Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Nestlé Cheerios 375g ultra-processed?

Extruded cereals Sold in the United Kingdom and France

Pack of Nestlé Cheerios 375g

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:

  • 30 ingredients
  • 3 additives
  • Nutri-Score C

Less processed extruded 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

cereal grains, oat flour 29.6%, wheat 29.6%, barley flour (corn flour 17.9%, rice flour 2.1%), partially inverted brown sugar syrup, sugar, wheat starch, vitamins, minerals, calcium, vitamins, vitamin c, niacin, iron, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamins, vitamin d, vitamin b6, riboflavin, salt, sunflower oil, colours (annatto), carotene, caramelised sugar syrup, antioxidant (tocopherols)

Additives: E160a Carotene , E160b Annatto , E306 Tocopherol-rich extract

As written on the pack

cereal grains (whole grain oat flour (29,6% ), whole grain wheat (29,6%), whole grain barley flour (17,9% whole grain corn flour (2,1%), whole grain rice flour (2,1% )), partially inverted brown sugar syrup, sugar, wheat starch, vitamins and minerals (calcium, vitamin c, niacin, iron, pantothenic acid, folic acid, vitamin d, vitamin b6, riboflavin), salt, sunflower oil, colours: annatto, carotene, caramelised sugar syrup, antioxidant: 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.

  • E160a Carotene Carotenes are orange-yellow pigments, either synthesised or extracted from carrots, algae or palm oil.
  • E160b Annatto Colours are substances which add or restore colour in a food, and include natural constituents of foods and natural sources which are normally not consumed as foods as such and not normally used as characteristic ingredients of food.
  • Colour Colours are added to restore colour lost in processing or to make a product look more appealing.
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 oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 373 extruded cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 281st. 64% of the extruded 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 373 extruded cereals, least processed first

About this information

  • Data from this product on Open Food Facts (barcode 5011476100069, last edited 9 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.