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Is Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats & Dark Chocolate ultra-processed?

311g Breakfast cereals Sold in the United States and France

Pack of Nature Valley Granola Protein Oats & Dark Chocolate

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:

  • 20 ingredients
  • 5 additives

Less processed breakfast cereals

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, sugar, soy protein isolate, semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor, salt), canola oil, tapioca syrup, rice starch, molasses, soy lecithin, salt, baking soda, natural flavor, vitamin e (mixed tocopherols)

Additives: E306 Tocopherol-rich extract , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E500 Sodium carbonates , E500ii Sodium hydrogen carbonate

As written on the pack

Whole grain oats, sugar, soy protein isolate, semisweet chocolate chips (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, soy lecithin, natural flavor, salt), canola oil, tapioca syrup, rice starch, molasses, soy lecithin, salt, baking soda, natural flavor, vitamin e (mixed tocopherols).

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.
  • Flavouring Flavourings are concentrated aroma preparations that add or intensify a taste.
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.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Sugar Sugar refined from sugar cane or beet.
  • Vegetable fat Vegetable fats are oils that are solid at room temperature, such as palm or coconut fat.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,869 breakfast cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1447th. 60% of the breakfast cereals 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 1,869 breakfast cereals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 0016000437784, last edited 17 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.
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.