Nutritional Information for Coco Pops
Kellogg's Coco Pops is a chocolate-flavoured puffed rice cereal and one of the UK's best-selling breakfast cereals for children. From a SpikeSaver perspective, it is a textbook ultra-processed food (NOVA 4) with a high GI of approximately 77. The standout concern is sugar: Coco Pops contains around 35g of sugar per 100g, and the ingredient list reveals up to 8 different sugar aliases — sugar, glucose syrup, caramel sugar syrup, invert sugar syrup, barley malt flavouring, dextrose, chocolate (which itself contains sugar), and cocoa. This fragmentation of sugar across multiple names is a key SpikeSaver differentiator: the total sugar load is disguised by splitting it into separately listed ingredients.
Nutrition per 100g
| Nutrient | Per 100g | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 387 kcal / 1636 kJ | 174 kcal |
| Protein | 6.3g | 5.9g |
| Carbohydrates | 84g | 31.5g |
| of which sugars | 35g | — |
| Fat | 1.9g | 2.4g |
| of which saturated | 0.8g | — |
| Fibre | 3.8g | — |
| Salt | 0.65g | — |
Serving size: 1 bowl (~30g) with 125ml semi-skimmed milk · Source: Tesco product page, October 2025
Glucose impact
High
Glucose risk
Coco Pops has a glycaemic index of approximately 77 (high GI). With 84g of carbohydrates per 100g — of which 35g is sugar — and very little fibre (3.8g) or protein (6.3g) to slow digestion, it causes a rapid blood sugar spike. A single 30g bowl delivers 25g of carbs and 10.5g of sugar before milk is added. The puffed rice structure means the starch is pre-gelatinised and extremely rapidly absorbed. This is one of the worst breakfast choices for blood sugar management.
Processing level
Coco Pops is a clear NOVA 4 ultra-processed food. The manufacturing process involves extruding and puffing rice (destroying the grain structure), then coating with multiple sugars, cocoa, and flavourings. The ingredient list contains substances not found in domestic kitchens: glucose syrup, invert sugar syrup, caramel sugar syrup, barley malt flavouring, and dextrose. These are industrial ingredients designed to enhance sweetness, texture, and shelf life. No amount of home cooking could replicate this product.
Coco Pops at Tesco
Source: Tesco product page, October 2025
6 UPF markers
5 UPF markers
*Prices were correct at the time of collection and may have since changed. Check Tesco.com for current pricing.
What to watch for when shopping
The key SpikeSaver insight for Coco Pops is the sugar alias count. The ingredient list contains up to 8 different names for sugar or sugar-derived ingredients: sugar, glucose syrup, caramel sugar syrup, invert sugar syrup, barley malt flavouring, dextrose, and sugar within the chocolate coating. By splitting sugar across multiple ingredient names, each one appears lower on the list — making the product seem less sugar-heavy than it is. In reality, 35g of every 100g is sugar. A single 30g bowl contains 10.5g of sugar — nearly 3 teaspoons — before you add milk. For a healthier cereal alternative, consider Weetabix (NOVA 3, 4.4g sugar/100g) or porridge oats (NOVA 1, 1.1g sugar/100g).
Check any product yourself
Paste an ingredient list and get an instant NOVA score
Our free NOVA Classifier analyses any ingredient list and flags every ultra-processed marker.
Frequently asked questions
See this automatically while you shop Tesco
SpikeSaver shows nutrition data, NOVA scores, hidden sugars, and glucose impact — right on the Tesco product page.
No more switching between tabs. Get everything you need while you browse.
Install Chrome Extension — Free in BetaChrome extension · Free during beta · Works on Tesco.com