Toasted Oats Cereal — OKAY

Munch or Dump rates Toasted Oats Cereal by Signature SELECT OKAY — score 58/90.

Whole grain oat flour leads the list and sugar sits low, which makes this one of the better boxed cereals. But it is still an extruded, fortified cereal built with modified corn starch and phosphate salts, so it is a processed food, not a bowl of oats.

Why this verdict

• Whole grain oat flour is the first ingredient
• Low added sugar for a breakfast cereal
• Modified corn starch and tripotassium phosphate signal industrial processing
• Fortified with synthetic vitamins and minerals — a NOVA 4 hallmark

Ingredients (8)

• whole grain oat flour (safe) — Genuine whole grain — fiber and the primary ingredient here.
• wheat starch (moderate) — Refined starch for structure.
• Sugar (moderate) — A small amount added to enhance sweetness. Unnecessary but minor; drain and rinse to reduce it.
• Modified Corn Starch (moderate) — Thickener/stabilizer that gives the sauce body.
• Oat Fiber (safe) — Isolated fiber that bumps the fiber number.
• tripotassium phosphate (moderate) — Processing/pH aid; fine in trace amounts but a factory ingredient, not a kitchen one.
• DICALCIUM PHOSPHATE (safe) — Calcium fortifier and dough conditioner.
• Mixed Tocopherols (safe) — Vitamin E used as a natural preservative to keep the oats from going rancid.

Healthier alternatives

• Old Country Style Muesli
• Good & Gather Original Instant Oatmeal
• Simply Nutty Muesli
• Kirkland Signature Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• Sprouted Rolled Oats