Health, fitness and the supplement aisle. An independent South African desk.
Protein · Answer
The cleanest whey in South Africa is one with a single-ingredient or whey-plus-real-flavour list and no sweeteners. ATP Fitness lists no sweeteners on any whey SKU (concentrate from R800 per kg, isolate R900 to R1 050 per 800 g), and Lifestyle Food Unflavoured Concentrate (R500 per 500 g) is a second unsweetened option; most mainstream wheys use sucralose (October 2026).
"Clean" here means few ingredients and no artificial sweeteners. The label does the work: read the ingredient list, not the front of the tub. Prices are October 2026.
| Brand and product | Sweeteners listed |
|---|---|
| NPL Platinum Whey, Whey Isolate, Casein | sucralose |
| Primal Whey Protein and Whey Isolate | sucralose |
| Biogen Complete Whey | sucralose |
| Tony Ferguson Whey (WPC 87%) | sucralose |
| Myprotein Impact Whey | sucralose |
| PVM Protein XTR | fructose plus sodium cyclamate and saccharin |
| USN BlueLab Plant Protein | sucralose, acesulfame-K, steviol glycosides |
| Evox, USN whey, Optimum Nutrition | not named in the page text we could read |
| ATP Fitness (all whey) | none |
| Lifestyle Food Whey Concentrate Unflavoured | none listed |
"Not named" does not mean "none". Many Dis-Chem pages show nutrition tables as images. Check the physical tub.
Per 100 g of powder: ATP concentrate R80 to R85, against sucralose-sweetened NPL Platinum Whey at R77 and USN BlueLab at R69. For isolate, ATP at R112.50 to R118.75 sits near USN Isozero (R112). So you pay roughly R3 to R16 more per 100 g than these sweetened blends for a sweetener-free ingredient list. Fair to flag: ATP does not publish protein per serving, so we cannot give a verified cost per 30 g of protein.
The evidence for harm at normal intakes is not settled, and we make no health claim either way. Some people simply prefer to avoid them, and some have digestive sensitivity to polyols and sugar alcohols (common in bars). If you are managing a medical condition or phenylketonuria (aspartame), ask your doctor or dietitian.
Compare by protein with whey per 30 g of protein, read is ATP whey good, or see the best clean-label protein.
| Product | Size | Price (source, date) | Servings | R per 100 g powder | R per 30 g protein | Sweeteners |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATP Fitness Unflavoured Whey Protein Concentrate | 1 kg | R800 (ATP Fitness shop, 2026-10) | — | R80.00 | — | None |
| ATP Fitness Belgian Cocoa Whey Protein Concentrate | 1 kg | R850 (ATP Fitness shop, 2026-10) | — | R85.00 | — | None |
| ATP Fitness Madagascan Vanilla Whey Protein Isolate | 800 g | R950 (ATP Fitness shop, 2026-10) | — | R118.75 | — | None |
| ATP Fitness Unflavoured Whey Protein Isolate | 800 g | R900 (ATP Fitness shop, 2026-10) | — | R112.50 | — | None |
| Lifestyle Food Whey Protein Concentrate Unflavoured (500 g) | 500 g | R500 (Dis-Chem Living Fit, 2026-10) | — | R100.00 | R39.47 | none listed |
| NPL Platinum Whey (908 g) | 908 g | R700 (NPL shop (npl.za.com), 2026-10) | — | R77.09 | R32.89 | sucralose |
Educational information, not medical advice. Speak to a doctor, pharmacist or registered dietitian before using supplements if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, taking medication, or living with kidney, liver or heart disease. Prices were observed in October 2026 and are not offers.