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Is Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Apple, Raisin, Almond & Peanut Bars ultra-processed?

4x30g Fruits cereal bars Sold in the United Kingdom

Pack of Nature Valley Fruit & Nut Apple, Raisin, Almond & Peanut Bars

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:

  • 27 ingredients
  • 4 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed fruits 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

rolled oats 26%, glucose syrup, roasted peanuts 8%, raisins 7.5%, almonds 6.5%, sugar, wheat flour, dried apples 4%, rice flour, humectant (glycerol), vegetable oils (sunflower vegetable oils, rapeseed vegetable oils), cotton in varying proportions, oligofructose, fructose, emulsifier (lecithins), dextrose, natural flavourings, salt, acidity regulator (citric acid), honey, antioxidant (tocopherol-rich extract)

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E322 Lecithins , E330 Citric acid , E422 Glycerol

As written on the pack

Whole grain rolled oats (26%), glucose syrup, roasted peanuts (8%), raisins (7.5%), almonds (6.5%), sugar, wheat flour, dried apples (4%), rice flour, humectant (glycerol), vegetable oils (sunflower, rapeseed, cotton in varying proportions), oligofructose, fructose, emulsifier (lecithins), dextrose, natural flavourings (contains milk), salt, acidity regulator (citric acid), honey, antioxidant (tocopherol-rich extract). For allergens, see ingredients in bold. May contain soy and other tree nuts.

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.
  • 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.
  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Glucose syrup 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.
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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • 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 73 fruits cereal bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 56th. 88% of the fruits 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 73 fruits cereal bars, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 8410076611246, last edited 27 March 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.