Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats ultra-processed?

Cakes Sold in the United States

Pack of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats

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:

  • 26 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

Less processed 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

toasted rice cereal (rice, sugar, salt, malt flavor, niacinamide, reduced iron, vitamin b2 (riboflavin), folic acid), corn syrup, fructose, vegetable oil (soybean, palm oil with tbhq for freshness), sugar, corn syrup solids, contains 2% and less of vegetable glycerin, dextrose, gelatin, natural and artificial flavors, salt, datem, acetylated monoglycerides, soy lecithin, bht for freshness

Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E422 Glycerol , E428 Gelatine , E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E422 Glycerol.

As written on the pack

toasted rice cereal (rice, sugar, salt, malt flavor, niacinamide, reduced iron, vitamin b2 [riboflavin], folic acid), corn syrup, fructose, vegetable oil (soybean and palm oil with tbhq for freshness), sugar, corn syrup solids, contains 2% or less of vegetable glycerin, dextrose, gelatin, natural and artificial flavors (contains milk), salt, datem, acetylated monoglycerides, soy lecithin, bht for freshness,

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.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E428 Gelatine Gelatine is a gelling agent made from collagen in animal skin and bones.
  • E472e Mono- and diacetyltartaric acid esters of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • 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.

  • Dextrose Dextrose is pure glucose crystallised from starch-derived syrup.
  • Glucose Glucose, usually listed as glucose syrup, is cheap, keeps products moist and stops sugar from crystallising.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
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.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 377 cakes

From least to most processed, this one ranks 220th. 94% of the 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 377 cakes, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0038000171208, last edited 8 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 E (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.