Beverages

11 products ranked by Scout score

Best beverages right now

Honest Kids Organic Apple Juice Drink 92/100
Scout's analysis: This product is minimally processed and features organic apple juice from concentrate, which provides natural sugars and some vitamins. The inclusion of vitamin C…
Ensure Original Nutrition Shake Vanilla 20/100
Scout's analysis: Vanilla nutrition shake with milk protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, corn maltodextrin and added sugar. The label also lists canola and corn oils, natural and…
Coca-Cola Original Taste (Yellow Cap, Kosher for Passover) 5/100
Scout's analysis: Coca-Cola Yellow Cap (Kosher for Passover) scores 5/100. The only difference from regular Coke is that cane sugar (sucrose) replaces high-fructose corn syrup, removing…

What to skip

Coca-Cola Original Taste 1/100
Scout's analysis: Coca-Cola Original Taste scores 1/100. The archetype of a sugar-sweetened soft drink — 39 g of added sugar per 12 oz can (HFCS, almost certainly from glyphosate-sprayed…
Stella Artois 1/100
Scout's analysis: Stella Artois scores 1/100. Independent third-party testing detected 18.7 ppb glyphosate — the lowest of the seven mass-market beers tested, but still well above zero.…
Guinness Draught 1/100
Scout's analysis: Guinness Draught scores 1/100. Independent third-party testing detected 20.3 ppb glyphosate. The all-barley grain bill (malted + roasted) means heavy reliance on a…

Independently lab-tested beverages

7 of the 11 products ranked here have a lab panel on their pages — each measured amount, the level it falls in and the report it comes from. The highest-scoring five:

Coors Light 1/100
Miller Lite 1/100
Budweiser 1/100
Corona Extra 1/100
Heineken 1/100
and 2 more in the ranking above

Ingredients to watch in beverages

The flagged ingredients that show up most often across these 11 products. Each link opens Scout's analysis of the ingredient.

Ethanol (Alcohol) in 7 of 11
Natural Flavors in 3 of 11
Caramel Color (Class IV) in 2 of 11
Phosphoric Acid in 2 of 11
Corn Syrup in 2 of 11
Hop Extract in 2 of 11

What the better beverages have in common

Hops in 6 of 11

Common questions about beverages

What scores highest in beverages on Scout?

Honest Kids Organic Apple Juice Drink leads Scout's beverages ranking at 92/100, followed by Ensure Original Nutrition Shake Vanilla (20) and Coca-Cola Original Taste (Yellow Cap, Kosher for Passover) (5). Scores compare products within the category on ingredients, processing, packaging and any lab results.

What should I avoid in beverages?

Coca-Cola Original Taste scores 1/100, the lowest of the 11 products Scout has analyzed in beverages; next lowest are Stella Artois (1) and Guinness Draught (1). Each product page lists the ingredients behind the number.

What drags scores down in beverages?

Across these 11 products the most common flagged ingredients are Ethanol (Alcohol), Natural Flavors, Caramel Color (Class IV), Phosphoric Acid, Corn Syrup, Hop Extract. Each appears in at least two of the products ranked here.

Is anything in beverages independently lab tested?

7 of the 11 products on this page carry independent lab results — Coors Light, Miller Lite, Budweiser, Corona Extra, Heineken and 2 more. Each of their product pages shows the measured amounts, the level each falls in and the report they come from.

How does Scout score beverages?

Every product in beverages gets one 1–100 score for comparison within its category: the full ingredient list judged by a category-specific framework, the published processing level, the packaging, and any credible lab results. Lab results are disclosed, not scored. Scout takes no payment for scores or placement.

How Scout scores beverages

One 1–100 score per product, judged within its category: every ingredient on the label through a category-specific framework, the published processing level, the packaging, and any credible lab results. No brand pays for a score or a position on this list. Read the full methodology →