Brands in the 5-Grain category are trustworthy and committed to organics, produced by true heroes in the organic industry. All products under the brand name are certified organic, and the company markets exclusively organic products. These foods were produced without genetically engineered organisms, toxic pesticides, petrochemical solvents, and other inputs that are strictly prohibited in organics.

Brands in the 4-Grain category are committed to organics, but either the company does not market exclusively organic foods, or some of the products contain some conventional ingredients. All products under 4-Grain brands are produced without genetically engineered ingredients and without the use of petrochemical solvents.

Brands in the 3-Grain category are either owned by corporations without a serious commitment to organics, or do not contain many organic ingredients. All brands listed under the 3-Grain categories have policies not to source genetically engineered ingredients or use ingredients extracted with petrochemical solvents. Consumers should choose products in this category only if they are labeled "organic," since "natural" products could be contaminated with pesticide residues, genetically engineered ingredients, and toxic solvent residues.

Brands lose points and fall under the 2-Grain category for various reasons; sometimes products contain genetically engineered ingredients (see our cereal residue test results) or solvent (hexane)-extracted oils, or corporate owners are not committed to organics. Some brands under the 2-Grain category do offer certified organic products, which are good choices. But the "natural" label, used on most products under 2-Grain brands, is largely meaningless marketing hype.

Brands with a 1-Grain rating are poor choices. The vast majority of brands in this category offer no certified organic products, and only a handful offer very limited organic choices. "Natural" products in the 1-Grain category contain ingredients that are likely produced with toxic pesticides, and could contain genetically engineered and hexane-extracted ingredients (see our cereal residue test results). The "natural" label on these products is largely meaningless marketing hype.