Malt O Meal
Open Food Facts brand roll-up for Malt O Meal, current as of September 2026. Screening averages and flag shares live in the short-answer band below. This hero only situates the catalog slice.
The short answer
Malt O Meal averages 83.6/100 across the 120 of 139 tracked products that carry an ingredient list, and 50.8% of those contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. The figure summarizes Open Food Facts labels cross-referenced with FDA SAFFA and CSPI; it does not establish recall status, allergy suitability, or the composition of products outside this snapshot.
- 83.6/100
- average ingredient-screening score across 120 scored products
- 139
- tracked products in this brand roll-up
- 50.8%
- scored products with at least one flagged ingredient
- 75.4%
- of NOVA-classified products that are ultra-processed (Group 4)
Source snapshot current as of September 2026; open individual products before making a product-specific decision.
Portfolio reading
Use the distribution, then open the outliers
With 139 tracked products, the useful signal is the shape of the portfolio rather than one headline score. The current concern-sorted list begins Fruity Dyno-bites; Cereal; Cereal; 50.8% of records contain at least one flagged ingredient while the overall mean is 83.6/100. Open those outliers first, then compare neighboring formulations. The aggregate does not establish recall status, allergen suitability, or the composition of an item outside this snapshot.
| Signal | Malt O Meal | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Avg safety score | 83.6/100 | Mid-range |
| Products tracked | 139 | OpenFoodFacts US index |
| Flagged ingredients | 50.8% | FDA SAFFA + CSPI flag overlap |
What the Data Says About Malt O Meal
Malt O Meal: 139 products tracked, 120 with an ingredient list, avg safety score 83.6/100, 50.8% of those scored products has at least one flagged ingredient.
50.8% of the scored Malt O Meal products contain at least one separately flagged ingredient. That distribution is the primary finding; the average does not make those affected formulations "mostly safe." Scoring methodology + dye-pledge context →
Across the 894,137 products we index overall, the average safety score is 92.8/100, and Malt O Meal sits 9.2 points below that fleet-wide average. Among the 804 brands with 50+ products (the typical brand in that group flags 18% of its catalog), Malt O Meal's 50.8% flagged share is 32.8 points above that cohort median.
Processing mix (NOVA)
Malt O Meal processing intensity
Malt O Meal's NOVA-classified set is 118 products: 75.4% ultra-processed (Group 4, 89 items) with Group 4 (ultra-processed) largest at 89. That ultra-processed share sits 2.9 points below the 78.3% median for 1,323 brands with 50+ products. NOVA is processing intensity, not additive safety.
Shelf mix
Where Malt O Meal shows up in Open Food Facts
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Malt O Meal concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (82, 96% of this top-five); Honey-nut-cereal (1); Hot-cereal (1); Snacks (1).
- Plant-based foods and beverages 82
- Honey-nut-cereal 1
- Hot-cereal 1
- Snacks 1
Cohort context
Flagged-ingredient share among large brands
Malt O Meal's 50.8% flagged share is measured across 120 scored products. The chart places that rate against the 50 brands with 50+ scored products in this snapshot, the same qualifying cohort used on the rankings page.
Malt O Meal flagged share vs large-brand cohort
50.8% of scored products carry at least one flagged ingredient
51% 0th percentile is at or above the flagged share of 0% of the 50 qualifying brands we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more qualifying brands. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0%–10%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 10%–20%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 20%–30%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 30%–40%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 40%–50%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 50%–60%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 60%–70%
- 0 qualifying brands (0%)
- 70%–80%
- 3 qualifying brands (6%)
- 80%–90%
- 25 qualifying brands (50%)
- 90% and above
- 22 qualifying brands (44%)
Source Open Food Facts × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Portfolio shape
How scores cluster inside this brand
The brand average (83.6/100) summarizes 120 scored products. This distribution shows whether that mean sits on a tight cluster or a wide spread, a few low-scoring SKUs can matter even when the headline average looks strong.
