Is Kellogg's Breakfast cereal protein ultra-processed?

12.5 oz Mixed cereal flakes 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
Gluten
E322 Lecithins
E955 Sucralose

30 ingredients
3 additives
Nutri-Score D

Less processed mixed cereal flakes

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

wheat, wheat gluten (ultra-processing marker), sugar (processing marker), rice, soy protein isolate, wheat bran, soy, contains 2% and less of salt, cinnamon, malt flavor (ultra-processing marker), l-lysine monohydrochloride, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), sucralose (ultra-processing marker), bht for freshness, vitamins, minerals (reduced iron), niacinamide, vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamins, vitamin b1, thiamin hydrochloride, vitamin a palmitate, vitamins, vitamin b2, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin b12, vitamin d3

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E955 Sucralose

As written on the pack

whole grain wheat, wheat gluten, sugar, rice, soy protein isolate, wheat bran, defatted soy grits, contains 2% or less of salt, cinnamon, malt flavor, l-lysine monohydrochloride, soy lecithin, sucralose, bht for freshness, vitamins and minerals: reduced iron, niacinamide, vitamin b6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin b1 (thiamin hydrochloride), 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.

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.
E955 Sucralose Sucralose is a sweetener made by chlorinating sugar.
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.

Gluten Wheat gluten, sold as "vital wheat gluten", is the protein washed out of wheat flour.

1 ingredient that would only make it processed

Kitchen staples like sugar, salt and oil. On their own they make a food processed, not ultra-processed.

Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 15 mixed cereal flakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 15th. 47% of the mixed cereal flakes 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 15 mixed cereal flakes, least processed first

About this information

Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0038000787270, 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.
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.