Cheerios Protein Chewy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter

by General Mills

90
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Contains 2 flagged ingredients

Cheerios Protein Chewy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter by General Mills receives a safety score of 90/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 2 ingredients that have been flagged for potential safety concerns by regulatory or consumer advocacy databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0016000228597
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 bar (36 g)

What the Data Says About

Cheerios Protein Chewy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter by General Mills carries a composite safety score of 90/100, which we classify as "Safe" on our four-tier shelf-label framework. The score is computed by mapping each labeled ingredient against FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) regulatory status and CSPI Chemical Cuisine classifications, then penalizing the overall product for each additive rated as caution-or-worse. Product data originates from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative catalog; safety annotations come from federal regulators and the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Our scan identified 2 flagged ingredients in this product — components that at least one official source has classified as requiring caution, targeted avoidance, or further evaluation. Flagged ingredients are the items most likely to surface in FDA inspection findings, state-level ingredient bans, or outbreak-related recall notices, so the per-ingredient breakdown below is the most useful lens for anyone screening this product for a specific dietary concern.

On the NOVA processing scale, Cheerios Protein Chewy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter is classified as Group 4 (Ultra-processed). NOVA measures industrial processing intensity rather than ingredient-level safety, so it complements the SAFFA and CSPI ratings: a product can be clean on additive flags but heavily processed, or lightly processed but carry individually flagged ingredients. Combining both lenses gives a fuller picture than either alone.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Cheerios Protein Chewy Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 90/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 2 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score Not available OpenFoodFacts

Composite metric derived from FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine, OpenFoodFacts. See methodology.

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Whole Grain Oats
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Corn Syrup
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
Cut Back GRAS
4
Corn Starch
5
Cocoa Processed With Alkali
6
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
7
Caramel Coloring
Caution Approved (color additive, GRAS)
8
Canola Oil
9
Sunflower Oil
10
Tripotassium Phosphate
11
Natural Flavor
12
Mixed Tocopherols
13
Calcium Carbonate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DRYING AGENT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, LEAVENING AGENT, LUBRICANT OR RELEASE AGENT, MASTICATORY SUBSTANCE, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, PROCESSING AID
GRAS
14
Sodium Ascorbate
ANTIOXIDANT, COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, DOUGH STRENGTHENER, FLOUR TREATING AGENT, LEAVENING AGENT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, OXIDIZING OR REDUCING AGENT, PROCESSING AID, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT
GRAS
15
Iron
16
Zinc
17
Niacinamide
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
18
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
19
Thiamin Mononitrate
20
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
21
Riboflavin
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
22
Vitamin B12
23
Vitamin D3
24
Soy Protein Isolate
25
Peanut Butter Flavored Coating
26
Peanut Flour
27
Palm Oil
28
Palm Kernel Oil
29
Peanuts
30
Nonfat Milk
31
Soy Lecithin
32
Chicory Root Extract
33
Fructose
Sweetener
Cut Back
34
Vegetable Glycerin
35
Peanut Butter
36
Rice Starch
STABILIZER OR THICKENER
Listed
37
Peanut Oil
FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
38
Carrageenan
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, HUMECTANT, PROCESSING AID, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
Caution GRAS
39
Almond Butter
40
Almonds
41
Honey
42
Maltodextrin
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, HUMECTANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, NUTRITIVE SWEETENER, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT, TEXTURIZER
Safe GRAS
43
Artificial Flavor

Full Ingredient List

whole grain oats, sugar, corn syrup, corn starch, cocoa processed with alkali, salt, caramel color, canola oil, sunflower oil, tripotassium phosphate, natural flavor, mixed tocopherols, calcium carbonate, sodium ascorbate, iron, zinc, niacinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamin mononitrate, vitamin A palmitate, riboflavin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, soy protein isolate, peanut butter flavored coating (sugar, peanut flour, palm oil, palm kernel oil, peanuts, nonfat milk, salt, soy lecithin), chicory root extract, corn syrup, fructose, vegetable glycerin, peanut butter (peanuts, salt), rice starch, canola oil, soy lecithin, cocoa processed with alkali, peanut oil, carrageenan, salt, almond butter (almonds, honey, maltodextrin, palm oil, mixed tocopherols), natural flavor, artificial flavor

Data Sources

Data as of 2025. Source: OpenFoodFacts, FDA SAFFA, CSPI Chemical Cuisine.

Product data from OpenFoodFacts (ODbL). Ingredient safety ratings from FDA SAFFA and CSPI Chemical Cuisine. See our methodology for details.

This information is for reference only and does not constitute dietary or medical advice.

Related

Data sourced from official FDA, USDA, and CDC food-safety databases. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFoodSafe Editorial