Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Red Bull Energy Drink ultra-processed?

250 ml Sodas Sold in the United Kingdom, the United States and 11 more countries

Pack of Red Bull Energy 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
  • 9 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed sodas

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

Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Citric Acid, Carbon Dioxide, Taurine 0.4%, Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, Flavourings, Caramel, Riboflavin, Caffeine 0.03%, vitamins, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, vitamin B6, vitamin B12

Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E101i Riboflavin , E150 Caramel , E290 Carbon dioxide , E330 Citric acid , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E504 Magnesium carbonates , E504i Magnesium carbonate

As written on the pack

Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Acidifier (Citric Acid), Carbon Dioxide, Taurine (0.4%), Acidity Regulators (Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate), Flavourings, Colours (Caramel, Riboflavin), Caffeine (0.03%), Vitamins (Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, B6, 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.

  • E101 Riboflavin Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • E150 Caramel A food additive authorised for industrial food production.
  • E290 Carbon dioxide Preservatives are substances which prolong the shelf-life of foods by protecting them against deterioration caused by micro-organisms and/or which protect against growth of pathogenic micro-organisms.
  • 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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 613 sodas

From least to most processed, this one ranks 484th. 94% of the sodas 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 613 sodas, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 90162602, last edited 8 September 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.