Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus with Almond Butter Banana Honey ultra-processed?

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Pack of Bolthouse Farms Protein Plus with Almond Butter Banana Honey

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:

  • 58 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

Water, reduced fat milk, cane sugar, whey protein, soy protein isolate, banana, almond butter, honey, natural flavors, dipotassium phosphate, acacia gum, coconut water, vitamin c (ascorbic acid), gellan gum, sea salt, carrageenan, vitamin a (palmitate), vitamin b1 (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), vitamin b3 (niacinamide), vitamins, vitamin b5, calcium d-pantothenate, vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hcl), vitamin b7 (biotin), vitamins, vitamin b9, folic acid, vitamin b12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin d3, cholecalciferol, vitamin e (dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate), calcium (tricalcium phosphate), phosphorous (tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate), magnesium (magnesium phosphate), chromium (chromium chloride), iodine (potassium iodide), iron (ferric orthophosphate), zinc (zinc oxide), copper (copper gluconate)

Additives: E340 Potassium phosphates , E340ii Dipotassium phosphate , E407 Carrageenan , E414 Acacia gum , E418 Gellan gum

As written on the pack

Water, reduced fat milk, cane sugar, whey protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, banana puree, almond butter, honey, natural flavors, dipotassium phosphate, acacia gum, coconut water concentrate, vitamin c (ascorbic acid), gellan gum, sea salt, carrageenan, vitamin a (palmitate), vitamin b1 (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), vitamin b3 (niacinamide), vitamin b5 (calcium d-pantothenate), vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hcl), vitamin b7 (biotin), vitamin b9 (folic acid), vitamin b12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin d3 (cholecalciferol, vitamin e (dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate), calcium (tricalcium phosphate), phosphorous (tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate), magnesium (magnesium phosphate), chromium (chromium chloride), iodine (potassium iodide). iron (ferric orthophosphate), zinc (zinc oxide), copper (copper gluconate).

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.

  • E407 Carrageenan Carrageenan is a thickener and gelling agent extracted from red seaweed, used widely in dairy desserts, plant-based drinks and processed meats.
  • E414 Acacia gum Gum arabic (acacia gum) is the hardened sap of acacia trees, used to stabilise flavour emulsions in soft drinks and to coat sweets.
  • E418 Gellan gum Stabilisers are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0071464018931, last edited 30 July 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.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.