Special K original
Special K original by Kellogg's has 2 tracked ingredients, with an overall safety score of 4 out of 5, in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products. Its Nutri-Score is D.
- Safety score in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products
- NOVA processing classification: group 4
Plant-based foods and beverages / Plant-based foods / Breakfasts / Cereals and potatoes / Cereals and their products / Breakfast cereals
How This Score Is Built
This 1-5 scale is an editorially-derived index, not an official government rating -- it synthesizes FDA status, EU regulatory status, US state actions, and published research. For Special K original, 2 of its 2 tracked ingredients carry a scored rating so far, current as of 2026-09-07.
Data draws on Open Food Facts, FDA, and EU regulatory records -- cross-check with the FDA → directly, or read how we score it.
Where Special K original sits nationally
Average ingredient safety score vs. 58,710 other scored products in PlainIngredients
4 Top 80% higher than 20% of 58,710 scored products
Average ingredient safety score (1 = highest risk, 5 = safest), bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more scored products. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source PlainIngredients ingredient safety index · 2026-09-07
Ingredient Safety Breakdown
Processing Level
Ultra-processed products are formulations made mostly or entirely from substances derived from foods and additives. They typically contain ingredients not commonly used in home cooking.
Full Ingredients List
Rice, wheat gluten, sugar, defatted wheat germ, contains 2% or less of: salt, whey, malt flavoring, calcium caseinate, Vitamins and Minerals (Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), reduced iron, vitamin E (alpha tocopherol acetate), vitamin B6 (pyridoxine hydrochloride), vitamin B1 (thiamin hydrochloride), vitamin A palmitate, folic acid, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), niacinamide, vitamin B12)
Product Details
- Brand
- Kellogg's
- Barcode
- 0032000016170
- Nutri-Score
- Grade D
- NOVA Group
- 4 — Ultra-processed foods
- Available In
- United States
- Stores
- Safeway
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Frequently asked questions
How does Special K original's safety score compare to other products?
Among the 58,710 PlainIngredients products with a scored ingredient list, Special K original's 4/5 average puts it in the lower 80%, in line with the 4.12/5 average across all scored products.
What does a 4/5 ingredient safety score mean?
The 1-5 scale (5 safest) comes from FDA and EU regulatory status per ingredient. Special K original's mapped ingredients average out to 4/5, which is the Low Risk tier.
Every figure on PlainIngredients is rendered directly from FDA, EU, EFSA and U.S. state regulatory records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.