Is General Mills Cinnamon chex 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

36 ingredients
No additives

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

rice, rice, sugar (processing marker), canola, sunflower oil (processing marker), salt (processing marker), rice fiber, cinnamon, molasses (processing marker), 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 b2 (riboflavin), vitamin be (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamins, vitamin b, thiamin mononitrate, vitamin a (palmitate), ab vitamin (folic acid), vitamin b1, vitamin d3

As written on the pack

whole grain rice, rice, sugar, canola and/or sunflower oil, salt, rice fiber, cinnamon, molasses, 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 b2 (riboflavin), vitamin be (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b, (thiamin mononitrate), vitamin a (palmitate), ab vitamin (folic acid), vitamin b1 - 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.

Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.

3 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.
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 1067th. 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 0016000170995, last edited 4 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.
General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.