Malt O Meal product score distribution
Brand average 83.6/100 across 120 scored products
84 24th percentile sits above 24% of the 120 scored products we track
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Distribution as text
- 0–10
- 7 scored products (6%)
- 20–30
- 7 scored products (6%)
- 30–40
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 50–60
- 5 scored products (4%)
- 60–70
- 1 scored products (1%)
- 70–80
- 4 scored products (3%)
- 80–90
- 8 scored products (7%)
- 90–100
- 28 scored products (23%)
- 100 and above
- 59 scored products (49%)
Source Open Food Facts product labels × FDA SAFFA × CSPI · September 2026
Malt O Meal relies most on Caramel Coloring, an industry staple
Across the 120 Malt O Meal products scored here, Caramel Coloring appears in 34. It is used by 3,551 other brands in this database (10.1% of them), so its presence says more about the category than about this brand. A flag records that a named source raised a concern about an ingredient. It is not a finding that a product is unsafe to eat.
| Flagged ingredient | Malt O Meal products | Why it is flagged |
|---|---|---|
| Caramel Coloring | 34 | Restricted: California (Prop 65 warning for 4-MEI) |
| Blue 1 | 19 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 40 | 19 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Yellow 5 | 14 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| BHT | 12 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
| Yellow 6 | 11 | FDA voluntary phase-out target 2027-12-31 (a request, not a ban) · Restricted: California (schools) |
| Red 3 | 1 | FDA ban effective 2027-01-15 · Restricted: California (AB 418; effective 2027-01-01); Federal (FDA; effective 2027-01-15) |
| TBHQ | 1 | Preservative with a recorded concern |
Counts are products in this database whose ingredient list names the flagged ingredient. Flags come from FDA enforcement actions, CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings and US state ingredient laws; see the methodology for how each source is applied.
Visible product sample
Label complexity does not determine the screening result
Each point is one of the 50 concern-sorted Malt O Meal records shown below. Horizontal position is the number of resolved ingredients on that product's stored label; vertical position is its source-derived screening score. The dashed medians (24 ingredients and 77.5/100) divide this displayed sample only. A longer label is not automatically worse: open a specific product to inspect its flagged rows and source coverage.
- Shown records
- 50
- Median label
- 24 ingredients
- Median score
- 77.5/100
The outlined point is Fruity Dyno-bites, the displayed record with the most flagged ingredients (5). Bubble size represents flagged ingredient count plus one, so zero-flagged products remain visible. The score is derived from FDA SAFFA and CSPI fields; this chart does not establish recall status, dietary suitability, or a health outcome.
Read the plotted values
- Fruity Dyno-bites: 27 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 5 flagged.
- Cereal: 28 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cereal: 29 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cereal: 32 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Malt o meal fruity dyno bites cereal: 24 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- FRUITY DYNO-BITES CEREAL: 23 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Apple Zings Cereal: 22 resolved ingredients, 0/100, 4 flagged.
- Cereal: 24 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- MarshmAllow mateys: 27 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Tootie fruities cereal: 24 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Cereal: 25 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Fruity Stars Cereal: 17 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Marshmallow Mateys: 27 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Tootie fruities: 24 resolved ingredients, 25/100, 3 flagged.
- Mini Spooners Strawberry Cream Cereal: 19 resolved ingredients, 35/100, 3 flagged.
- Cinnamon Toasters: 23 resolved ingredients, 65/100, 3 flagged.
- Frosted Whole Grain Oat Cereal With Marshmallows: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Frosted Whole Grain Oat Cereal With Marshmallows: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Gigantic Marshmallow Mateys Cereal: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Frosted Whole Grain Oat Cereal With Marshmallows: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Frosted Whole Grain Oat Cereal With Marshmallows: 14 resolved ingredients, 50/100, 2 flagged.
- Cookies & cream cereal: 28 resolved ingredients, 70/100, 2 flagged.
- S'Mores Cereal: 36 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- S'mores cereal, s'mores: 36 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Cereal: 36 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- S'mores Cereal: 36 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Peanut Butter Cups Cereal: 12 resolved ingredients, 80/100, 2 flagged.
- Berry Colossal Crunch: 33 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Honey Buzzers Cereal: 23 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Berry Colossal Crunch Cereal: 33 resolved ingredients, 75/100, 1 flagged.
- Frosted Lightly Sweetened Whole Grain Wheat Cereal: 14 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- French Toasters Cereal: 16 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Mini Frosted Spooners: 17 resolved ingredients, 85/100, 1 flagged.
