Is Granola Ultra-Processed?

Why Granola scores NOVA 4 — Ultra-processed

Granola might seem like a wholesome breakfast, but the vast majority of products on Tesco shelves contain ultra-processed ingredients. The most common UPF marker across granola products is flavourings (listed as "flavouring" or "natural flavouring"), which appear in almost every mainstream brand including Jordans, Kellogg's, Tesco own-brand, and Bio&Me. Despite the word "natural", these are still industrially derived flavour compounds that trigger a NOVA 4 classification.

Many granolas also contain emulsifiers such as lecithins and soya lecithin (found in Kellogg's Special K, FUEL10K, Lizi's High Protein, and Jordans Protein ranges), as well as fibre bulkers like chicory root fibre and oligofructose (found in Bio&Me and Tesco gut sense). Protein-boosted granolas are particularly likely to be ultra-processed, often adding protein isolates alongside emulsifiers.

The brands that avoid NOVA 4 tend to use simpler ingredient lists. Deliciously Ella granolas score NOVA 3 with no UPF markers, though they do contain multiple sugar aliases including rice syrup, date syrup, and coconut sugar. Lizi's Original and Low Sugar granolas also achieve NOVA 3 by avoiding flavourings and emulsifiers entirely.

E-number guides mentioned in this article