Is Chocolate Chip Oat Squares ultra-processed?

Oat Sold in the United Kingdom

Yes, it's ultra-processed

1 Unprocessed
2 Kitchen staple
3 Processed
4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

Emulsifier
E322 Lecithins

15 ingredients
2 additives

Less processed oat

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

Rolled Oats 39%, Brown Rice Syrup, Palm Vegetable Oil, Rapeseed Vegetable Oil, Sugar (processing marker), Chocolate Chips 6% (Cocoa Mass, Sugar (processing marker), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier (ultra-processing marker) (Sunflower Lecithin (ultra-processing marker))), Tapioca Starch (processing marker), Water, Salt (processing marker), Made using Responsibly Sourced Palm Oil

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin

As written on the pack

Gluten Free Rolled Oats (39%), Brown Rice Syrup, Vegetable Oil (Palm, Rapeseed), Sugar, Chocolate Chips (6%) (Cocoa Mass, Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Sunflower Lecithin), Tapioca Starch, Water, Salt. Made using Responsibly Sourced Palm Oil.

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.

E322 Lecithins Lecithins are fatty substances extracted mostly from soybeans, sunflower seeds or eggs, used as emulsifiers to keep fat and water mixed, for example in chocolate.
Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.

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.
Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 103 oat

From least to most processed, this one ranks 99th. 16% of the oat 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 103 oat, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5065014117095, last edited 4 February 2025), 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.