Is Kirkland Signature Soft & Chewy Granola Bars ultra-processed?
Yes, it's ultra-processed
- 1 Unprocessed
- 2 Kitchen staple
- 3 Processed
- 4 Ultra-processed
Signs of ultra-processing in its ingredients:
- 35 ingredients
- 6 additives
- Nutri-Score D
Less processed cereal bars
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20 ingredients · no additives
NOVA group
3
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Organic Toasted Coconut Granola
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14 ingredients · no additives
NOVA group
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Kind Healthy Grains Oats & Honey with Toasted Coconut
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Ingredients
Ultra-processing Processing
granola (whole rolled oats, sugar (processing marker), canola oil, molasses (processing marker), sodium bicarbonate, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker)), corn syrup (ultra-processing marker), semisweet chocolate chips (chocolate liquor, sugar (processing marker), soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), vanilla extract), crisp rice (rice flour, sugar (processing marker), dried malt extract (corn syrup solids (ultra-processing marker), barley malt extract), calcium carbonate, salt (processing marker)), fructose (ultra-processing marker), sugar (processing marker), canola oil, glycerin (ultra-processing marker), invert sugar (ultra-processing marker), coconut, soy lecithin (ultra-processing marker), salt (processing marker), wheat flakes, whey powder (ultra-processing marker), ascorbic acid, a preservative (processing marker), rosemary extract, natural flavor (ultra-processing marker)
Additives: E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E392 Extracts of rosemary , E422 Glycerol , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate
As written on the pack
GRANOLA (WHOLE ROLLED OATS, SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, MOLASSES, SODIUM BICARBONATE, SOY LECITHIN), CORN SYRUP, SEMISWEET CHOCOLATE CHIPS (CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, SUGAR, SOY LECITHIN, VANILLA EXTRACT), CRISP RICE [RICE FLOUR, SUGAR, DRIED MALT EXTRACT (CORN SYRUP SOLIDS, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT), CALCIUM CARBONATE, SALT], FRUCTOSE, SUGAR, CANOLA OIL, GLYCERIN, INVERT SUGAR, DRIED UNSWEETENED COCONUT, SOY LECITHIN, SALT, WHEAT FLAKES, WHEY POWDER, ASCORBIC ACID - A PRESERVATIVE, ROSEMARY EXTRACT, NATURAL FLAVOR
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.
- 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.
- 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.
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.
- Preservative Preservatives slow spoilage by microbes.
- Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
- Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
- Sweet snacks Products in the category "Sweet snacks" are at least group 3.
Among 488 cereal bars
From least to most processed, this one ranks 373rd. 91% of the cereal bars here are ultra-processed.
About this information
- Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0096619313945, last edited 17 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 D (from A, best, to E).
- General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.