Is Friendly Farms Kefir Plain Unsweetened Cultured Lowfat Milk ultra-processed?

32 fl oz Kefir Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

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

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

pasteurized lowfat milk, nonfat milk, pectin (ultra-processing marker), vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d3, cultures

Additives: E440 Pectins

As written on the pack

PASTEURIZED LOWFAT MILK, NONFAT MILK, PECTIN, VITAMIN A PALMITATE, VITAMIN D3, CULTURES

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

E440 Pectins Pectins are gelling agents extracted from citrus peel or apple pomace.

From least to most processed, this one ranks 55th. 63% of the kefir 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.

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 4099100344165, last edited 4 January 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 B (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.