Kellogg's Frosted Flakes Cereal: Labelgrade C (61/100)
C 61 / 100 — Very low saturated fat, notable sugar load, and high sodium per 100g.
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Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal delivers 3g of protein and 220 calories per 1 CONTAINER (USDA FDC 2107423). Per 100g that’s 5g of protein; per oz, 1.4g. The Labelgrade is C (61 / 100): Very low saturated fat, notable sugar load, and high sodium per 100g.
Why this Labelgrade
| Dimension | Grade | Score | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Protein density | C- | 58 / 100 | 5g per 100g — below the high-protein bar; not the right product for protein hunting |
| Ingredient quality | B- | 72 / 100 | 13 ingredients, recognizable, no significant additive flags |
| Saturated fat load | A+ | 100 / 100 | 0g saturated fat — perfect |
| Sodium load | D | 46 / 100 | 310mg per serving (146mg per oz) — meaningful per 100g |
| Sugar load | F | 16 / 100 | 21g sugar; USDA omits the added-sugar line, but the ingredients list a sweetener — scored as added, not naturally-occurring |
| Fiber | D | 42 / 100 | 1.02g per serving — modest fiber contribution |
| Overall | C | 61 / 100 | Weighted blend: protein 25% · ingredients 22% · saturated fat 18% · sodium 15% · sugar 12% · fiber 8% |
This is the floor of the cereals on this site, and the table shows exactly why. Most boxed cereal is dessert-adjacent, and the grade tracks added sugar against whole-grain fiber — Frosted Flakes loses on both halves of that trade at once: an F on sugar and a D on fiber. There’s no bran, no oats, no fruit to put weight on the good side of the scale, just refined corn and a sugar coating. The C is what’s left after the zero-saturated-fat and short-ingredient-list points are counted.
Sugar-frosted refined corn, by the numbers
Strip away the tiger and the cereal is two things: milled corn and sugar. “Milled corn” is the refined part — the bran and germ have been removed, which is why a product made from a whole grain still posts only ~1g of fiber. Then sugar, the second ingredient, is sprayed on as frosting, and on this serving that comes to about 21g — the highest sugar load of the four cereals here and the dimension that earns the outright F.
The contrast with a plain corn flake is the clearest way to see it: an unfrosted flake from the same corn base carries roughly 2g of sugar. Everything above that — about 19g — is the coating. So Frosted Flakes isn’t a different grain from a basic corn flake; it’s the same refined corn with a heavy sugar shell added. That’s not a knock you need a lab to deliver: it’s the first two words of the ingredient list, read in order.
How it compares
| Product | Protein per serving | Per 100 g | Per oz | Calories |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal (this product) | 3g | 5g | 1.4g | 220 |
| General Mills Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal | 2g | 4.9g | 1.4g | 170 |
| Kellogg’s Froot Loops Cereal | 1.2g | 5.7g | 1.6g | 78.5 |
| Post Honey Roasted Bunches Of Oats Cereal, Honey Roasted | 4g | 7g | 2g | 220 |
| Plain cooked chicken breast (benchmark) | — | 31g | 8.8g | ~165 |
The big serving — and what milk does and doesn’t fix
The reason the sugar and calorie numbers here look so much larger than the Froot Loops page is mostly the serving. The USDA logged this product as a 60g “1 CONTAINER” — a hefty single-serve box, roughly double a typical ~30g cornflake pour. So a standard bowl would carry about half of everything on this page: closer to ~10g of sugar and ~110 calories. The grade itself doesn’t move (it’s per 100g), but it’s worth knowing the eye-catching ~21g is a big-pour figure, not a small-bowl one.
Milk helps the protein and not much else. Dry, Frosted Flakes brings 3g of protein; half a cup of dairy milk adds about 4g — meaning the milk contributes more protein than the cereal — plus ~100mg of calcium and ~60 calories. What milk can’t do is add fiber or remove sugar: the bowl is still a low-fiber, high-sugar one, and pouring milk on it makes it a more complete snack, not a balanced meal. If you eat Frosted Flakes, eat it as what it is — a sweet treat — and get your fiber and protein from the rest of the day.
