Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Barbells Soft protein bar Berry Licorice ultra-processed?

55 g Protein bars Sold in Sweden and Denmark

Pack of Barbells Soft protein bar Berry Licorice

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 25 ingredients
  • 9 additives

Less processed protein bars

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Sweeteners (maltitol, sucralose), milk proteins, hydrolyzed collagen, humectant (glycerol), bulking agent (polydextrose), cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, soy oil, soy protein, fat-reduced cocoa, salt, flavourings, emulsifier (soy lecithin), liquorice root extract 0.1%, colours (vegetable carbon, carmine), acid (citric acid)

Additives: E120 Cochineal , E1200 Polydextrose , E153 Vegetable carbon , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E330 Citric acid , E422 Glycerol , E955 Sucralose , E965 Maltitol

As written on the pack

Sweeteners (maltitol, sucralose), milk proteins, hydrolyzed collagen, humectant (glycerol), bulking agent (polydextrose), cocoa butter, whole milk powder, cocoa mass, soy oil, soy protein, fat-reduced cocoa, salt, flavourings, emulsifier (soy lecithin), liquorice root extract (0,1%), colours (vegetable carbon, carmine), acid (citric acid). May contain cereals containing gluten, egg, peanuts, nuts and sesame seeds

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • E120 Cochineal Carmine is a red colour made from cochineal insects.
  • E153 Vegetable carbon A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • E965 Maltitol Maltitol is a sugar alcohol made from starch, used as a sweetener in "no added sugar" sweets and chocolate.
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  • Bulking agent Bulking agents are substances which contribute to the volume of a foodstuff without contributing significantly to its available energy value.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
3 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 426 protein bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 412th. 93% of the protein bars here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 426 protein bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 7340001805086, last edited 2 April 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.