Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Mother Earth Golden Oats Oaty Slices ultra-processed?

240 g Cereal bars Sold in Australia

Pack of Mother Earth Golden Oats Oaty Slices

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:

  • 21 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score E

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

Oats 45%, Butter 16% (Cream, Salt), Brown Sugar, Golden Syrup 12% (Sugar, Water), Desiccated Coconut 12%, Coconut, Preservative (223), Whole Egg Powder, Natural Flavour, Baking Powder (Raising Agents (500, 450), Wheat), Natural Colour (Annatto)

Additives: E223 Sodium metabisulphite , E450 Diphosphates , E500 Sodium carbonates

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E450 Diphosphates.

As written on the pack

Wholegrain Oats 45%, Butter 16% (Cream (Milk), Salt), Brown Sugar, Golden Syrup 12% (Sugar, Water), Desiccated Coconut 12% (Coconut, Preservative (223 (Contains Sulphites))), Whole Egg Powder, Natural Flavour, Baking Powder (Raising Agents (500, 450), Wheat), Natural Colour (Annatto Extract).

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.

  • E450 Diphosphates Diphosphates are phosphate salts used as raising agents in baking powder, and to hold water in processed meats and cheese.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
  • 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.

  • Invert sugar Invert sugar is ordinary sugar split into glucose and fructose with acid or enzymes.
5 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.

  • Butter Butter, the fat churned from cream.
  • 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.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 488 cereal bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 271st. 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 9416050901685, last edited 14 May 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.