Is General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios ultra-processed?

19 oz Extruded 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:

Glucose

36 ingredients
3 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 (processing marker), Corn Starch (processing marker), Apple Puree, Corn Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Canola, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Refiner's Syrup, Salt (processing marker), Cinnamon, Trisodium Phosphate, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), Vitamins, Minerals (Calcium Carbonate), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), Iron, Zinc, B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamins, vitamin B1, thiamin mononitrate, Vitamin A (palmitate), vitamins, vitamin B2, riboflavin, B vitamins, folic acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E339 Sodium phosphates , E339iii Trisodium phosphate

As written on the pack

Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Corn Starch, Apple Puree Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Refiner's Syrup, Salt, Cinnamon, Trisodium Phosphate, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols). Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), Iron, Zinc, 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.

What makes it ultra-processed

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 373 extruded cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 208th. 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 0016000169159, last edited 28 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.