Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Cheerios Vanilla O's ultra-processed?

360 g Extruded cereals Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Cheerios Vanilla O's

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:

  • 23 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score A

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

oat flour 31.5%, wheat 31.5%, barley flour 19%, fructo-oligosaccharides, wheat starch, sugar, maize flour 2.2%, rice flour 2.2%, sunflower oil, calcium carbonate, salt, flavourings, antioxidant (tocopherols), iron, vitamins, vitamin c, vitamin b3, vitamin b5, vitamin b9, vitamin b6, vitamin b2, vitamin d

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract

As written on the pack

whole grain oat flour (31,5%), whole grain wheat (31,5%), whole grain barley flour (19,0%), fructo-oligosaccharides, wheat starch, sugar, whole grain maize flour (2,2%), whole grain rice flour (2,2%), sunflower oil, calcium carbonate, salt, flavourings, antioxidant: tocopherols, iron, vitamin c, b3, b5, b9, b6, b2, d,

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.

  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
  • Sweetener Sweeteners give sweetness with few or no calories, many at hundreds of times the strength of sugar.
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.

  • 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.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 373 extruded cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 235th. 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 7613287806482, last edited 9 March 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 A (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.