Scope
This page covers Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes Cereal (8.4 oz/240 g), UPC 038000907722, as represented in USDA Branded Foods FDC 2107423. Kellogg’s sells multiple variants in this product line — other sizes, flavors, or fat levels may have different macros and Labelgrade scores. Manufacturers periodically reformulate; always cross-reference the actual package label, especially if you have allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ingredients (from the USDA Branded Foods entry)
MILLED CORN, SUGAR, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF MALT FLAVOR, SALT, BHT FOR FRESHNESS. VITAMINS AND MINERALS: IRON, VITAMIN C (ASCORBIC ACID AND SODIUM ASCORBATE), NIACINAMIDE, VITAMIN B6 (PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE), VITAMIN B2 (RIBOFLAVIN), VITAMIN B1 (THIAMINE HYDROCHLORIDE), VITAMIN A PALMITATE. FOLIC ACID, VITAMIN D, VITAMIN B12.
Where to buy
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Quick Facts
Per serving · 1 CONTAINER
See how this fits your day — protein calculator · macro calculator
Full nutrition facts
| Nutrient | Per Serving (1 CONTAINER) |
|---|---|
| Calories | 220 |
| Protein | 3g |
| Total Fat | 0g |
| Saturated Fat | 0g |
| Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 53g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.02g |
| Total Sugars | 21g |
| Sodium | 310mg |
| Cholesterol | 0mg |
| Calcium | 0mg |
| Iron | 9mg |
Scope: This page applies specifically to Frosted Flakes Cereal (8.4 oz/240 g) · UPC 038000907722. Other sizes, flavors, or formulations may differ.
How this fits each diet
Each score is computed from the same USDA nutrition + ingredient data, against the published rules of each diet. They tell you "does this food fit this diet" — not whether the diet is right for you.
contains no listed animal products
contains no listed meat or fish
contains a gluten-bearing ingredient
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kellogg's Frosted Flakes a healthy cereal?
No — it's the clearest example of a dessert-style cereal in this lineup, and it grades accordingly: C, the floor of the cereals we've covered here. It's two ingredients of substance — milled (refined) corn and sugar — with the bran and germ removed, so it carries almost no fiber and a heavy sugar load. It's fortified with vitamins and iron, but that doesn't change what it is: a sweet, low-fiber breakfast treat. Fine as an occasional bowl; not a nutritious staple.
Why does Frosted Flakes score a C (61/100)?
Two dimensions sink it. Sugar scores an outright F — at ~21g on this serving it's the worst sugar load of these four cereals — and fiber scores a D, because refined milled corn brings almost none (1.02g). Those are precisely the two things the grade weighs most for cereal: high added sugar, near-zero whole-grain fiber. It avoids an even lower grade only because it has zero saturated fat (A+) and a fairly short ingredient list. This is the sugar-first end of the aisle.
How much sugar is in Frosted Flakes, and is it 'added'?
About 21g of sugar on this serving — and yes, it's added. The USDA entry doesn't print a separate added-sugar line, but the ingredient list names SUGAR as the second ingredient, right after milled corn; a plain corn flake has only ~2g, so essentially all of this is the frosting. We score it as added, not naturally-occurring. At ~21g that's a large share of a day's sugar in one bowl, and it's the single biggest reason this cereal sits at the bottom of the grade range.
What's the serving size, and does it include milk?
The numbers are for dry cereal only — milk is not included — and note the USDA logged this as a large '1 CONTAINER' serving of 60g (a single-serve box, bigger than a typical ~30g pour), which is why both the sugar (~21g) and calories (220) look high. A standard ~1-cup bowl would be roughly half these figures. Adding 1/2 cup of milk contributes ~4g of protein and ~100mg of calcium plus its own calories and sugar; the milk supplies more protein than the 3g in the flakes themselves.
Is there a better-graded cereal to pick instead?
Almost anything with real grain. [Kellogg's Raisin Bran](/kelloggs-raisin-bran-cereal-202-5-lbr) (B) brings 4.3g of bran fiber, and [Honey Nut Cheerios](/general-mills-sales-inc-honey-nut-cheerios-cereal) (B-) starts from whole oats — both out-grade Frosted Flakes mainly by having fiber and less sugar. The closest like-for-like upgrade is plain, unfrosted corn flakes: same corn base, but you drop most of the 21g of sugar. For the flavor with better numbers, the engineered low-sugar cereals (Magic Spoon, Catalina Crunch) deliver sweetness with far more protein and fiber.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-05, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 2107423. We re-verify top-traffic pages monthly and update within 7 days when a manufacturer reformulates.