Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares caramel & chocolate ultra-processed?

Puffed rice cakes Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Squares caramel & chocolate

Yes, it's ultra-processed

  1. 1 Unprocessed
  2. 2 Kitchen staple
  3. 3 Processed
  4. 4 Ultra-processed

Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:

  • 51 ingredients
  • 7 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed puffed rice cakes

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

Kellogg's Toasted Rice Cereal, rice, sugar, salt, BARLEY malt extract, niacin, iron, vitamins, vitamin B6, vitamin B2, vitamin B1, vitamin B9, vitamin D, vitamin B12, sweetened condensed skimmed MILK (milk, skimmed, sugar), chocolate flavouring coating (sugar, vegetable oil (certified sustainable palm oil, rapeseed), WHEY powder, skimmed MILK powder, fat-reduced cocoa powder, emulsifiers (e322i from SOY, e450i), flavouring), fructose, glucose syrup, MILK chocolate pieces (sugar, whole MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier (e322i from SOY), natural vanilla flavouring), certified sustainable palm oil, sugar, invert sugar syrup, humectant (e422), salt, gelling agent (agar), flavourings, antioxidant (e320)

Additives: E320 Butylated hydroxyanisole (bha) , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E406 Agar , E422 Glycerol , E450 Diphosphates , E450i Disodium diphosphate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E322 Lecithins.

As written on the pack

Kellogg's Toasted Rice Cereal (rice, sugar, salt, BARLEY malt extract, niacin, iron, vitamins B6, B2, B1, B9, vitamin D, B12), sweetened condensed skimmed MILK (MILK, skimmed, sugar), chocolate flavouring coating (sugar, vegetable oil (certified sustainable palm oil, rapeseed), WHEY powder, skimmed MILK powder, fat-reduced cocoa powder, emulsifiers (E322i from SOY, E450i), flavouring), fructose, glucose syrup, MILK chocolate pieces (sugar, whole MILK powder, cocoa butter, cocoa mass, emulsifier (E322i from SOY), natural vanilla flavouring), certified sustainable palm oil, sugar, invert sugar syrup, humectant (E422), salt, gelling agent (agar), flavourings, antioxidant (E320)

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.
  • E406 Agar A food additive used to dissolve, dilute, disperse or otherwise physically modify a food additive or nutrient without altering its function -and without exerting any technological effect itself- in order to facilitate its handling, application or use of the food additive or nutrient.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Emulsifier Emulsifiers keep fat and water from separating, giving products a smooth, stable texture over a long shelf life.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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  • Gelling agent Gelling agents such as pectin, gelatine or carrageenan set liquids into gels and stabilise textures.
  • Humectant Humectants are substances which prevent foods from drying out by counteracting the effect of an atmosphere having a low degree of humidity, or promote the dissolution of a powder in an aqueous medium.

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.
  • Glucose syrup Glucose syrup is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
  • Whey Whey is the liquid left over from cheese making, usually dried into a powder and used as a cheap source of milk solids, protein and lactose.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
6 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 fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.
  • Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
  • Milk powder Milk powder is milk with the water evaporated off: a preserved form of a whole food rather than an industrial extract.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 142 puffed rice cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 142nd. 63% of the puffed rice cakes 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 142 puffed rice cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5000127730168, last edited 12 July 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.