mentos experimentos
Unknown brand
Processing
4
Ultra-processed
Group 4 of 4 on the NOVA scale
Additives listed
9
0 we grade moderate or higher
7 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 (9)
This label lists 2 acidity regulators, 2 colours, 2 glazing agents, 2 thickeners and gelling agents and 1 emulsifier.
E160A
Carotenes
Yellow to orange colour
What it is. The orange pigments found in carrots and other vegetables, either extracted or made synthetically.
Why it is used. Colours margarine, soft drinks, dairy, and sweets.
What the evidence says. The same compound the body turns into vitamin A, and safe at the levels used in food. High dose beta-carotene supplements have been linked to harm in smokers, but those doses are far above anything a colour in food delivers, and conflating the two is a common mistake.
Permitted. The supplement findings apply to concentrated doses, not to food colouring.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E160A
E330
Citric acid
Acidity regulator
What it is. A mild acid found naturally in citrus fruit, made commercially by fermentation.
Why it is used. Adds tartness, balances flavour and helps preserve. One of the most used additives in food.
What the evidence says. Safe at food levels. No credible health concern for the additive itself.
Permitted freely.
Assessed against EFSA, JECFA. Full entry for E330
Also on the label, not assessed here yet
- E162 Beetroot red, betanin colour
- E331 Sodium citrates acidity regulator
- E414 Acacia gum (gum arabic) thickener
- E418 Gellan gum thickener
- E473 Sucrose esters of fatty acids emulsifier
- E901 Beeswax glazing agent
- E903 Carnauba wax glazing 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
sugar, glucose syrup, fruit juices from concentrate (strawberry, orange, lemon) (2%), coconut oil, acid (citric add, starch, maltodextrin, flavourings, cocoa butter, thickeners (gellan gum, egum, gum arabic), emulsifier (sucrose esters of fatty acids), glazing agent assorted soft fruit flavour sweets, ingredients: glucose syrup, sugar, modified starch, acid (citric acid), acidity regulator (trisodium citrate), flavourings concentrates (carrot, safflower, sweet potato, pumpkin, hibiscus, radish, spirulina, carnauba wax), colours (beetroot red, beta-carotene), apple, black carrot, lemon), glazing agent (beeswax), may contain wheat, prote salt
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.