Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Red bull Redbull ultra-processed?

4 x 250ml Sweetened beverages Sold in Australia and New Zealand

Pack of Red bull Redbull

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:

  • 24 ingredients
  • 7 additives

Less processed sweetened 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

Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, acidity regulator (citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate), flavours, colours (caramel 1, riboflavin), caffeine 0.03%, vitamins (niacinamide, pantothenic acid, bó, b12), contains caffeine, not recommended for children, laurine pregnant and lactating women and caffeine sensitive persons, usage (2 cans max), daily, best before and lot id-see base of can

Additives: E101 Riboflavin , E101i Riboflavin , E330 Citric acid , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate , E504 Magnesium carbonates , E504i Magnesium carbonate

As written on the pack

Carbonated water, sucrose, glucose, acidity regulator, (citric acid, sodium bicarbonate, magnesium carbonate) (0,4%), flavours, colours (caramel 1, riboflavin), caffeine (0,03%), vitamins (niacinamide, pantothenic acid, bó, b12) contains caffeine, not recommended for children, laurine pregnant or lactating women or caffeine sensitive persons, usage: 2 cans max, daily, pasteurised, best before and lot id-see base of can

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.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.
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.

  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 548 sweetened beverages

From least to most processed, this one ranks 350th. 94% of the sweetened beverages 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 548 sweetened beverages, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 9002490100759, last edited 30 May 2025), 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.