Over the past year, you may have heard rumblings about pesticide residues in breakfast cereals like Cheerios.
Here’s the gist of the story: The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has done a few rounds of testing on popular kids’ cereals. In each round, the results have found residues of the controversial weedkiller glyphosate (which is associated with many health risks at certain levels of exposure) in the majority of the samples. Those residues are above the threshold that EWG considers unsafe, but they are well below the levels that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers unsafe.
(It’s also worth noting that glyphosate wreaks havoc on the environment, so even if the levels your little one is taking in are safe, if you want to protect the planet, it’s better to choose foods produced without it.)
So, what does this all mean for you and your family? Well, a lot of kids’ breakfast cereals contain more sugar than protein anyway, so if you can get them to eat organic oatmeal or Greek yogurt instead, great. If not and you’d like cereal substitutes, there are plenty of organic brands making cereal in the shapes and flavors your kids will love.
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We’re sharing a few of the best, below, and you can also reference Cornucopia Institute’s cereal scorecard if you ever want to check on how trustworthy a certain brand is.
5 Better Breakfast Cereals for Kids
Nature’s Path Leapin’ Lemurs

Canadian company Nature’s Path is the best of the best when it comes to making wholesome, organic food you can trust. These chocolate peanut butter balls are made with real organic peanut butter. They also make versions of other popular cereals, like Amazon Flakes and Koala Crisp. All of the cereals in this Envirokidz line also support efforts to save the endangered animals on the boxes, so you can talk to your kids about the environment while you sip your coffee.
Cascadian Farm Honey Nut O’s

Cheerios were one of the main cereals called out in the testing, and Cascadian Farm makes an organic version of the classic (Purely O’s), plus this honey nut version kids will love. They also do a great organic take on Fruit Loops called Fruitful O’s.
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Annie’s Homegrown Organic Friends Bunnies

Your kids probably already love Annie’s popular Mac and Cheese, and what child isn’t going to love cereal shaped like little bunnies? This organic choice comes with cocoa, honey, and vanilla bunnies made with oats, corn, and rice.
One Degree Organic Foods Sprouted Corn Flakes

This company is committed to top-notch sourcing, to the point that when you choose these corn flakes, they’ll tell you which organic farm each ingredient in the box came from. Their grains are also sprouted, and the cereal contains tons of minerals others don’t (thanks to organic molasses).
Kashi by Kids Honey Cinnamon Cereal

Not all Kashi cereals are certified organic, but products in this “by Kids” line are. These honey cinnamon squares are made with, well, honey and cinnamon, plus other nutrient-dense ingredients like red lentil flour.