Breakfast cereals
General Mills Maple Cinnamon Cheerios Heart Nut Medley
14.7 oz
Score
- Ultra-processed
- Contains added sugars
- Contains seed oils
- No synthetic dyes
- Contains whole grains
Why it scores 18
General Mills Maple Cinnamon Cheerios Heart Nut Medley scores 18 out of 100 (Bad) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:
- minus 20 points Sugar: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 20 points Corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
- minus 18 points Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.
Better breakfast cereals
-
Oat Protein Cereal Maple Cinnamon Seven Sundays Not ultra-processed · No seed oils Score 58 out of 100 , 40 points higher -
Catalina Crunch Cinnamon Toast Protein Cereal Catalina Crunch · 24 oz No added sugars · No sugar Score 61 out of 100 , 43 points higher -
Grape-Nuts Flakes Cereal Post · 18 oz/510 g Not ultra-processed · No corn syrup Score 64 out of 100 , 46 points higher -
Cinnamon apple cereal Cascadian Farms Organic · 12 oz No added sugars · No sugar Score 66 out of 100 , 48 points higher -
Grape-Nuts Cereal Post · 20.5 oz (1 lb 4.5 oz) 581 g Not ultra-processed · No added sugars Score 93 out of 100 , 75 points higher
The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.
The Receipt
Maple Cinnamon Cheerios Heart Nut Medley
Ingredients
- Sugar minus 20 points
- Corn syrup minus 20 points
- Maple syrup minus 10 points
Processing
- Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) minus 18 points
- 4 kinds of ultra-processing markers minus 4.5 points
Nutrition per 100 g
- Sugars 16.7 g / 100 g minus 8 points
- Saturated fat 1.9 g / 100 g minus 1 points
- Salt 0.9 g / 100 g minus 3 points
- Energy 389 kcal / 100 g minus 2 points
- Fiber 11.1 g / 100 g plus 4 points
100 − 82.5 = 17.5 → 18
Can’t score above 79. Contains sugar, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]
Nutrition per 100 g
| Energy | 389 kcal |
|---|---|
| Fat | 11.1 g |
| Saturated fat | 1.9 g |
| Trans fat | 0 g |
| Carbohydrates | 72.2 g |
| Sugars | 16.7 g |
| Added sugars | 14.8 g |
| Fiber | 11.1 g |
| Protein | 11.1 g |
| Salt | 0.9 g |
Serving: 1.0 cup (54.0 g)
Ingredients
- Whole Grain Oats
- Whole Grain Wheat
- Sugar (high concern)
- Almonds
- Soluble Corn Fiber
- Pumpkin Seeds
- Corn Syrup (high concern)
- Canola
- Sunflower Oil
- Maple Syrup (high concern)
- Corn Starch
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Tripotassium Phosphate
- Natural Flavor
- Annatto Extract Color
- Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate
- Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients)
- Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate)
- A B Vitamin (niacinamide)
- Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride)
- A B Vitamin (calcium pantothenate)
- Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate)
- Vitamin A (palmitate)
- Vitamin B2 (riboflavin)
- A B Vitamin (folic acid)
- Vitamin B12
- Vitamin D3
Label text, as published
Whole Grain Oats, Whole Grain Wheat, Sugar, Almonds, Soluble Corn Fiber, Pumpkin Seeds, Corn Syrup, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Maple Syrup, Corn Starch, Salt, Cinnamon, Tripotassium Phosphate, Natural Flavor, Annatto Extract Color. Vitamin E (mixed tocopherols) Added to Preserve Freshness.Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Iron and Zinc (mineral nutrients), Vitamin C (sodium ascorbate), A B Vitamin (niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), A B Vitamin (calcium pantothenate), Vitamin B1 (thiamin mononitrate), Vitamin A (palmitate), Vitamin B2 (riboflavin), A B Vitamin (folic acid), Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3.
Allergens and diets
Contains: Tree nuts, Wheat, Gluten
- Not gluten-free
- Palm-oil-free
Always check the package: recipes change.
More breakfast cereals on GoodSwap
-
Lightly Sweetened Maple Berry Blend Cereal Morning Summit · 1 box, 2 lb 6 oz High in sugarHigh in saturated fatContains added sugarsNo additives Score 22 out of 100 Poor -
Hearty Morning Fiber Cereal Cascadian Farm · 48 g Ultra-processedContains added sugarsContains seed oilsCertified organic Score 27 out of 100 Poor -
Bran Flakes Great Value · 442 g Contains added sugarsNo additivesContains whole grains Score 34 out of 100 Poor -
Sweet & Salty Nut Dark Chocolate, Peanut & Almond Chewy Granola Bars Nature Valley Marca Exclusiva · 210 g Ultra-processedHigh in sugarHigh in saturated fatContains added sugars Score 7 out of 100 Bad
More from General Mills
Sources
-
Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children
“In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”
who.int
-
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030
“Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”
cdn.realfood.gov
-
Added and free sugars should be as low as possible
“Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”
efsa.europa.eu
-
Saturated fatty acid and trans-fatty acid intake for adults and children: WHO guideline
“WHO recommends that adults and children reduce saturated fatty acid intake to 10% of total energy intake (strong recommendation).”
who.int
-
“For adults, WHO recommends less than 2000 mg/day of sodium (equivalent to less than 5 g/day salt), or just under a teaspoon.”
who.int
-
“Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”
doi.org
-
“replacement of saturated fat in the diet with linoleic acid effectively lowers serum cholesterol but does not support the hypothesis that this translates to a lower risk of death from coronary heart disease or all causes.”
doi.org
-
“These data provide support for current recommendations to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat for primary prevention of CHD.”
doi.org