Is Slate dark chocolate high protein milk shake ultra-processed?

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:

Cocoa
E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

12 ingredients
1 additive

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

Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Allulose, Cocoa (ultra-processing marker), Cellulose Gel, Salt (processing marker), Monk Fruit, Cellulose Gum (ultra-processing marker), Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3

Additives: E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose

As written on the pack

Ultrafiltered Skim Milk Blend (Ultrafiltered Milk, Water), Allulose, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), Cellulose Gel, Salt, Monk Fruit, Cellulose Gum, Lactase Enzyme, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin D3

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.

E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.

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.

Cocoa An ingredient mostly produced industrially and rarely used in home kitchens.

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.

Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 158 protein shakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 14th. 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 158 protein shakes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0860000815512, 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.