Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Powerade Orange Flavour Sports Drink ultra-processed?

710 mL Dietary drink for sport Sold in Canada

Pack of Powerade Orange Flavour Sports Drink

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:

  • 17 ingredients
  • 6 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed diet beverages

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

Reverse osmosis water, Sugar, glucose-fructose, Citric acid, Salt, Sodium citrate, Potassium phosphate, Natural flavour, Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Magnesium chloride (magnesium), Calcium chloride, Tartrazine, Sunset yellow FCF, Calcium disodium EDTA, Cyanocobalamin

Additives: E102 Tartrazine , E110 Sunset yellow FCF , E330 Citric acid , E331 Sodium citrates , E340 Potassium phosphates , E385 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate

As written on the pack

Reverse osmosis water, Sugar/glucose-fructose, Citric acid, Salt, Sodium citrate, Potassium phosphate, Natural flavour, Ascorbic acid (vitamin C), Magnesium chloride (magnesium), Calcium chloride, Tartrazine, Sunset yellow FCF, Calcium disodium EDTA, Cyanocobalamin (vitamin 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.

  • E102 Tartrazine Tartrazine is a synthetic yellow azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 5 in the US).
  • E110 Sunset yellow FCF Sunset yellow FCF is a synthetic orange azo dye (FD&C Yellow No. 6 in the US).
  • 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.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.

  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 23 dietary drink for sport

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 96% of the dietary drink for sport 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 23 dietary drink for sport, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 06748702, last edited 1 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.