EWG's Food Scores just took the work out of grocery shopping for me! (2024)

Products bearing the USDA certified organic seal must contain at least 95 percent organic ingredient, and must be produced without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers and free of genetically engineered ingredients.

Artificial trans fats are produced when vegetable oils are subject to extreme temperatures or pressures to solidify the fat and increase shelf life, flavor stability and palatability (FDA 2013). These modifications benefit the manufacturer but are detrimental to the consumer's health. Health experts at the Institute of Medicine recommend "that trans fatty acid consumption be as low as possible" (IOM 2005). The CDC estimates that eliminating artificial trans fats could prevent up to 20,000 heart attacks and up to 7,000 deaths each year (Dietz 2012). In 2013, the FDA made a tentative determination that trans fats from partially hydrogenated oils (the primary dietary source) should no longer be generally recognized as safe (FDA 2013). Some trans fats do occur naturally in meat and dairy products. These natural trans fats may be of lower concern; some studies have found them to be beneficial, while others have found their effects to be neutral (Chardigny 2008; Mozaffarian 2009; Wang 2013).

Added "flavors" are secret and often complex mixtures of chemicals that modify and manipulate the taste and smell of food. The lack of disclosure is a public right to know issue and especially concerning to people with unusual food allergies or on restricted diets.

Saturated fat is not an essential nutrient and with increasing intakes there is a increased risk of coronary heart disease (IOM 2005a; USDA and DHHS 2010). For this reason it has long been known as a "bad" fat that raises the "bad" cholesterol, LDL. Numerous authoritative bodies support the recommendation to limit saturated fat to 10 percent of calories -- equivalent to a reasonable limit of 14 slices of bacon's worth of saturated fat a day (WHO 2002; USDA and DHHS 2010).A 2012 review by the Cochrane Collaboration, an independent non-profit organization, found that reducing or replacing saturated fat with other healthy fats reduced the risk of cardiovascular events by 14 percent (Hooper 2012). Other recent reviews have found that there in no evidence of a benefit from reducing saturated fat (Chowdhury 2014; Schwingshackl & Hoffmann 2014). While it's clear that we still have a lot to learn about how fats behave and contribute to disease, the evidence supporting a moderate level of saturated fat consumption remains strong and consistent.

This product contains a high percentage of the Institute of Medicine's recommended adequate intake for sodium of 1500 mg a day (IOM 2005). This value is much lower than what the FDA requires be listed on food labels -- 2400 mg.Americans average 3,400 mg of sodium a day. Most of this sodium comes from processed foods where sodium is added to mask the lack of freshness by enhancing the flavor, texture or palatability and extending shelf-life (IOM 2010). Many of these uses are for the manufacturers benefit and not the consumer's health as excess sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease (IOM 2010).

Eating too much of any type of sugar can lead to tooth decay. Added sugars like high fructose corn syrup, honey, sugar and dextrose are more concerning than natural sugars like raisins because they can lead to obesity by adding calories without being accompanied by important nutrients like potassium, vitamin C or fiber. Americans average 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day (NCI 2010; USDA and DHHS 2010). The World Health Organization recommends no more than 6 to 12 teaspoons of added sugar a day for adults, children should eat even less (WHO 2002; WHO 2014).

This food contains ingredient(s) from animals that were possibly treated with antibiotics and artificial growth promoters.