Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Cheerios Oat Crunch ultra-processed?

515 g Extruded cereals Sold in the United States

Pack of Cheerios Oat Crunch

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 46 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

Less processed extruded cereals

Less processed isn't automatically healthier, so compare the labels for what matters to you, such as sugar or salt.

Ingredients

Ultra-processing Processing signs are highlighted

oats, sugar, corn, modified corn starch, canola oil, corn starch, honey, rice, corn bran, sorghum, millet, salt, tripotassium phosphate, baking soda, color (caramel color, annatto), natural flavor, vitamin e (mixed tocopherols), added to preserve freshness, vitamins, minerals (calcium carbonate), iron, zinc (mineral nutrients), a b vitamin (niacinamide), vitamin c (sodium ascorbate), a b vitamins, calcium pantothenate, vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), vitamins, vitamin b1, thiamin mononitrate, a b vitamins, folic acid, vitamin b12, vitamin a (palmitate), vitamin d3

Additives: E340 Potassium phosphates , E340iii Tripotassium phosphate , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

whole grain oats, sugar, whole grain corn, modified corn starch, canola oil, corn starch, honey, whole grain rice, corn bran, whole grain sorghum, whole grain millet, salt, tripotassium phosphate, baking soda, color (caramel color and annatto extract), natural flavor. vitamin e (mixed tocopherols) added to preserve freshness. vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, iron and zinc (mineral nutrients), a b vitamin (niacinamide), vitamin c (sodium ascorbate), a b vitamin (calcium pantothenate), vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), vitamin b1 (thiamin mononitrate), a b vitamin (folic acid), vitamin b12, vitamin a (palmitate), vitamin d3.

What makes it ultra-processed

Cosmetic additives

Added to change how the food looks, feels or tastes, not to keep it safe. A hallmark of ultra-processed food.

  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Modified starch Modified starch is starch altered physically, with enzymes or chemically, so that it thickens, gels or survives freezing and heating better than ordinary starch.
4 ingredients that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 373 extruded cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 286th. 64% of the extruded cereals here are ultra-processed.

Ranked by NOVA group, then by the number of ultra-processing signs, additives and ingredients. Our ordering, not part of NOVA.

All 373 extruded cereals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0016000163447, last edited 4 April 2026), available under the Open Database License. If something is wrong or the recipe has changed, you can correct it there.
  • Photo: Open Food Facts contributors, CC BY-SA 3.0.
  • The NOVA group is an automated estimate from crowdsourced data: a missing or mistyped ingredient can change it.
  • NOVA measures processing, not nutrition. For nutrition, Open Food Facts gives this product a Nutri-Score of D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.