Heineken
Summary
Heineken scores 1/100. Independent third-party testing detected 20.9 ppb glyphosate from conventional malted barley. The all-malt formulation is cleaner than American adjunct lagers (no corn or rice), but ethanol itself is a WHO IARC Group 1 carcinogen with no safe consumption level. Green-glass packaging is also light-struck prone. Owned by Heineken N.V.
At a glance
Contaminants 1
Source: Independent third-party laboratory testing
Glyphosate 20.9 ppb Moderate
A moderate level of glyphosate — elevated enough to be a real sourcing concern; cleaner-tested options exist.
Independent third-party testing detected glyphosate at 20.9 parts per billion.
Key ingredients 5
Ethanol (Alcohol)Very Bad
Classified by WHO's IARC as a Group 1 carcinogen — definitively known to cause cancer in humans. Even moderate alcohol consumption is causally linked to cancers of the breast, colon, esophagus, larynx, liver, and oropharynx. There is no safe level of alcohol consumption per the WHO (2023).
See more about Ethanol (Alcohol) →WaterNeutral
Brewing water; the dominant ingredient by volume.
See more about Water →Malted BarleyNeutral
The primary glyphosate-residue vector in beer. Conventional barley in North America is commonly sprayed with glyphosate (Roundup) as a pre-harvest desiccant to dry the grain uniformly for combine harvesting; residues persist through malting, mashing, and fermentation.
See more about Malted Barley →HopsGood
Whole hop flowers — traditional ingredient with mild antimicrobial polyphenols (xanthohumol, isohumulones).
See more about Hops →YeastNeutral
Saccharomyces strain used for fermentation; not a health concern.
See more about Yeast →Processing
Ultra-Processed Foods
Get the full breakdown in the Scout app
Scan any product to see lab results, healthy alternatives, and your personalized analysis.
Download on theApp Store