Is General Mills Strawberry Cheerios Protein ultra-processed?

15 oz Breakfast cereals rich in fibre fortified with vitamins and chemical elements 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

35 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed breakfast cereals rich in fibre fortified with vitamins and chemical elements

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), Pea Protein, Corn Starch (processing marker), Strawberry Puree, Apple Puree, Corn Syrup (ultra-processing marker), Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil (processing marker), Salt (processing marker), Tripotassium Phosphate, Vegetable Color, Fruit Juice Color, Natural Flavor (ultra-processing marker), Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), Iron, Zinc, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamins, vitamin B1, thiamin mononitrate, Vitamin A (palmitate), vitamins, vitamin B2, riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E340 Potassium phosphates , E340iii Tripotassium phosphate

As written on the pack

Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Pea Protein, Corn Starch, Strawberry Puree, Apple Puree Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Canola Oil, Sunflower Oil, Salt, Tripotassium Phosphate, Vegetable Juice Color, Fruit Juice Color, Natural Flavor, Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols), Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), Iron, Zinc, Niacinamide, Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), Folic Acid, Vitamin B12, 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.

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 17 breakfast cereals rich in fibre fortified with vitamins and chemical elements

From least to most processed, this one ranks 11th. 71% of the breakfast cereals rich in fibre fortified with vitamins and chemical elements 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 17 breakfast cereals rich in fibre fortified with vitamins and chemical elements, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0016000226357, last edited 26 August 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.