Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Special K Granola Bars - Dark Chocolate ultra-processed?

Cereal bars Sold in Canada

Pack of Special K Granola Bars - 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:

  • 60 ingredients
  • 8 additives
  • Nutri-Score D

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

corn syrup, oats, soy protein, cereal (rice, wheat, sugar, wheat bran, wheat dextrin, salt, barley malt syrup, maltddextrin, thiamine mondnitrate, colour), sugar, fructose, dark chocolate (chocolate liquor, sugar, dextrose, soy lecithin, artificial flavour), hydrogenated palm kernel, palm and, 0r coconut oils, chicury root (inulin), rice cereal (rice, sugar, salt, barley malt syrup, monoglycerides, VlTAMINS, niacinamide folic acid, iron, colour), dext rose, vegetable oil, cocoa, chocolate liouor, sorbitol, glycerin, modihed milk ingredients, NATURAL and ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR, soy lecithin, salt, polysorbate 60, sorbitan monostearate, peanut flour, almond flour, BHT, CONTAlNS OAT, SOY, wheat, barley, milk, sesame, peanut, almond ingredients

Additives: E1400 Dextrin , E321 Butylated hydroxytoluene , E322 Lecithins , E322i Lecithin , E420 Sorbitol , E422 Glycerol , E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate , E491 Sorbitan monostearate

Also detected, but not matched to one ingredient: E1400 Dextrin.

As written on the pack

CORN SYRUP, WHOLE GRAIN OATS, SOY PROTEIN, CEREAL (RICE, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR, WHEAT BRAN, WHEAT DEXTRIN, SALT, BARLEY MALT SYRUP, MALTDDEXTRIN, THIAMINE MONDNITRATE, COLOUR), SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, DARK CHOCOLATE (CHOCOLATE LIQUOR, SUGAR, DEXTROSE, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR), HYDROGENATED PALM KERNEL, PALM AND/0R COCONUT OILS, CHICURY ROOT (INULIN), RICE CEREAL (RICE, SUGAR, SALT, BARLEY MALT SYRUP, MONOGLYCERIDES, VlTAMINS {NIACINAMIDE FOLIC ACID], IRON, COLOUR), DEXT ROSE, VEGETABLE OIL, COCOA, CHOCOLATE LIOUOR, SORBITOL, GLYCERIN, MODIHED MILK INGREDIENTS, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOUR (CONTAINS SESAME), SOY LECITHIN, SALT, POLYSORBATE 60, SORBITAN MONOSTEARATE, PEANUT FLOUR, ALMOND FLOUR, BHT. CONTAlNS OAT, SOY, WHEAT, BARLEY, MILK, SESAME, PEANUT AND ALMOND INGREDIENTS.

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.

  • E1400 Dextrin Dextrin is starch partly broken down by heat or acid, used as a thickener, binder and coating.
  • 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.
  • E420 Sorbitol Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and to keep products moist.
  • E422 Glycerol Glycerol is a sweet-tasting liquid used to keep products moist and soft.
  • E435 Polyoxyethylene sorbitan monostearate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
  • E491 Sorbitan monostearate Emulsifiers are substances which make it possible to form or maintain a homogenous mixture of two or more immiscible phases such as oil and water in a foodstuff.
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  • 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.

  • 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.
  • Fructose Fructose is the sugar found naturally in fruit and honey, but as an ingredient it is refined industrially, mostly from corn starch.
  • Vegetable fiber Isolated plant fibres, such as inulin, oat fibre or bamboo fibre, are extracted industrially and added to change texture or support "source of fibre" claims.
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.
  • 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 488 cereal bars

From least to most processed, this one ranks 461st. 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 0064100782440, last edited 1 April 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.