Almost always yes, and the format is the reason. Dried greens are bitter, they clump, and they do not dissolve well. Making them into a palatable daily drink generally requires a flavoring, a sweetener, a carrier and often an isolate or an added fiber, and each of those is a marker that places a product in the ultra-processed group under the NOVA classification used in nutrition research.
This is a statement about a manufacturing format, not an accusation about any company. You can check any tub in about ten seconds, and the method is below.
The test, and why one ingredient is enough
NOVA sorts foods by the extent and purpose of industrial processing. A product is ultra-processed, group 4, if its ingredient list contains at least one substance rarely used in home kitchens, or one additive whose job is cosmetic. One is enough. There is no partial credit and no offsetting: a product cannot compensate with the quality of its other ingredients.
| Marker | Why a greens powder usually needs it | Typical label wording |
|---|---|---|
| Flavors | Dried greens are bitter and grassy | Natural flavors, natural flavour blend |
| Sweeteners | Same reason, plus the drink is consumed neat | Stevia leaf extract, monk fruit, erythritol, sucralose |
| Isolated fiber | Prebiotic claims, and bulk | Inulin, chicory root fiber, soluble corn fiber |
| Protein isolates | Protein claims, texture | Pea protein isolate, whey protein isolate, rice protein isolate |
| Carriers and fillers | Powder needs volume and flow | Maltodextrin, dextrose, soluble corn fiber syrup solids |
| Emulsifiers | Helps a powder disperse in water | Lecithin, sunflower lecithin |
| Thickeners | Mouthfeel | Xanthan gum, guar gum, gellan gum |
| Anti-caking agents (not a NOVA marker class on its own) | Powder absorbs moisture and clumps. NOVA does not enumerate anti-caking among its group 4 additive classes, so treat these as a signal rather than a verdict. | Silica, silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate |
Note what is not on this list. Vitamins, minerals, probiotics, mushroom extracts and botanical extracts are not group 4 markers in themselves. The classification is not a judgement about whether an ingredient is good for you. It is a description of how a product was built.
Worked example: AG1 Next Gen
AG1 is the most widely recognized product in the category, so it makes the clearest example. Every claim about AG1 below was read from AG1's own ingredients page on 5 September 2026 and can be checked at the link in the sources.
The listed "Other Ingredients" are: natural flavors, citric acid, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) leaf extract, silica. The main blend includes, among many other things, pea protein isolate, lecithin and inulin (chicory root) powder.
| Ingredient | NOVA group 4 marker? | Class |
|---|---|---|
| Natural flavors | Yes | Cosmetic additive: flavours |
| Stevia leaf extract | Yes | Cosmetic additive: sweeteners |
| Pea protein isolate | Yes | Substance of no or rare culinary use: protein isolates |
| Inulin (chicory root) powder | Yes | Substance of no or rare culinary use: isolated soluble fibre |
| Lecithin | Yes | Cosmetic additive: emulsifiers |
| Silica | Not on its own | Anti-caking agent. NOVA's enumerated additive classes do not include anti-caking. |
| Citric acid | Not on its own | Preservative-type additives can appear in group 3 as well |
Five markers, where one would have been sufficient. AG1 Next Gen is ultra-processed under NOVA.
One further detail worth knowing if you buy a greens powder for the greens: as of 5 September 2026, AG1's published ingredients page for AG1 Next Gen lists neither spinach nor kale. Its green inputs are spirulina, chlorella, matcha, wheatgrass, alfalfa and barley leaf. AG1 does list broccoli powder and carrot root powder in its phytonutrient complex. None of this is a criticism of spirulina, which is a perfectly respectable ingredient. If you chose a greens powder expecting leafy greens specifically, the label is worth reading before you assume.
How to check the tub you already own
- Turn it over and find "Other Ingredients." This line sits below the Supplement Facts panel and is where flavors, sweeteners and anti-caking agents are declared. It is the fastest place to find a group 4 marker.
- Read the proprietary blends too. Isolates and inulin are usually inside the blend list rather than in "Other Ingredients."