- Quick Cooking Hot Wheat Cereal: 18 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Malt o meal coco roos cereal: 23 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Malt o meal honey nut scooters cereal: 15 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Cocoa Dyno-Bites Cereal: 16 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Sweetened Puffed Wheat Cereal: 20 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Cereal: 24 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Peanut butter cups: 36 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Sweetened corn puff cereal with real peanut butter and cocoa, sweetened corn puff cereal with real peanut butter and cocoa: 36 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Peanut butter cups cereal, peanut butter cups: 27 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Raisin bran clusters: 35 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Honey graham squares & cocoa corn puff cereal with marshmallows, s'mores: 45 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Sweetened Rice Cereal: 14 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Sweetened Corn Puff Cereal With Real Peanut Butter And Cocoa: 17 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Peanut Butter: 27 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Whole grain wheat & bran cereal with raisins, cinnamon, and steel cut oat clusters: 34 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Cocoa Dyno-Bites Cereal: 22 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
- Malt o meal chocolatey chip cookie bites cereal: 25 resolved ingredients, 95/100, 1 flagged.
Products by Malt O Meal
Showing 50 display-quality records, sorted by concern level (most flagged first); 89 tracked records with unusable upstream names remain in the aggregate but are not shown.
Nationwide brands with similar catalog profiles
Two PlainFoodSafe-derived peer sets for Malt O Meal: closest on tracked product count (139 here) and closest on average ingredient screening score (83.6/100 here). Rows stay link-disjoint so each axis is a distinct neighborhood, not a largest-catalog strip.
Similar product count
Nearest other brands by Open Food Facts product count (floored at ≥50).
Similar average screening score
Nearest other brands by average ingredient screening score (floored at ≥50 scored products), distinct from the count row.
Counts and averages from Open Food Facts labels screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine; neither axis is a health outcome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Malt O Meal food safe? ▼
Malt O Meal has an average safety score of 84/100 across the 120 of 139 tracked products that carry an ingredient list. 50.8% of those contain flagged ingredients.
How many Malt O Meal products are tracked? ▼
Our database tracks 139 Malt O Meal products. 120 include an ingredient list and can be screened against FDA SAFFA and CSPI data; 19 cannot be scored from this snapshot.
How processed is the Malt O Meal catalog? ▼
Malt O Meal has 118 NOVA-classified products; 75.4% are ultra-processed (Group 4, 89 items) and Group 4 is the largest slice. NOVA describes processing intensity, not whether additives on a label are flagged.
Which shelves dominate the Malt O Meal catalog? ▼
In Open Food Facts shelf labels, Malt O Meal concentrates in Plant-based foods and beverages (82, 96% of this top-five); Honey-nut-cereal (1); Hot-cereal (1); Snacks (1).
Does Malt O Meal use artificial dyes? ▼
Open the individual product pages below to see which Malt O Meal items list a synthetic dye on their label. For whether the company has committed to removing dyes, the FDA and CSPI both publish corporate-commitment trackers; we no longer restate those commitments here.
What to do with this Malt O Meal profile
Use this roll-up as orientation, then verify the specific package you hold against its ingredient panel and the named official sources.
- Start with Fruity Dyno-bites, the displayed product with the most flagged ingredients (5) in this sample. Open the outlier product
- Caramel Coloring appears in 34 scored Malt O Meal products, review why each source flags it before treating the brand average as uniform. Review flagged ingredient counts
- Compare Malt O Meal's 83.6/100 average and 50.8% flagged share against other brands before treating either figure as a recall or clearance signal. Brand safety rankings
- Cross-check any additive concern against FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine rather than relying on this derived index alone. Scoring methodology
A flagged ingredient records a source concern, not a recall, ban, or medical clearance. Always verify the current package label and consult official sources for product-specific decisions.
Citation & disclaimer notes
Brand scores aggregate ingredient-level FDA SAFFA + CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings across Open Food Facts product data. See our methodology. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe.Disclaimer: Informational purposes only; not professional advice. A flagged ingredient is not a recall or a ban. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Every figure on PlainFoodSafe is rendered directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no number is typed in by an editor. Brand figures are computed directly from OpenFoodFacts and FDA data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2026.
