Cheerios cereal bar
Contains 1 flagged ingredient
Cheerios cereal bar by Cheerios, General Mills receives a safety score of 95/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. The product contains 1 ingredient 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.
What the Data Says About
Cheerios cereal bar by Cheerios, General Mills carries a composite safety score of 95/100, 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 1 flagged ingredient 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 cereal bar 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
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| PlainFoodSafe Score | 95/100 | FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite |
| Flagged ingredients | 1 | 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
Full Ingredient List
whole grain oats, cereal (whole grain oats, whole grain corn, sugar, corn starch, corn bran, whole grain rice, whole grain millet, whole sorghum, brown sugar syrup, salt, tripotassium phosphate, color [caramel color, annatto extract], vitamin e [mixed tocopherols] added to retain freshness, vitamins and minerals: calcium carbonate, zinc and iron [mineral nutrients], a b vitamin [niacinamide], a b vitamin [calcium pantothenate), vitamin c [sodium ascorbate], vitamin b6 [pyridoxine hydrochloride], vitamin b₂ (riboflavin], vitamin b₁ [thiamin mononitrate], a b vitamin [folic acid), vitamin a [palmitate], vitamin b₁2, vitamin d3), corn syrup, fructose, canola oil, sugar, sweetened cranberries (sugar, cranberries), chicory root extract, whole wheat flour, maltodextrin, whole grain rice. contains 2% or less of: vegetable glycerin, calcium carbonate, corn flour, wheat starch, salt, whole grain corn, vegetable juice color, baking soda, natural flavor, soy lecithin. contains wheat and soy ingredients. 16 general mills
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.
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