Is Monster Energy iced tea energy drink ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 36 ingredients
- 6 additives
- Nutri-Score C
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
tea (filtered water, black tea), orange juice, glucose (ultra-processing marker), taurine, natural flavors (ultra-processing marker) (pekoe tea), citric acid, sodium citrate, panax ginseng extract, magnesium lactate dihydrate, calcium lactate pentahydrate, monopotassium phosphate, caffeine, sucralose (ultra-processing marker), color added (ultra-processing marker), coconut water, niacinamide (vitamin b3), salt (processing marker), d-calcium pantothenate (vitamin b5), l-carnitine l-tartrate, d-glucuronolactone, guarana extract, inositol, quercetin dihydrate, acesulfame potassium (ultra-processing marker), acai, goji berry, mangosteen concentrated puree, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), cyanocobalamin (vitamin b12)
Additives: E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E340 Potassium phosphates , E340i Monopotassium phosphate , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose
As written on the pack
Brewed tea (filtered water, black tea solids), orange juice concentrate, glucose, taurine, natural flavors (contains orange pekoe tea), citric acid, sodium citrate, panax ginseng extract, magnesium lactate dihydrate, calcium lactate pentahydrate, monopotassium phosphate, caffeine, sucralose, color added, concentrated coconut water, niacinamide (vit. b3), salt, d-calcium pantothenate (vit. b5), l-carnitine l-tartrate, d-glucuronolactone, guarana extract, inositol, quercetin dihydrate, acesulfame potassium, acai puree, goji berry puree, mangosteen concentrated puree, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vit. b6), cyanocobalamin (vit. b12).
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.
- 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.
- Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
- 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.
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.
- Sodas Products in the category "Sodas" are at least group 3.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
Among 613 sodas
From least to most processed, this one ranks 474th. 94% of the sodas here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0070847010463, last edited 10 February 2022), 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.