Is Huel Iced Coffee Caramel ultra-processed?

1 Bottle Protein shakes Sold in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Emulsifier
Flavouring
Sweetener
Thickener
E322 Lecithins
E418 Gellan gum

72 ingredients
4 additives

Less processed protein shakes

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

Water, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Rapeseed Oil, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Flaxseed, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Powder (from Coconut), Natural Flavourings (ultra-processing marker), Soluble Vegetable Fibre (Chicory, Corn), Micronutrient Blend, Minerals (Potassium (as Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride), Chloride, Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate), Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate), Phosphorus (as Magnesium Phosphate), Copper (as Copper Gluconate), Zinc (as Zinc Oxide), Iodine (as Potassium Iodide (processing marker)), Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate)), Vitamins (Vitamin C (as L-Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin K (K2, as Menaquinone-7), Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Vitamin A (as Retinyl Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin D (D2, as Ergocalciferol), Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D-Pantothenate), Biotin (as D-Biotin), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (as Thiamine Mononitrate), Folate (as Calcium-L Methylfolate)), Choline, Coconut Sugar (processing marker), Hemp Seed Protein, Instant Coffee 0.3%, Emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (Sunflower Lecithin (ultra-processing marker)), Sweetener (ultra-processing marker) (Steviol Glycosides from Stevia), Thickener (ultra-processing marker) (Gellan Gum (ultra-processing marker)), We recommend one serving a day if you are pregnant and breastfeeding

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E418 Gellan gum , E960a Steviol glycosides from Stevia

As written on the pack

Water, Pea Protein, Tapioca Starch, Rapeseed Oil, Gluten-Free Oat Flour, Ground Flaxseed, Medium-Chain Triglyceride Powder (from Coconut), Natural Flavourings, Soluble Vegetable Fibre (Chicory, Corn), Micronutrient Blend (Minerals (Potassium (as Potassium Citrate, Potassium Chloride), Chloride, Calcium (as Calcium Carbonate), Magnesium (as Magnesium Citrate), Phosphorus (as Magnesium Phosphate), Copper (as Copper Gluconate), Zinc (as Zinc Oxide), Iodine (as Potassium Iodide), Chromium (as Chromium Picolinate)), Vitamins (Vitamin C (as L-Ascorbic Acid), Vitamin K (K2, as Menaquinone-7), Vitamin E (as D-Alpha Tocopherol Acetate), Vitamin A (as Retinyl Acetate), Niacin (as Niacinamide), Vitamin D (D2, as Ergocalciferol), Vitamin B12 (as Cyanocobalamin), Pantothenic Acid (as Calcium-D-Pantothenate), Biotin (as D-Biotin), Vitamin B6 (as Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (as Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (as Thiamine Mononitrate), Folate (as Calcium-L Methylfolate)), Choline), Coconut Sugar, Hemp Seed Protein, Instant Coffee Powder (0.3%), Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin, Sweetener: Steviol Glycosides from Stevia, Thickener: Gellan Gum. Allergy advice: For allergens see ingredients in bold. May contain mustard. We recommend one serving a day if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

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.

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.
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.
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.
Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
Thickener Thickeners, often gums or modified starches, make liquids more viscous so that a product feels richer than its ingredients alone would make it.

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.
Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 158 protein shakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 75th. 97% of the protein shakes 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 158 protein shakes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060495118050, last edited 27 May 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.