Simple Mills vs Mary's Gone Crackers?

The Short Answer

If you want the absolute cleanest ingredient list, Mary's Gone Crackers (Original) is the winner. It is USDA Certified Organic, contains zero added oils, and is made entirely of whole grains and seeds you can see. It is a nutritional powerhouse that functions more like food than a snack.

If you are transitioning from Ritz or Wheat Thins and need a familiar texture, Simple Mills is the better option. It tastes buttery and flaky without using gluten or industrial seed oils. However, because the Almond Flour line is not organic, it carries a higher risk of glyphosate contamination, and recent independent tests have flagged it for potential inconsistencies.

Why This Matters

Crackers are usually a trap for inflammatory seed oils and refined flours. Most "healthy" brands just swap white flour for rice flour but keep the soybean or canola oil. Finding a cracker that is both grain-free or whole-grain AND free of industrial oils is incredibly difficult. Oils In Crackers

Both Simple Mills and Mary's represent the top tier of the grocery store aisle. They both avoid High Fructose Corn Syrup, artificial flavors, and hydrogenated oils. The choice between them comes down to whether you prioritize whole food purity (Mary's) or culinary enjoyment (Simple Mills). Healthiest Crackers

What's Actually In Them

Mary's Gone Crackers (Original)

• Organic Brown Rice & Quinoa — Whole grains, not flours.
• Organic Flax & Sesame Seeds — Visible seeds providing real fiber.
• Organic Tamari — For savory depth without artificial flavors.
• No Added Oil — The seeds provide the fat naturally.

Simple Mills (Almond Flour - Sea Salt)

• Nut & Seed Flour Blend — Almonds, sunflower seeds, and flax seeds ground into flour.
• Tapioca Starch & Cassava Flour — Binders that create the flaky texture but add starchy carbs. Are Cassava Chips Healthy
• Organic Sunflower Oil — specifically High Oleic, which is more stable and less inflammatory than standard sunflower oil, but still a processed fat.

What to Look For

Green Flags (Mary's):

• USDA Organic Seal — Critical for avoiding pesticides like glyphosate.
• No Added Oil — Almost unheard of in the cracker aisle.
• Visible Ingredients — You can see the actual flax seeds and quinoa grains.

Red Flags (Simple Mills):

• "Natural" Flavors — Found in their flavored varieties (like Farmhouse Cheddar).
• Not Organic — The Almond Flour line is Conventional Non-GMO. Almonds are a water-intensive crop often heavily treated with pesticides if not organic.
• Glyphosate Concerns — 2024 independent testing by Moms Across America found detectable levels of glyphosate in Simple Mills crackers, likely due to the lack of organic certification.

The Comparison

The Bottom Line

1. Buy Mary's Gone Crackers if you want a nutrient-dense vessel for dips and don't mind a hard crunch. Stick to the Original flavor to stay 100% oil-free.

2. Buy Simple Mills if you need a crowd-pleaser that mimics "unhealthy" crackers. They are a massive upgrade from Ritz, but treating them as a "sometimes" food is wise due to the processing and lack of organic certification.

3. Watch the Flavors. Both brands add more processed ingredients (like maltodextrin or yeast extracts) as you stray from their original/sea salt flavors. Keep it simple.

FAQ

Why are Simple Mills crackers not organic?

Simple Mills uses Non-GMO ingredients but is not USDA Certified Organic for their main Almond Flour line. This helps keep the price lower, but it means the almonds and sunflower seeds may be exposed to pesticides that organic farming prohibits. They do have a separate "Organic Seed Flour" line (green box) if that certification is important to you.

Do these crackers contain heavy metals?

Unfortunately, yes. Independent tests (such as those by Lead Safe Mama and Consumer Reports) have found levels of lead and cadmium in both brands. This is a common issue with root vegetables (cassava) and seeds/nuts, which absorb minerals from the soil. It is a reminder that even "clean" processed foods should be consumed in moderation compared to fresh produce.

Is the sunflower oil in Simple Mills bad for you?

It depends. Simple Mills uses High Oleic sunflower oil, which is high in monounsaturated fats (like olive oil) and low in inflammatory linoleic acid. This is significantly better than the standard sunflower oil found in most chips, but it is still a refined oil. Oils In Crackers

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References (6)

1. 1. mensjournal.com
2. 2. cspi.org
3. 3. tamararubin.com
4. 4. cozymeal.com
5. 5. fairwaymarket.com
6. 6. simplemills.com