Is Levels Whey Protein ultra-processed?

1.48 lb Protein powders Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Milk proteins
Sweetener
E322 Lecithins
E960 Steviol glycosides

6 ingredients
3 additives

Less processed protein powders

Almond Protein Powder Bob's Red Mill 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Hemp Protein Powder Manitoba Harvest 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Simple Plant Protein Powder Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Orgain 6 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1
Unflavored plant based protein Truvani 3 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 1

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

Whey Protein (ultra-processing marker), Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Lecithin (ultra-processing marker), Sea Salt (processing marker), Stevia Leaf Extract (ultra-processing marker), Monk Fruit Extract (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E960 Steviol glycosides

As written on the pack

Whey Protein Concentrate, Cocoa Powder, Sunflower Lecithin, Sea Salt, Stevia Leaf Extract, Monk Fruit Extract. CONTAINS: Milk.

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.
E960 Steviol glycosides Steviol glycosides are sweet compounds extracted and purified from the leaves of the stevia plant.
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.

1 ingredient 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 149 protein powders

From least to most processed, this one ranks 50th. 95% of the protein powders 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 149 protein powders, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0857965007427, last edited 27 August 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.