Is it ultra-processed?
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Is ONE Birthday Cake Protein Bar ultra-processed?

60g Protein bars Sold in the United States and France

Pack of ONE Birthday Cake Protein Bar

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:

  • 32 ingredients
  • 9 additives

Less processed protein bars

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

protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides (prebiotic fiber), vegetable glycerin, maltitol, palm kernel oil, sunflower seed butter, natural flavors, nonfat dry milk, soy lecithin (emulsifier), sea salt, confectioner's sprinkles (sugar, corn starch, blend of vegetable oil (palm vegetable oil, palm kernel vegetable oil), confectioner's glaze, with fruit, vegetable concentrates, soy lecithin (emulsifier), dextrin, carnauba wax, sodium bicarbonate), tapioca starch, distilled monoglycerides, calcium carbonate, sucralose

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E422 Glycerol , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E903 Carnauba wax , E955 Sucralose , E965 Maltitol

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E422 Glycerol.

As written on the pack

protein blend (whey protein isolate, milk protein isolate), isomalto-oligosaccharides (prebiotic fiber from vegetable source), vegetable glycerin, maltitol, palm kernel oil, sunflower seed butter, natural flavors, nonfat dry milk, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), sea salt, confectioner's sprinkles [sugar, corn starch, blend of vegetable oil (palm, palm kernel), confectioner's glaze, colored with fruit and vegetable concentrates, soy lecithin (an emulsifier), dextrin, carnauba wax, sodium bicarbonate], tapioca starch, distilled monoglycerides, calcium carbonate and sucralose,

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.

  • E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
  • 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.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E903 Carnauba wax Carnauba wax comes from the leaves of a Brazilian palm and gives sweets and coated chocolates their shine.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • E965 Maltitol Maltitol is a sugar alcohol made from starch, used as a sweetener in "no added sugar" sweets and chocolate.
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  • 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.

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.
4 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.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 426 protein bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 377th. 93% of the protein bars 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 426 protein bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0788434108089, last edited 30 July 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.