Is it ultra-processed?
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Is Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond Clusters Cereal ultra-processed?

20 oz Breakfast cereals Sold in the United States

Pack of Trader Joe's Vanilla Almond Clusters Cereal

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:

  • 22 ingredients
  • 1 additive
  • Nutri-Score D

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

whole rolled oats, milled cane sugar, corn flour, rice flour, vegetable oil (canola and oil (safflower oil, sunflower oil)), almonds, cornstarch, whole wheat flour, brown rice, honey, salt, barley malt syrup, natural flavor, annatto (for color), purple carrot juice (for color), turmeric (for color)

Additives: E160b Annatto

As written on the pack

whole rolled oats, milled cane sugar, corn flour, rice flour, vegetable oil (canola and/or safflower and/or sunflower oil), almonds, cornstarch, whole wheat flour, brown rice, honey, salt, barley malt syrup, natural flavor, annatto (for color), purple carrot juice (for color), turmeric (for color),

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.

  • 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.
  • 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.

  • Honey Honey, used as a sweetener.
  • Salt Salt, added for taste and preservation.
  • Starch Starch extracted from cereals or potatoes, used to thicken.
  • Vegetable oil Vegetable oils are pressed or extracted from seeds, nuts and fruits.

How the NOVA groups work

Among 1,869 breakfast cereals

From least to most processed, this one ranks 1518th. 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 00734615, last edited 10 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 D (from A, best, to E).
  • General information, not medical or dietary advice. Check the pack if you have an allergy.