365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk — OKAY

Munch or Dump rates 365 by Whole Foods Market Organic Unsweetened Almond Milk by 365 by Whole Foods Market OKAY — score 58/90.

Unsweetened organic almond milk: filtered water, organic almonds, a little sea salt, two texture gums, then fortified with vitamins and calcium. The important part is that there is no added sugar. The gums and fortification make it a processed convenience drink rather than a whole food, and it is very low in protein.

Why this verdict

• No added sugar or sweeteners — genuinely unsweetened
• Real base of organic almonds and filtered water, short list
• Gellan gum and locust bean gum added as texture stabilizers
• Fortified with calcium and vitamins A, D2, E, and B12
• Very low in protein compared with dairy or soy milk

Ingredients (9)

• Organic almondmilk (filtered water, organic almonds) (safe) — Ground almonds blended with water. The almond content is small, so most of the volume is water.
• Sea Salt (moderate) — Sodium source; no nutritional edge over regular salt.
• Tricalcium Phosphate (safe) — Added calcium source for fortification.
• gellan gum (moderate) — Stabilizer that keeps almond solids suspended; generally well tolerated.
• organic locust bean gum (moderate) — Plant-derived thickener for mouthfeel. Generally safe.
• Vitamin A palmitate (safe) — Standard fortification to replace vitamin A lost when fat is removed. A nutrient, not an additive of concern.
• Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D2) (safe) — Plant-source vitamin D fortification.
• DL-alpha-tocopherol acetate (Vitamin E) (safe) — Synthetic vitamin E for fortification and stability. Safe at these levels.
• Cyanocobalamin (Vitamin B12) (safe) — Added B12, valuable in a plant-based beverage.