acidity regulator
- E954 Saccharin sweetener
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
Water Tomato Paste (10%), Thickener (Modified Maize Starch), Salt, Acidity Regulator (Acetic Acid), Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Spice and Spice Extracts, Sweeteners (Aspartame, Sodium Saccharin), Colour (Ammonia Caramel). Contains a source of phenylalanine. SUITABLE FOR VEGETARIANS STORAGE INSTRUCTIONS
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.