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Benton's Jaffa Cake Sweet Strawberry
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Cookie filled with fruit paste

Benton's Jaffa Cake Sweet Strawberry

Bad out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in sugar
  • High in saturated fat
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains sugar alcohols
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains palm oil
  • Seed-oil free
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Why it scores 7

Benton's Jaffa Cake Sweet Strawberry scores 7 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

Jaffa Cake Sweet Strawberry

START100

Ingredients

  • Corn syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Palm oil
    Strong About half saturated fat; WHO recommends keeping saturated fat to 10% of energy or less. [4][5][6]
  • Sorbitol
    Regulatory Large amounts can have a laxative effect; the EU requires a label statement above 10% added polyols and the US for some polyols above set intakes. [7][8]
  • Pectin
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [9]
  • 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. [10][11][9]
  • Soy lecithin
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [9]
  • Natural flavors
    Info "Natural flavor" is a legal category (21 CFR 101.22(a)(3)): flavor substances from spices, fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy or fermentation. [12][9]
subtotal−48

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [9]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: emulsifier, flavoring, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate, sugar alcohol (polyol) and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [9]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 52 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Saturated fat 6 g / 100 g
    Strong High in saturated fat. [4]
  • Energy 400 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−21
TOTAL 7Bad

100 − 93 = 7

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 and sugars (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [13]

GTIN 04061463879929 · 2025-03-07

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy400 kcal
Fat10 g
Saturated fat6 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates72 g
Sugars52 g
Added sugars52 g
Fiber0 g
Protein4 g
Salt0.2 g

Serving: 2 cookie (25 g)

Ingredients

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

glucose syrup, sugar, wheat flour, water, chocolate liquor, eggs, palm fat, cocoa butter, sorbitol, strawberry juice concentrate, wheat starch, pectin, acidifier (citric acid, sodium citrates), emulsifiers (mono and diglycerides, soy lecithins), natural flavor, tapioca starch, leavening (ammonium bicarbonate, sodium bicarbonate), salt

Allergens and diets

Contains: Soy, Wheat, Gluten, Egg

  • Not vegan
  • Not gluten-free
  • Not palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

More from Benton's

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. 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

  5. Process contaminants in vegetable oils and foods

    European Food Safety Authority · May 3, 2016 · Agency assessment

    “The highest levels of GE, as well as 3-MCPD and 2-MCPD (including esters) were found in palm oils and palm fats, followed by other oils and fats.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  6. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 of 25 April 2023 on maximum levels for certain contaminants in food

    European Union (Official Journal) · Apr 25, 2023 · Law

    “Glycidyl fatty acid esters, expressed as glycidol”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  7. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III point 2.4 (foods with more than 10 % added polyols)

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

    “‘excessive consumption may produce laxative effects’.”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  8. 21 CFR 184.1835 Sorbitol

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

    ““Excess consumption may have a laxative effect.””

    ecfr.gov

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  10. 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

  11. 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

  12. 21 CFR 101.22 Foods; labeling of spices, flavorings, colorings and chemical preservatives

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Dec 19, 2016 · Law

    “whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”

    ecfr.gov

  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