Bran Flakes nutrition: sugar, fibre, protein, fortification and more

How much sugar is in Bran Flakes? A 30g bowl with milk contains 5.4g of free sugar, 4.5g of fibre and 7.2g of protein. Bran Flakes is moderate in sugar compared with the highest-sugar children's cereals, at 18g per 100g.

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Use the calculator to adjust portion size and milk type, then see how the bowl compares to NHS daily limits for your child's age and gender.

Sugar, calories and salt by bowl size

The figures below show total sugar, calories and salt for four bowl sizes, each with 125ml of semi-skimmed milk. The full packet figure shows the dry cereal only.

All portion figures include 125ml semi-skimmed milk. Milk sugar (lactose) does not count as free sugar under NHS guidelines and is excluded from the sugar totals. Milk calories and salt are included.

Sugar

Kellogg's Bran Flakes contains 18g of sugar per 100g. A 30g bowl delivers 5.4g of free sugar before milk is added, and a 40g bowl delivers 7.2g. The high fibre content comes from wheat bran, the outer layer of the wheat grain that is removed when making refined flour.

All added sugar in Bran Flakes counts as free sugar under NHS guidelines. Milk lactose does not count as free sugar and is excluded from these figures.

A 30g bowl of Bran Flakes provides 23% of the daily free sugar limit for a child aged 7 to 10. This is moderate: lower than the highest-sugar children's cereals, but still a meaningful contribution from a single bowl.

The table below shows a standard 30g bowl as a percentage of the daily free sugar limit for each age group (cereal sugar only, no milk).

Calories

A 30g bowl of Bran Flakes with 125ml semi-skimmed milk contains approximately 155 calories. At 60g with milk the bowl contains approximately 250 calories.

For a child aged 4 to 6, a 30g bowl represents around 11% of their estimated daily calorie requirement, a reasonable contribution from breakfast.

Fibre

Bran Flakes contains 15g of fibre per 100g, which is 4.5g in a 30g bowl. This is high for a breakfast cereal and a genuinely useful contribution toward the daily fibre target.

The NHS recommends adults consume around 30g of fibre per day, and most people in the UK fall short of this. A 30g bowl of Bran Flakes provides 4.5g, around 15% of the adult daily target from a single bowl.

Protein

Bran Flakes contains 10g of protein per 100g, which is 3g in a 30g bowl before milk. With 125ml of semi-skimmed milk, which contributes approximately 4.2g of protein, the total reaches 7.2g.

Most of the protein in a bowl of cereal with milk comes from the milk itself rather than the cereal. This is true across almost all breakfast cereals, including higher-protein options like Bran Flakes.

For a child aged 7 to 10, a general guide for daily protein intake is around 24g. A 30g bowl of Bran Flakes with milk provides 7.2g, a useful contribution from breakfast, primarily via the milk.

Fortification, vitamins and minerals

Like most mainstream UK breakfast cereals, Bran Flakes is fortified with added vitamins and minerals. A 30g bowl provides half of the Reference Intake for vitamin D and a quarter of the Reference Intake for five B vitamins, alongside a meaningful contribution of iron.

Fortification is standard practice for UK cereals, partly because the refining or processing used to make many cereals removes naturally occurring vitamins and minerals from the grain. Adding them back during manufacturing restores some of this nutritional value.

Vitamin D is of particular note because many people in the UK, including children, have low vitamin D status, especially during winter months. A fortified cereal can make a small but consistent contribution to vitamin D intake.

Whole grain and processing

Bran Flakes is made from wheat bran, which is whole grain,, combined with added sugar and flavourings, then shaped and coated during manufacturing.

This combination of ingredients and processing methods places Bran Flakes in the most processed NOVA category, alongside the majority of packaged breakfast cereals.

Salt

Bran Flakes contains 1.1g of salt per 100g. A 30g bowl contains 0.3g of salt. With 125ml semi-skimmed milk, the total rises to approximately 0.5g.

This is on the higher end for breakfast cereals. For a child aged 4 to 6 with a daily salt limit of 3g, a 30g bowl with milk represents around 17% of their daily allowance from breakfast alone.

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Nutrition data from UK product labels and manufacturer nutrition declarations. Daily limits and targets: NHS/SACN free sugar guidelines (2015); SACN Dietary Reference Values for calories, fibre and protein; NHS salt targets by age; EU Reference Intakes for vitamins and minerals. For guidance only, not medical advice.