Is it ultra-processed?
Menu

Is Lucozade Energy Orange ultra-processed?

900ml Orange soft drinks Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Lucozade Energy Orange

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:

  • 15 ingredients
  • 9 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed orange soft drinks

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

Carbonated Water, Glucose Syrup 11%, Orange Juice from Concentrate 6%, Citric Acid, Sodium Gluconate, Flavourings, Potassium Sorbate, Sucralose, Acesulfame K, Acacia Gum, Caffeine, Ascorbic Acid, Niacin (Vitamin B3), Beta Carotene

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160ai Beta-carotene , E202 Potassium sorbate , E300 Ascorbic acid , E330 Citric acid , E414 Acacia gum , E576 Sodium gluconate , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Carbonated Water, Glucose Syrup (11%), Orange Juice from Concentrate (6%), Acid (Citric Acid), Acidity Regulator (Sodium Gluconate), Flavourings, Preservative (Potassium Sorbate), Sweeteners (Sucralose, Acesulfame K), Stabiliser (Acacia Gum), Caffeine, Antioxidant (Ascorbic Acid), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Colour (Beta Carotene).

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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • 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.
  • E950 Acesulfame k Acesulfame K is a synthetic sweetener about 200 times sweeter than sugar, often combined with aspartame or sucralose.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • 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.

  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
2 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.

  • E202 Potassium sorbate Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 31 orange soft drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 26th. 90% of the orange soft drinks 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 31 orange soft drinks, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5054267010710, last edited 5 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.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.