GoodSwap Get notified
Branston Original Pickle Relish / Condiment
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Plant-based pickles

Branston Original Pickle Relish / Condiment

520 g

Bad out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • High in sugar
  • High in salt
  • Contains added sugars
  • No synthetic dyes
Get GoodSwap

Why it scores 3

Branston Original Pickle Relish / Condiment scores 3 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Sulfite ammonia caramel: Caramel colors made with ammonia (classes III and IV) can contain 4-MEI. Regulatory
  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.

The Receipt

Original Pickle Relish / Condiment

START100

Ingredients

  • Sugar
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sulfite ammonia caramel
    Regulatory Caramel colors made with ammonia (classes III and IV) can contain 4-MEI. [4][5][6][7][8]
  • Sodium metabisulfite
    Regulatory Sulfites must be declared above 10 mg/kg in the EU and UK and at 10 ppm or more in the US because some people, especially people with asthma, react to them. [9][10][11]
  • Modified starch
    Info An additive class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [12]
  • 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. [13][12]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [12]
  • 3 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: color (added), flavoring and modified starch. [12]
subtotal−21

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 31 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Salt 3.4 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in salt. [14]
  • Energy 638 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
subtotal−26
TOTAL 3Bad

100 − 97 = 3

Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Can’t score above 79. High in sugars and salt (above the front-of-pack "high" level). [15]

GTIN 05060336505049 · 2026-06-16

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy638 kcal
Fat0.5 g
Saturated fat0.3 g
Carbohydrates36 g
Sugars31 g
Added sugars26.9 g
Fiber2.1 g
Protein0.5 g
Salt3.4 g

Serving: 1 serving (100 g)

Ingredients

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

Vegetables in variable proportions (54%) (carrot, rutabaga, onion, cauliflower, marrow, gherkin), sugar, barley malt vinegar, water, spirit vinegar, modified maize starch, date paste (dates, rice flour), apple pulp (apple, preservative: sodium metabisulphite), salt, tomato paste, dried spices, lemon juice concentrate, onion powder, colour (sulphite ammonia caramel), flavouring.

Allergens and diets

Contains: Gluten, Sulphites

  • Not gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Packaging

Glass

Context only: no points in v1.

Healthiest plant-based pickles in the US

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

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  5. Questions & Answers About 4-MEI

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Mar 27, 2020 · Regulator

    “Based on current science, the FDA has no reason to believe that there are any immediate or short-term health risks presented by 4-MEI at the levels expected in food.”

    fda.gov

  6. List of Select Chemicals in the Food Supply Under FDA Review

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Jul 29, 2026 · Regulator

    “The table below includes select food ingredients (including food and color additives), food contact substances, and contaminants under FDA review as of May 12, 2026 .”

    fda.gov

  7. Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole: A Quantitative Risk Assessment

    PLOS ONE · Feb 18, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  8. Proposition 65 List of Chemicals Known to the State to Cause Cancer or Reproductive Toxicity

    California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) · Jul 31, 2026 · Law

    “The date refers to the initial appearance of the chemical on the list.”

    oehha.ca.gov

  9. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of 25 October 2011 on the provision of food information to consumers

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

    “ANNEX II SUBSTANCES OR PRODUCTS CAUSING ALLERGIES OR INTOLERANCES 1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut or their hybridised strains”

    eur-lex.europa.eu

  10. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 (as it applies in the UK), Annex II: substances or products causing allergies or intolerances

    legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives) · Law

    “1. Cereals containing gluten, namely: wheat (such as spelt and khorasan wheat), rye, barley, oats or their hybridised strains, and products thereof”

    legislation.gov.uk

  11. 21 CFR 101.100 Food; exemptions from labeling (sulfiting agents)

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Feb 17, 2022 · Law

    ecfr.gov

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

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  13. 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

  14. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”

    who.int

  15. 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

  16. 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

  17. 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