- Ignore the front of the pack. Organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, third-party tested and "no artificial sweeteners" are all compatible with being ultra-processed. So is being genuinely good quality.
- Stop at the first marker. One is enough. You do not need to finish the list.
What being ultra-processed does and does not mean here
It does not mean a greens powder is worthless or unsafe. The vitamins in it are still vitamins. The evidence linking ultra-processed food to health outcomes concerns dietary patterns dominated by these foods and is mostly observational: the largest umbrella review of that literature graded 22 of its 45 pooled analyses as low quality and 19 as very low. It does not translate into a claim about any single supplement. Anyone telling you a scoop of greens powder will harm you is going beyond what the research supports.
What it does mean is narrower and still useful. If your reason for buying a greens powder was to eat something closer to real food, the classification says the format works against that goal, because the additives are not incidental to it. They are what makes a dried-greens drink palatable at all.
Where SaladPower differs
SaladPower is not a powder. It is six whole organic ingredients blended, commercially processed and sealed: spinach, kale, carrot, broccoli, apple and lemon. There are no flavors, no sweeteners, no added sugar, no gums, no isolated fiber, no isolates and no anti-caking agents, because nothing has to be reconstituted. NOVA's Table 1 places fruit and vegetable preparations preserved by methods including pasteurization, with no added sugar, sweeteners or flavours, in group 1, minimally processed. Each pouch holds 5 to 6 cups of vegetables, which is 2x the USDA daily recommended vegetable intake, per third-party testing commissioned by our manufacturer, in 90 calories with 5 g of fiber.
Powders win on shelf life, on cost per serving and on the sheer number of ingredients they can carry. Whole blended vegetables win on the question this page is about.
Related reading
What counts as ultra-processed food covers both definitions and the full marker list. Are smoothies and blended foods ultra-processed applies the test across the blended category. For direct comparisons, see SaladPower vs. greens powders and SaladPower vs. AG1.
Frequently asked questions
Are greens powders ultra-processed?
Nearly all are. The format generally requires a flavoring, a sweetener and often an isolate or an added fiber, and any one of those places a product in NOVA group 4. Check the "Other Ingredients" line on your own tub to confirm.
Is AG1 ultra-processed?
Yes, under the NOVA classification. Its published Other Ingredients line reads natural flavors, citric acid, stevia (Stevia rebaudiana) leaf extract, silica, and its blend includes pea protein isolate, lecithin and inulin. Any one of the flavors, sweetener, isolate, fibre or emulsifier is sufficient on its own. Read on AG1's ingredients page on 5 September 2026.
Does organic or non-GMO certification mean a powder is not ultra-processed?
No. Those certifications describe how ingredients are grown and handled, not how a product is formulated. An organic greens powder with organic natural flavors and organic stevia is still ultra-processed by this test.
Does ultra-processed mean a greens powder is bad for me?
Not by itself. The research linking ultra-processed food to health outcomes concerns dietary patterns dominated by such foods and is mostly observational, with most of the pooled analyses graded low or very low quality. It does not support a claim that a single daily supplement causes harm. The classification tells you how a product was made, not whether it works.
Do greens powders contain actual leafy greens?
It varies more than the category name suggests, and the answer is on the label. As of 5 September 2026, AG1's published ingredients page for AG1 Next Gen lists neither spinach nor kale; its green inputs are spirulina, chlorella, matcha, wheatgrass, alfalfa and barley leaf. Other brands differ, so check the specific product.
Sources
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Lawrence M, Costa Louzada ML, Pereira Machado P. Ultra-processed foods, diet quality, and health using the NOVA classification system. Rome: FAO; 2019. Full text (PDF)
- Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition. 2019;22(5):936-941. doi:10.1017/S1368980018003762
- Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
- AG1 ingredients, AG1 Next Gen formula. drinkag1.com/ingredients/ag1-nextgen-formula
- SaladPower Nutrition Facts panel, per 8 oz pouch.
- Third-party laboratory testing commissioned by SaladPower, vegetable-equivalent content per 8 oz pouch.
All claims about AG1 on this page were taken from AG1's website on 5 September 2026. Formulations change; check the current label before relying on any figure here.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
