Is Monster Energy Ultra Zero Sugar ultra-processed?

500ml Energy drinks Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Sweetener
E950 Acesulfame k
E955 Sucralose

24 ingredients
6 additives
Nutri-Score C

Less processed energy drinks

Virtue Sparkling Energy Water Berries Refresh Brands 12 ingredients · 1 additive NOVA group 1
Good energy Organic Guayusa Blood orange & Tangerine Good Earth 8 ingredients · no additives NOVA group 3
Orange Kiss Energy Drink Alani NU 5 ingredients · 1 additive 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

carbonated water, acid (citric acid), taurine 0.4%, acidity regulator (sodium citrates), flavourings (ultra-processing marker), panax ginseng root extract 0.08%, sweeteners (ultra-processing marker) (sucralose (ultra-processing marker), acesulfame k (ultra-processing marker)), preservatives (processing marker) (sorbic acid, benzoic acid), caffeine 0.03%, l-carnitine l-tartrate 0.015%, vitamins, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, sodium chloride, d-glucuronolactone guarana seed extract 0.002%, inositol

Additives: E200 Sorbic acid , E210 Benzoic acid , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E950 Acesulfame k , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

CARBONATED WATER, ACID (CITRIC ACID), TAURINE (0.4%), ACIDITY REGULATOR (SODIUM CITRATES), FLAVOURINGS, PANAX GINSENG ROOT EXTRACT (0.08%), SWEETENERS (SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME K), PRESERVATIVES (SORBIC ACID, BENZOIC ACID), CAFFEINE (0.03%) L-CARNITINE L-TARTRATE (0.015%), VITAMINS (B3, B5, B6, B12), SODIUM CHLORIDE, D-GLUCURONOLACTONE GUARANA SEED EXTRACT (0.002%), INOSITOL.

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.
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.

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.

Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 278 energy drinks

From least to most processed, this one ranks 113th. 99% of the energy 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 278 energy drinks, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5060947545724, last edited 27 March 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 C (from A, best, to E).
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.