Boost Balanced Nutritional Drink
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Beverages

Boost Balanced Nutritional Drink

Score

Bad 13 out of 100 Medium confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains non-nutritive sweeteners
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains seed oils

Why it scores 13

Boost Balanced Nutritional Drink scores 13 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. minus 20 points Corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
  3. minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

The Receipt

Balanced Nutritional Drink

START100

Ingredients

  • Corn syrup minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Sugar minus 20 points
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Carrageenan minus 7.5 points
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher carrageenan intake was associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes; cause and effect is not established. [4][5][6][7]
  • Milk protein concentrate / isolate minus 1.5 points
    Info An ingredient typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [8]
  • Canola oil minus 1 points
    Emerging High in omega-6 linoleic acid. [9][10][11][12]
subtotal−50

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [8]
  • 5 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 6 points
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: flavoring, industrial protein, industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate, non-nutritive sweetener and thickener, stabilizer or gelling agent. [8]
subtotal−24

Nutrition per 100 ml

  • Sugars 4.6 g / 100 ml minus 9 points
    Strong High in sugar. [1]
  • Energy 105 kcal / 100 ml minus 4 points
    Info Energy-dense for its volume. [2]
subtotal−13

TOTAL 13Bad

100 − 87 = 13

Can’t score above 79. Contains corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]


GTIN 00041679940006 · 2026-04-26

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

Medium confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 ml

Energy105 kcal
Fat2.5 g
Saturated fat0.4 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates11.8 g
Sugars4.6 g
Fiber0 g
Protein8.4 g
Salt0.2 g

Serving: 237.0g

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

water, glucose syrup, milk protein concentrate, sugar, canola oil, and less than 2% of soy protein isolate, calcium caseinate, sodium caseinate, cocoa processed with alkali, vitamins and minerals, cellulose gel and gum, salt, natural flavor, carrageenan, stevia leaf extract, steviol glycosides #vitamins and minerals: potassium citrate, magnesium chloride, calcium phosphate, sodium ascorbate, magnesium phosphate, choline bitartrate, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, potassium chloride, ferric pyrophosphate, zinc sulfate, niacinamide, manganese sulfate, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, copper sulfate, riboflavin, thiamine hydrochloride, vitamin a palmitate, folic acid, potassium iodide, sodium selenate, vitamin k₁, chromium chloride, biotin, vitamin d3, sodium molybdate, vitamin b12 contains: milk and soy ingredients manufactured for nestlé health care nutrition, inc. ratu en 20 o use by:30dec2023 2273572007 a 12:01 da

Allergens and diets

Contains: Milk, Soy

  • Not vegan
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Food additive emulsifiers and the risk of type 2 diabetes: analysis of data from the NutriNet-Santé prospective cohort study

    The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology · May 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “We found direct associations between the risk of type 2 diabetes and exposures to various food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods, in a large prospective cohort of French adults.”

    doi.org

  5. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  6. Re-evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Apr 26, 2018 · Agency assessment

    “However, the Panel noted uncertainties as regards the chemistry, the exposure assessment and biological and toxicological data.”

    doi.org

  7. Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1–142 (List of Classifications)

    International Agency for Research on Cancer (WHO) · IARC

    monographs.iarc.who.int

  8. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  9. Re-evaluation of the traditional diet-heart hypothesis: analysis of recovered data from Minnesota Coronary Experiment (1968-73)

    BMJ · Apr 12, 2016 · Peer-reviewed

    “replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”

    doi.org

  10. Dietary Linoleic Acid and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

    Circulation · Oct 28, 2014 · Peer-reviewed

    “These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”

    doi.org

  11. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  12. WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline

    World Health Organization · May 15, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.”

    who.int

  13. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org

  14. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org