GoodSwap Get notified
Millville Bran Flakes
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Breakfast cereals

Millville Bran Flakes

18 oz

Okay out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains emulsifiers studied for gut effects
  • Contains whole grains
Get GoodSwap

Why it scores 48

Millville Bran Flakes scores 48 out of 100 (Okay) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. Malt syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
  3. Sugars 19 g / 100 g: Very high in sugar. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

Better breakfast cereals

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Bran Flakes

START100

Ingredients

  • Malt syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3]
  • Mono- and diglycerides
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, higher intakes of mono- and diglycerides of fatty acids (E471 and E472) were associated with higher cardiovascular risk; cause and effect is not established. [4][5][6]
subtotal−22.5

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [6]
subtotal−18

Nutrition per 100 g

  • Sugars 19 g / 100 g
    Strong Very high in sugar. [1]
  • Salt 1.1 g / 100 g
    Strong High in salt. [7]
  • Energy 381 kcal / 100 g
    Info Energy-dense for its weight. [2]
  • Fiber 16.7 g / 100 g
    Strong A good source of fiber. [2]
subtotal−12
TOTAL 48Okay

100 − 52.5 = 47.5 → 48

Can’t score above 79. Contains malt syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3]

GTIN 04061459288483 · 2026-05-29

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 g

Energy381 kcal
Fat2.4 g
Saturated fat0 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates83.3 g
Sugars19 g
Added sugars14.3 g
Fiber16.7 g
Protein11.9 g
Salt1.1 g

Serving: 1 cup (42 g)

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT, SUGAR WHEAT BRAN, BARLEY MALT EXTRACT, SALT MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, VITAMINS (NIACINAMIDE (VITAMIN B3), PANTOTHENIC ACID (VITAMIN B5), RIBOFLAVIN (VITAMIN B2), PYRIDOXINEHYDROCHLORIDE (VITAMIN B6), THIAMINE MONONITRATE (VITAMIN B1), FOLIC ACID, CHOLECALCIFEROL (VITAMIN D), CYANOCOBALAMIN (VITAMIN B12)), IRON (FERRIC PYROPHOSPHATE). CONTAINS: WHEAT. MAY CONTAIN SOY, MILK, TREENUTS (COCONUT).

Allergens and diets

Contains: Wheat, Gluten

May contain: Milk, Tree nuts, Soy

  • Not gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Healthiest breakfast cereals in the US

More from Millville

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. Food additive emulsifiers and risk of cardiovascular disease in the NutriNet-Santé cohort: prospective cohort study

    BMJ · Sep 6, 2023 · Peer-reviewed

    “This study found positive associations between risk of CVD and intake of five individual and two groups of food additive emulsifiers widely used in industrial foods.”

    doi.org

  5. Re-evaluation of mono- and di-glycerides of fatty acids (E 471) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Nov 10, 2017 · Agency assessment

    “The available studies did not raise any concern with regard to genotoxicity.”

    doi.org

  6. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  7. Sodium reduction (fact sheet)

    World Health Organization · May 11, 2026 · Agency assessment

    “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

  8. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “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

  9. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  10. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome

    Nature · Mar 5, 2015 · Peer-reviewed

    “carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbate-80, induced low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in wild-type hosts and promoted robust colitis in mice predisposed to this disorder.”

    doi.org

  11. Randomized Controlled-Feeding Study of Dietary Emulsifier Carboxymethylcellulose Reveals Detrimental Impacts on the Gut Microbiota and Metabolome

    Gastroenterology · March 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “Relative to control subjects, CMC consumption modestly increased postprandial abdominal discomfort and perturbed gut microbiota composition in a way that reduced its diversity.”

    doi.org