Cheerios Original Cereal, 12 oz — MUNCH

Munch or Dump rates Cheerios Original Cereal, 12 oz by Cheerios MUNCH — score 90/90.

As boxed cereal goes, this is about as clean as it gets: whole grain oats first, only about 2 grams of sugar per serving, and no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or flavor enhancers. Everything after the short food list is added vitamins and minerals. It's a processed cereal, but a genuinely sensible one.

Why this verdict

• Whole grain oats are the first and dominant ingredient, supplying real soluble fiber
• Only about 2 grams of added sugar per serving — low for the cereal aisle
• No artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or flavor enhancers anywhere on the list
• The long tail of the label is vitamins and minerals with clean names, not industrial additives
• Fortified and extruded (Nova 4 by processing), but the ingredients themselves are recognizable and minimal

Ingredients (7)

• Whole Grain Oats (safe) — The whole-food base and first ingredient; source of cholesterol-lowering beta-glucan fiber.
• Corn Starch (moderate) — Refined starch used for the puffed O texture; the least whole-food item.
• Sugar (caution) — The sole sweetener; present in dessert quantities.
• Salt (moderate) — Drives the salty-snack appeal, contributes to a high sodium load.
• tripotassium phosphate (moderate) — Acidity regulator/processing aid used in small amounts; benign at these levels.
• Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) (safe) — Natural antioxidant added to keep the oats fresh.
• Added vitamins and minerals (safe) — Standard fortification (iron, zinc, B vitamins, C, A, D) with clean names — nutrition, not additives.