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Dessert Italiano Tiramisù
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Tiramisu

Dessert Italiano Tiramisù

18 oz

Bad out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in saturated fat
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains caffeine
  • Seed-oil free
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Why it scores 15

Dessert Italiano Tiramisù scores 15 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  3. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

Better cakes and pies

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Tiramisù

START100

Ingredients

  • Corn syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Mono- and diglycerides
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher intakes of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471 and E472) were associated with higher cardiovascular risk; cause and effect is not established. [4][5][6]
  • Sodium acid pyrophosphate
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI for phosphates of 40 mg/kg body weight (as phosphorus) and noted that infants, toddlers and children may exceed it. [7]
  • Wine
    Regulatory There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy. [8][9]
  • Potassium sorbate
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI of 11 mg/kg body weight (as sorbic acid); generally recognized as safe in the US. [10][11]
  • Agar
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [6]
subtotal−47.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [6]
  • 3 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: emulsifier, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [6]
subtotal−21

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Added sugars 18.8 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Saturated fat 5.9 g / 100 g
    Strong High in saturated fat. [12]
  • Energy 247 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−17
TOTAL 15Bad

100 − 85.5 = 14.5 → 15

Can’t score above 79. Contains corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]

Can’t score above 79. High in saturated fat (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [13]

GTIN 00816854020022 · 2026-09-06

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy247 kcal
Fat8.2 g
Saturated fat5.9 g
Carbohydrates37.6 g
Sugars18.8 g
Added sugars18.8 g
Fiber1.2 g
Protein4.7 g
Salt0.2 g

Serving: 1 glass (85 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

glucose syrup, reconstituted skim milk (water, skim milk powder), water, mascarpone cheese (cream, milk, lactic acid), sponge cake (wheat flour, whole liquid eggs, sugar, mono - and diglycerides, leavening (disodium diphosphate, sodium bicarbonate), glucose syrup, salt), skim milk powder, sugar, coconut oil, liquid egg yolk, marsala wine, cocoa powder, gelatin (bovine), citrus fibre, instant coffee, mono - and di-glycerides, potassium sorbate (preservative), agar, coffee extract

Allergens and diets

Contains: Milk, Wheat, Gluten, Egg

  • Not vegan
  • Not vegetarian
  • Not gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org

  5. Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Nov 10, 2017 · Agency assessment

    “The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”

    doi.org

  6. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  7. EFSA issues new advice on phosphates

    European Food Safety Authority · Jun 12, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “We estimated that dietary exposure to phosphates may exceed the new ADI for infants, toddlers and children with average consumption of phosphates in their diet.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  8. About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy

    U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · Aug 14, 2026 · Regulator

    “There is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy.”

    cdc.gov

  9. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  10. Opinion on the follow-up of the re-evaluation of sorbic acid (E200) and potassium sorbate (E202) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Mar 1, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “By applying a default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel established a group ADI expressed as 11 mg sorbic acid/kg bw per day for sorbic acid (E 200) and its potassium salt (E 202).”

    doi.org

  11. 21 CFR 182.3640 Potassium sorbate

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Nov 22, 2016 · Law

    ecfr.gov

  12. Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline

    World Health Organization · Jul 17, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”

    who.int

  13. Guide to creating a front of pack (FoP) nutrition label for pre-packed products sold through retail outlets

    Department of Health and Social Care / Food Standards Agency (GOV.UK) · Nov 8, 2016 · Regulator

    “Table 3: Criteria for drinks (per 100ml)”

    assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

  14. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  15. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  16. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  17. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org

  18. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Regulator

    “For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams* a day — that's about two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee — as an amount not generally associated with negative effects.”

    fda.gov

  19. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III point 4.1 (beverages with high caffeine content)

    European Union (Official Journal) · Oct 25, 2011 · Law

    “‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’”

    eur-lex.europa.eu