Cereal

Name: Cereal
Brand: Quaker

3Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 2 contaminants flagged · 1 ingredient to avoid

Includes lab results from its product family: Quaker Life (oat, corn and wheat base)

100

Lab-measured contaminants

Measured against published safety limits

−49

cadmium−37

arsenic−12

Ingredients

−38

folic acid−11

calcium carbonate−4

tocopherols (to preserve freshness)−4

reduced iron−4

niacinamide−3

4 smaller deductions−12

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Final score3

Contaminants · 4

2 at/over limit

From lab tests of this product’s family

Quaker Life (oat, corn and wheat base)

This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

In the family’s tests: measured by an independent lab and compared against published safety limits.

Cadmium19 ppbof 5 ppb

Over the limit — 3.8×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz

Arsenic12.6 ppbof 10 ppb

Over the limit — 1.3×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

Measured in: Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz

LeadNDof 5 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz

MercuryNDof 2 ppb

Not detectedFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.002 mg/L

Measured in: Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz

Ingredients · 15

GoodCautionAvoid

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Common questions

Is Quaker Cereal healthy?

Quaker Cereal scores 3/100 on Tallow — our avoid band. That number comes from what is on the label: the ingredients, how processed it is, and what it is packaged in, plus lab results from its product family, Quaker Life (oat, corn and wheat base). It is not a verdict on your diet — Tallow does not weigh calories, portion size or how often you eat it, so a high score means the ingredients are clean, not that the food is unlimited.

What is in Quaker Cereal?

Quaker Cereal lists 15 ingredients, starting with Whole Grain Oat Flour, Corn Flour, Sugar, Whole Wheat Flour and Calcium Carbonate. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Quaker Cereal contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Quaker Cereal’s ingredient list matches a seed oil — canola, soybean, corn, cottonseed, grapeseed, sunflower, safflower, rice bran or peanut oil, or an unspecified "vegetable oil".

How processed is Quaker Cereal?

Quaker Cereal is NOVA group 4: ultra-processed. That is the top of the scale and the classification the score penalises most heavily.

How does Quaker Cereal compare to other cereal?

At 3/100 Quaker Cereal scores worse than most cereal we have scored. A higher-scoring option in cereal is Lovebird Grain Free Honey Breakfast Cereal at 100/100.

Is Quaker Cereal organic?

Quaker Cereal is not certified organic in our data.

Has Quaker Cereal been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (Whole grain oat, corn and whole wheat flours; no rice, cinnamon or cocoa) with the other products in its family, Quaker Life (oat, corn and wheat base), and 2 products in its family have been lab tested. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Those results are in the family's Contaminants section above; its own results may differ.

Does Quaker Cereal contain heavy metals?

Quaker Cereal itself has not been tested for heavy metals, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected arsenic at 12.6 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz and cadmium at 19 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Life Original Multigrain Cereal, Family Size, 22.3 oz. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Full methodology: how we score products.