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

22g Cereal bars Sold in the United States

Pack of Kellogg's Rice Krispies Treats Original

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:

  • 36 ingredients
  • 5 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed cereal bars

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 flavoring, niacinamide, reduced iron, riboflavin, folic acid), marshmallow (corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, natural and artificial flavor), fructose, margarine (vegetable oil (soybean, palm oil with tbhq for freshness), water, datem, acetylated monoglycerides, bht for freshness, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d), corn syrup solids, contains two percent and less of dextrose, glycerin, salt, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin b1), riboflavin, soy lecithin

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

As written on the pack

toasted rice cereal (rice, sugar, salt, malt flavoring, niacinamide, reduced iron, riboflavin [vitamin b2], folic acid), marshmallow (corn syrup, sugar, gelatin, natural and artificial flavor), fructose, margarine (vegetable oil [soybean and palm oil with tbhq for freshness], water, natural and artificial butter flavor [contains milk], datem, acetylated monoglycerides, bht for freshness, vitamin a palmitate, vitamin d), corn syrup solids, contains two percent or less of dextrose, glycerin, salt, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6), thiamin hydrochloride (vitamin b1), riboflavin (vitamin b2), soy lecithin,

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.

  • 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 488 cereal bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 367th. 91% of the cereal bars 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 488 cereal bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0038000265013, last edited 3 October 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 C (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.