Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack

Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack

0Avoid

Breakdown

Ultra-processed · 9 contaminants flagged · 3 ingredients to avoid

Includes lab results from its product family: Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Cinnamon

100

Contaminants

Substances that do not belong in food

−140

aluminum−63

chlormequat−20

diquat−20

cadmium−14

mercury−11

3 smaller deductions−12

Ingredients

−45

natural and artificial flavor−25

folic acid−5

caramel color−5

malic acid−2

niacinamide−2

3 smaller deductions−6

Processing

−10

NOVA 4: ultra-processed−10

Adjustments

What it takes to land on the final number

+95

Minimum score+95

Final score0

Contaminants · 10

3 at/over limit

From lab tests of this product’s family

Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Cinnamon

This product wasn’t tested · results may differ

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

Aluminum22.3 ppmof 0.2 ppm

Over the limit — 112×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality (secondary/aesthetic), 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.2 mg/L. NOTE: this is a bottled-water level; it is not an FDA limit for aluminum in solid foods, where no comparable federal limit exists.

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Cadmium16.5 ppbof 5 ppb

Over the limit — 3.3×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Mercury3.57 ppbof 2 ppb

Over the limit — 1.8×FDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.002 mg/L

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Lead3.86 ppbof 5 ppb

77% of the limitFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.005 mg/L

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Arsenic6.7 ppbof 10 ppb

67% of the limitFDA bottled-water Standard of Quality, 21 CFR 165.110(b) — 0.010 mg/L (= EPA MCL)

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Glyphosate13.3 ppbof 160 ppb

8% of the limitEWG children's health benchmark 160 ppb (0.01 mg/day in a 60 g serving). EPA tolerance for glyphosate on oats is far higher at 30 ppm (30,000 ppb), 40 CFR 180.364.

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Aminomethylphosphonic Acid7.58 ppbof 160 ppb

5% of the limitNo regulator publishes a food concentration limit for AMPA alone. EFSA (2023 glyphosate conclusion) and JMPR state glyphosate's toxicological reference values apply to AMPA (shared group ADI), so Tallow applies glyphosate's benchmark: EWG children's health benchmark 160 ppb (0.01 mg/day in a 60 g serving). Water-only references: EU drinking water 0.1 ug/L per pesticide/metabolite; Minnesota MDH guidance 1,000 ppb.

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Chlormequat70.2 ppbfound

Detected · no published limit

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Diquat4.29 ppbfound

Detected · no published limit

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

ParaquatNDnone found

Not detected

Measured in: Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice

Ingredients · 12

GoodCautionAvoid

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Healthier swaps

Same shelf, cleaner ingredients

Browse Oatmeal & Hot Cereal

Common questions

Is Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack healthy?

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack scores 0/100 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 Instant Oatmeal with Cinnamon. 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 Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack?

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack lists 12 ingredients, starting with Whole Grain Rolled Oats, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Salt, Cinnamon and Guar Gum. Ingredients are listed in descending order by weight, so the first few make up most of what you are eating.

Does Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack contain seed oils?

No. Nothing in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack’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 Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack?

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

How does Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack compare to other oatmeal & hot cereal?

At 0/100 Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack scores worse than most oatmeal & hot cereal we have scored. A higher-scoring option in oatmeal & hot cereal is Bob's Red Mill Organic Old Fashioned Rolled Oats at 100/100.

Is Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack organic?

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack is not certified organic in our data.

Has Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack been lab tested?

Not this product itself. It shares a base recipe (US instant oatmeal oat base with cinnamon; no cocoa, nut, rice or protein powder) with the other products in its family, Quaker Instant Oatmeal with Cinnamon, and 1 product in its family has 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 Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack contain heavy metals?

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack 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 6.7 ppb against a 10 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice, cadmium at 16.5 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice, lead at 3.86 ppb against a 5 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice and mercury at 3.57 ppb against a 2 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice. This product is scored with the worst result for each contaminant across those tests. Its own results may differ.

Does Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack contain glyphosate?

Quaker Instant Oatmeal Variety Pack itself has not been tested for glyphosate, but other products in its family, which share its base recipe, have: a lab detected AMPA at 7.58 ppb against a 160 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice and glyphosate at 13.3 ppb against a 160 ppb limit in Quaker Instant Oatmeal Cinnamon & Spice. 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.

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