Cereal

35 products ranked by Scout score

Best cereal right now

The Real Cereal Co. Organic Rice Crisps 95/100
Scout's analysis: The Real Cereal Co. Organic Rice Crisps scores 95/100. One ingredient: Organic Brown Rice — USDA Organic, Gluten Free, 0g sugar, 0mg sodium, zero additives of any kind.…
Lovebird Honey O's 88/100
Scout's analysis: Lovebird Honey O's scores 88/100. A genuinely clean grain-free cereal — USDA Organic with only 7 real-food ingredients: organic buckwheat and cassava flours, organic…
Milky Way Chocolate Stars Cereal 88/100
Scout's analysis: Milky Way Chocolate Stars Cereal scores 88/100, featuring beneficial ingredients like cocoa butter and cocoa mass, which provide antioxidants, while containing sugar as…

What to skip

Trix 1/100
Scout's analysis: Trix scores 1/100. Food Democracy Now / The Detox Project 2016 testing (Anresco Laboratories) confirmed positive for glyphosate. Beyond the contamination, the deck…
Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut 1/100
Scout's analysis: Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut scores 1/100. EWG's February 2024 chlormequat study detected the pesticide at ~160 ppb. Chlormequat is a plant growth regulator linked…
Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar 1/100
Scout's analysis: Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar scores 1/100. EWG's February 2024 chlormequat study detected the pesticide at ~100 ppb. Chlormequat is a plant growth regulator…

Independently lab-tested cereal

18 of the 35 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:

Lovebird Honey O's 88/100
Original Cheerios 37/100
Kashi Organic Promise 27/100
Kellogg's Raisin Bran 27/100
Seven Sundays Maple Sea Salt Sunflower Cereal 26/100
and 13 more in the ranking above

Ingredients to watch in cereal

The flagged ingredients that show up most often across these 35 products. Each link opens Scout's analysis of the ingredient.

Sugar in 17 of 35
Natural Flavors in 9 of 35
Cane sugar in 5 of 35
Canola and/or Sunflower Oil in 5 of 35
Maltodextrin in 5 of 35
Corn syrup in 4 of 35

What the better cereal have in common

Sea Salt in 9 of 35
Niacinamide in 9 of 35
Whole Grain Oats in 6 of 35
Whole Grain Oat Flour in 5 of 35
Whole Grain Wheat in 4 of 35

Common questions about cereal

What scores highest in cereal on Scout?

The Real Cereal Co. Organic Rice Crisps leads Scout's cereal ranking at 95/100, followed by Lovebird Honey O's (88) and Milky Way Chocolate Stars Cereal (88). Scores compare products within the category on ingredients, processing, packaging and any lab results.

What should I avoid in cereal?

Trix scores 1/100, the lowest of the 35 products Scout has analyzed in cereal; next lowest are Quaker Oatmeal Squares Honey Nut (1) and Quaker Oatmeal Squares Brown Sugar (1). Each product page lists the ingredients behind the number.

What drags scores down in cereal?

Across these 35 products the most common flagged ingredients are Sugar, Natural Flavors, Cane sugar, Canola and/or Sunflower Oil, Maltodextrin, Corn syrup. Each appears in at least two of the products ranked here.

Is anything in cereal independently lab tested?

18 of the 35 products on this page carry independent lab results — Lovebird Honey O's, Original Cheerios, Kashi Organic Promise, Kellogg's Raisin Bran, Seven Sundays Maple Sea Salt Sunflower Cereal and 13 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 cereal?

Every product in cereal 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 cereal

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 →