Is Orgain Vanilla Protein Shake ultra-processed?

11 fl oz Protein shakes 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:

Flavouring
Milk proteins
Vegetable fiber
E1400 Dextrin
E410 Locust bean gum
E418 Gellan gum

48 ingredients
5 additives

Less processed protein shakes

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

Filtered water, orgain protein blend (milk protein concentrate (ultra-processing marker), whey protein (ultra-processing marker)), cane sugar (processing marker), brown rice syrup, rice dextrins, high oleic sunflower oil (processing marker), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), inulin (ultra-processing marker), orgain vitamin and minerals blend (sodium ascorbate, magnesium sulfate, zinc gluconate, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, vitamin a palmitate, potassium iodide (processing marker), copper gluconate, biotin, calcium d-pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, cholecalciferol, folic acid, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin), rice bran, trisodium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, tripotassium citrate, gellan gum (ultra-processing marker), potassium chloride, sea salt (processing marker), locust bean gum (ultra-processing marker), orgain fruit blend powder (acai, apple, banana, blueberry, raspberry), orgain veggie blend powder (tomato, spinach, beet, carrot, kale), natural flavor (ultra-processing marker)

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E339 Sodium phosphates , E339iii Trisodium phosphate , E410 Locust bean gum , E418 Gellan gum

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E1400 Dextrin.

As written on the pack

Filtered water, orgain organic protein blend (*organic milk protein concentrate, organic whey protein concentrate), organic cane sugar, organic brown rice syrup, organic rice dextrins, organic high oleic sunflower oil, organic natural flavor, organic inulin, orgain vitamin & minerals blend (sodium ascorbate, magnesium sulfate, zinc gluconate, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, niacinamide, vitamin a palmitate, potassium iodide, copper gluconate, biotin, calcium d-pantothenate, cyanocobalamin, cholecalciferol, folic acid, thiamine hydrochloride, pyridoxine hydrochloride, riboflavin), organic rice bran extract, trisodium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, tripotassium citrate, gellan gum, potassium chloride, sea salt, organic locust bean gum, orgain organic fruit blend powder (organic acai, organic apple, organic banana, organic blueberry, organic raspberry), orgain organic veggie blend powder (organic tomato, organic spinach, organic beet, organic carrot, organic kale), natural flavor

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.
E410 Locust bean gum Locust bean gum (carob gum) is a thickener and stabiliser from the seeds of the carob tree.
E418 Gellan gum Stabilisers are substances which make it possible to maintain the physico-chemical state of a foodstuff; stabilisers include substances which enable the maintenance of a homogenous dispersion of two or more immiscible substances in a foodstuff, substances which stabilise, retain or intensify an existing colour of a foodstuff and substances which increase the binding capacity of the food, including the formation of cross-links between proteins enabling the binding of food pieces into re-constituted food.
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.

Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.

3 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.
Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 157 protein shakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 86th. 97% of the protein shakes 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 157 protein shakes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0860547000020, last edited 11 May 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.