Instant Oatmeal Cereal

by Great Value

100
Safe
Safety Score (out of 100)

Instant Oatmeal Cereal by Great Value receives a safety score of 100/100 based on ingredient analysis using FDA Substances Added to Food (SAFFA) data and CSPI Chemical Cuisine ratings. None of the ingredients in this product are flagged for safety concerns by FDA or CSPI databases. Product label data is sourced from the OpenFoodFacts collaborative database. See the full ingredient breakdown and safety assessment below.

Barcode
0078742122311
Nutri-Score
d
NOVA Group
4 — Ultra-processed
Serving Size
1 PACKET (35 g)

What the Data Says About

Instant Oatmeal Cereal by Great Value carries a composite safety score of 100/100, 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 did not identify any ingredients in this product that FDA SAFFA or CSPI Chemical Cuisine data flags as requiring caution or avoidance at the time of analysis. That is a meaningful clean-label signal, though it does not account for personal allergens, regional recalls, or inspection findings not reflected in federal additive databases. The per-ingredient breakdown below shows the source-level classification for each component.

On the NOVA processing scale, Instant Oatmeal Cereal 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. The Nutri-Score grade of D reflects nutritional balance — calories, saturated fat, sugar, sodium versus fiber, protein, and produce content — which again is a distinct dimension from additive safety and worth weighing alongside the scores above.

Safety Profile at a Glance

Composite safety metrics for Instant Oatmeal Cereal
Metric Value Source
PlainFoodSafe Score 100/100 FDA SAFFA + CSPI composite
Flagged ingredients 0 CSPI/FDA review
NOVA processing group Group 4 OpenFoodFacts
Nutri-Score D OpenFoodFacts

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

Ingredient Safety Analysis

1
Whole Grain Rolled Oats
2
Sugar
Sweetener
Cut Back
3
Flavored Fruit Pieces
4
Apples
5
Treated With Sodium Sulfite To Promote Color Retention
6
Artificial Peach Flavor
7
Citric Acid
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT, ANTIOXIDANT, ENZYME, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, LEAVENING AGENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, SURFACE-ACTIVE AGENT
Safe GRAS
8
Annatto Color
9
Oat Flour
10
Whole
11
Creaming Agent
12
Corn Syrup Solids
13
Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oil
14
Palm
15
Canola
16
Whey
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FORMULATION AID, MALTING OR FERMENTING AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PROCESSING AID, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, SURFACE-FINISHING AGENT, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
17
Sodium Caseinate
ANTICAKING AGENT OR FREE-FLOW AGENT, DRYING AGENT, EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, FORMULATION AID, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SOLVENT OR VEHICLE, STABILIZER OR THICKENER, TEXTURIZER
GRAS
18
Artificial Color
19
Dipotassium Phosphate
EMULSIFIER OR EMULSIFIER SALT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT, PH CONTROL AGENT, SEQUESTRANT, STABILIZER OR THICKENER
GRAS
20
Tocopherols
ANTIOXIDANT, FLAVOR ENHANCER, FLAVORING AGENT OR ADJUVANT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
21
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
22
A Source Of Calcium
23
Salt
Flavoring
Cut Back
24
Guar Gum
25
Artificial Flavor
26
Ferric Phosphate
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
27
A Source Of Iron
28
Niacinamide*
29
Pyridoxine Hydrochloride
NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
30
Vitamin B6
31
Riboflavin*
32
Vitamin A Palmitate
COLOR OR COLORING ADJUNCT, NUTRIENT SUPPLEMENT
GRAS
33
Thiamine Mononitrate*
34
Folic Acid*

Full Ingredient List

Whole grain rolled oats, sugar, flavored fruit pieces (dehydrated apples [treated with sodium sulfite to promote color retention], artificial peach flavor, citric acid, annatto color), oat flour (whole), creaming agent (corn syrup solids, partially hydrogenated vegetable oil [may contain soybean, palm and/or canola], whey, sodium caseinate, artificial color, dipotassium phosphate, tocopherols), calcium carbonate (a source of calcium), salt, guar gum, artificial flavor, ferric phosphate (a source of iron), niacinamide*, pyridoxine hydrochloride (vitamin b6)*, riboflavin*, vitamin a palmitate, thiamine mononitrate*, folic acid*.

Categories

Plant-based foods and beverages Plant-based foods Cereals and potatoes Cereals and their products

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