Christmas Lunch Wrap
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
7
1 we grade moderate or higher
6 of them not yet assessed here
Salt per 100g
1.75g
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 (7)
This label lists 2 acidity regulators, 2 raising agents, 1 anticaking agent, 1 preservative and 1 thickener or gelling agent.
E250
Sodium nitrite
Preservative and colour fixer, cured meats
What it is. A curing salt that keeps cured and processed meats pink and stops the growth of the bacteria behind botulism.
Why it is used. Used in bacon, ham, salami and hot dogs for preservation, safety and colour.
What the evidence says. The concern is not the additive in isolation but processed meat as a whole, which the WHO's cancer agency IARC classes as Group 1, meaning there is sufficient evidence it causes colorectal cancer. Nitrite can form nitrosamines during curing and cooking, and those are the likely culprit. Risk rises with how much processed meat you eat over time.
Permitted with strict maximum levels. The EU cut the allowed limits further from 2023 to reduce nitrosamine formation.
Assessed against IARC, EFSA, UK FSA. Full entry for E250
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E296 Malic acid acidity regulator
- E404 Calcium alginate thickener
- E450 Diphosphates raising agent
- E451 Triphosphates acidity regulator
- E500 Sodium carbonates raising agent
- E504 Magnesium carbonates 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
Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Cooked Sliced Chicken (13%) [Chicken Breast (98%), Rice Starch, Salt], Cooked Sliced Pork Sausage with Mushroom (9%) [Pork (55%), Mushrooms, Water, Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Potato Starch, Pork Fat, Salt, Rapeseed Oil, Parsley, Sage, Dextrose, White Pepper, Nutmeg, Ginger, Coriander, Mace, Sugar, Cayenne Pepper, Flavouring, Sausage Casing [Calcium Alginate]], Sweetcure Streaky Bacon with Smoked Water (7%) [Pork Belly (93%), Sugar, Salt, Smoked Water, Emulsifier (E451), Honey, Preservative (E250)], Cooked Sage & Onion Stuffing (7%) [Fortified Wheat Flour [Wheat Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Folic Acid, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin], Water, Onions, Oats, Salt, Sage, Parsley, Thyme, Flavouring, Black Pepper, Onion Powder, Bay Leaf, Rosemary, Cloves, Yeast, Raising Agent (E504)], Spinach, Cranberries, Rapeseed Oil, Palm Oil, Sugar, Plum Purée, Cornflour, Red Wine Vinegar, Raising Agents (E500, E450), Concentrated Plum Juice, Spirit Vinegar, Dried Cranberries [Sugar, Cranberries, Sunflower Oil], Pasteurised Egg Yolk, Salt, Acidity Regulator (E296), Dijon Mustard [Water, Mustard Seeds, Spirit Vinegar, Salt), Concentrated Lemon Juice, White Wine Vinegar, Wheat Starch. 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.