Is it ultra-processed?
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Is SlimFast Tasty Balanced Meal Shake ultra-processed?

365g Dietary supplements Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of SlimFast Tasty Balanced Meal Shake

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:

  • 34 ingredients
  • 3 additives

Less processed dietary supplements

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

Skimmed Milk Powder, Corn Maltodextrin, Vegetable Inulin, Whey Powder, Soya Bean Oil, Natural Flavouring, Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Milk Protein, Beetroot, Minerals (Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium, Manganese, iodine, Copper), vitamins, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B3, vitamin A, vitamin B5, vitamin B7, vitamin B12, vitamin B9, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin K, Salt, Sucralose

Additives: E415 Xanthan gum , E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

Skimmed Milk Powder, Corn Maltodextrin, Vegetable Inulin, Whey Powder (Milk), Soya Bean Oil Powder (Milk), Natural Flavouring, Thickeners (Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum), Milk Protein, Beetroot Concentrate, Minerals (Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Selenium, Manganese, iodine, Copper), Vitamins (C, E, B3, A, B5, B7, B12, B9, D, B6, B1, B2, K), Salt, Sweetener (Sucralose).

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.

  • E415 Xanthan gum Xanthan gum is a thickener made by fermenting sugar with the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris.
  • E466 Sodium carboxy methyl cellulose Carboxymethyl cellulose is a thickener made by chemically modifying cellulose from wood or cotton.
  • E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
  • 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.

  • Maltodextrin Maltodextrin is a white powder made by partly breaking down starch.
  • Milk proteins Milk proteins are proteins separated from milk, such as caseinates and whey protein concentrates, added to adjust texture or raise protein content.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,145 dietary supplements

From least to most processed, this one ranks 794th. 90% of the dietary supplements 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 1,145 dietary supplements, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5055967501874, last edited 30 August 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.