Product Insight: Special K Protein Shake
Special K Protein Shake by Special K is tracked in PlainIngredients with 16 identified ingredients and carries an overall safety rating of 4 out of 5 — a Low-Risk-to-Safe tier backed by FDA and EU regulatory status. On the NOVA processing scale, this product falls into Group 4 (Ultra-processed foods), a standard framework for classifying how heavily food has been industrially modified before reaching the shelf, and Its Nutri-Score grade is D, the European front-of-pack nutritional label summarizing calories, saturated fat, sodium, sugar, protein, fiber, and produce content. Within the identified ingredient list, no ingredient on this product currently carries a Caution or High-Risk flag in our database, while 15 ingredients sit at the Low-Risk or Safe end of the scale.
Our composite score weighs each ingredient's U.S. FDA regulatory status (GRAS, Approved, or Banned), European Union food-additive status under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, any U.S. state-level restrictions, and signals drawn from peer-reviewed toxicology literature. The per-product score is the mean of the per-ingredient ratings and should be read as a structured summary rather than a clinical verdict; edge cases such as cumulative exposure, individual allergies, and dietary interactions are not captured by a single number and are better addressed by reading the individual ingredient pages linked below.
Sources: Open Food Facts (product + ingredient list, CC0 licensed) · FDA SAFFA · EU Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 · U.S. state food-safety statutes
Ingredient Safety Breakdown
Processing Level
Ultra-processed products are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives. They typically contain ingredients not commonly used in home cooking.
Full Ingredients List
Water, nonfat milk, soy protein isolate, sugar, contains 2% or less of canola oil, polydextrose, cocoa processed with alkali, natural and artificial flavors, gellan gum, caramel color, cellulose gum, potassium citrate, dipotassium phosphate, sucralose, acesulfame potassium. vitamins and minerals: magnesium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, vitamin c (sodium ascorbate), vitamin e acetate, vitamin a palmitate, niacinamide, iron (ferric pyrophosphate), calcium pantothenate, zinc sulfate, vitamin d3, manganese sulfate, vitamin k1, vitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin b6 pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), potassium iodide, chromium chloride, sodium selenite, folic acid, sodium molybdate, biotin, vitamin b12.
Data Sources
- Open Food Facts — Product data and ingredient lists
- FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) Inventory — Safety scores
- EU Food Additive Regulations (EC) No 1333/2008
Product Details
- Brand
- Special K
- Barcode
- 0038000528910
- Nutri-Score
- Grade D
- NOVA Group
- 4 — Ultra-processed foods
- Available In
- United States
Related Resources
Find Products
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
