Ensure Clear nutrition drink

by Ensure

45
Avoid
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 3 flagged ingredients

Ensure Clear nutrition drink by Ensure receives a safety score of 45/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 3 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0070074624815
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed

What the Data Says About

Ensure Clear nutrition drink by Ensure carries a composite safety score of 45/100, which we classify as "Avoid" on our four-tier shelf-label framework. The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Our scan identified 3 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Ensure Clear nutrition drink is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Ensure Clear nutrition drink
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 45/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 3 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Water
2
Corn Maltodextrin
3
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
4
Whey Protein Isolate
5
Natural Flavor
6
Phosphoric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FUMIGANT, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT
Cut Back GRAS
7
Malic Acid
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SYNERGIST
Safe GRAS
8
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
9
Acesulfame Potassium
NON-NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Avoid Approved
10
Red 40
Avoid Approved (certified color)
11
Sucralose
NUTRITIVE SWEETENER
Avoid Approved
12
Ferrous Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
13
Zinc Sulfate
MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
14
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
15
Calcium Pantothenate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
16
Manganese Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
17
Copper Sulfate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
18
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
19
Thiamine Hydrochloride
FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
20
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
21
Chromium Chloride
22
Potassium Iodide
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, TRACER
GRAS
23
Sodium Selenate
24
Sodium Molybdate
25
Biotin
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SEQUESTRANT
GRAS
26
Vitamin B12

Full Ingredient List

WATER, CORN MALTODEXTRIN, SUGAR, WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, MALIC ACID, CITRIC ACID, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, RED 40, SUCRALOSE, FERROUS SULFATE, ZINC SULFATE, NIACINAMIDE, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, MANGANESE SULFATE, COPPER SULFATE, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE, RIBOFLAVIN, CHROMIUM CHLORIDE, POTASSIUM IODIDE, SODIUM SELENATE, SODIUM MOLYBDATE, BIOTIN, VITAMIN B12

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial