Is Cheerios Veggie Blend ultra-processed?

Breakfast cereals Sold in the United States

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Flavouring
Glucose
E160b Annatto

85 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed breakfast cereals

Sprouted Rolled Oats One Degree Organic Foods 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Old Fashioned Oats Quaker Oats 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Quick 1-Minute Oats Quaker Oats 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1
Old Fashioned 100% Whole Grain Rolled Oats Quaker Oats 1 ingredient · no additives NOVA group 1

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, corn meal, sugar (processing marker), sweet potato, corn starch (processing marker), carrot powder, canola, sunflower oil (processing marker), strawberry puree, apple puree, corn syrup (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), spinach powder, fruit, vegetable juice, annatto (ultra-processing marker), tripotassium phosphate, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker), vitamin e (mixed tocopherols), added to preserve freshness, vitamins, minerals (calcium carbonate), iron, zinc (mineral nutrients), vitamin c (sodium ascorbate), a b vitamin (niacinamide), vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b₁ (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin a (palmitate), vitamins, vitamin b2, riboflavin, a b vitamins, folic acid, vitamin b12, vitamin d3, ingredientes (avena integral), harina de maíz, azúcar, camote en polvo, almidón de maíz, zanahoria en polvo, aceite de canola y, o girasol, puré de fresas, puré de manzana, jarabe de maíz, sal, espinaca en polvo, jugo de frutas y verduras, extracto de achiote, fosfato tripotásico, saborizante natural, vitamina e (tocoferoles mezclados), añadida para preservar la frescura, vitaminas y minerales (carbonato de calcio), hierro y zinc (nutrientes minerales), vitamina c (ascorbato de sodio), vitamina a b (niacinamida), vitamina b (clorhidrato de piridoxina), vitamina b₁ (mononitrato de tiamina), vitamina a (palmitato), vitamina b2 (riboflavina), vitamina a b (ácido fólico), vitamina b12, vitamina d3

Additives: E160b Annatto , E340 Potassium phosphates , E340iii Tripotassium phosphate

As written on the pack

whole grain oats, corn meal, sugar, sweet potato powder, corn starch, carrot powder, canola and/or sunflower oil, strawberry puree, apple puree, corn syrup, salt, spinach powder, color (fruit and vegetable juice, annatto extract), tripotassium phosphate, natural flavor. vitamin e (mixed tocopherols) added to preserve freshness. vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, iron and zinc (mineral nutrients), vitamin c (sodium ascorbate), a b vitamin (niacinamide), vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b₁ (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin a (palmitate), vitamin b2 (riboflavin), a b vitamin (folic acid), vitamin b12, vitamin d3. ingredientes: avena integral, harina de maíz, azúcar, camote en polvo, almidón de maíz, zanahoria en polvo, aceite de canola y/o girasol, puré de fresas, puré de manzana, jarabe de maíz, sal, espinaca en polvo, color (jugo de frutas y verduras, extracto de achiote), fosfato tripotásico, saborizante natural. vitamina e (tocoferoles mezclados) añadida para preservar la frescura. vitaminas y minerales: carbonato de calcio, hierro y zinc (nutrientes minerales), vitamina c (ascorbato de sodio), vitamina a b (niacinamida), vitamina b, (clorhidrato de piridoxina), vitamina b₁ (mononitrato de tiamina), vitamina a (palmitato), vitamina b2 (riboflavina), vitamina a b (ácido fólico), vitamina b12, vitamina 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.

E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

Substances rarely used in home kitchens

Refined or extracted in factories, such as syrups made from starch or isolated proteins. The other hallmark of ultra-processed food.

Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.

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 1,868 breakfast cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1588th. 60% of the breakfast 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 1,868 breakfast cereals, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0016000200043, last edited 1 September 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.