Ranking the Most and Least Frozen Breakfast Scrambles and Bowls
Sep 9, 2024
·
·
In today’s fast-paced world, convenience is often king—especially when it comes to breakfast. But as we reach for quick, easy-to-prepare options, how often do we stop to consider what’s actually hiding in our food? Additives, preservatives, and synthetic chemicals are common ingredients in many popular frozen breakfast options, raising concerns about their impact on our health. The WISEcode app offers a solution, empowering consumers to instantly understand how processed their foods are and providing a straightforward way to make more informed choices. With just a simple scan or search, you can uncover which products are loaded with unwanted extras and find healthier, less processed alternatives.
To decode the truth behind the most popular frozen breakfast scrambles and bowls, our team deployed the WISEcode app across supermarkets nationwide. We scanned and evaluated 27 products, ranging from household names like Jimmy Dean and Smart Ones to private labels from retail behemoths like Walmart and Kroger.
The results were eye-opening: 19 out of the 27 products are classified as Super Ultra Processed, packed with additives, preservatives, and chemicals that you might want to avoid. Yet, even in a category filled with such highly processed options, there are a few standout products for those who know where to look—brands that prioritize quality ingredients and minimal processing, offering a healthier start to your day.
Fab Five Least Processed
Minimally Processed
AMY'S KITCHEN, Tofu Scramble
Lightly Processed
AMY'S KITCHEN, California Scramble
AMY'S KITCHEN, Mexican Scramble
Moderately Processed
EGGLAND'S BEST, Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Bowl
EGGLAND'S BEST, Salsa, Bacon, & Cheese Breakfast Bowl
Amy’s Kitchen doesn’t just crack the leaderboard—it runs the table, sweeping the top three spots for the least processed frozen breakfast scramble and bowl options. Known for its commitment to organic, non-GMO ingredients, Amy’s Kitchen also continues to be a standout in our WISEcode processed food rankings. With over 150 vegetarian products, all made with organic ingredients, Amy’s has played a starring role in our recent rankings, including top performances in categories like Plant-Based Burgers and Mac & Cheese.
The three Amy’s Kitchen products parading atop our rankings —the Tofu Scramble, California Scramble, and Mexican Scramble consistently feature lower levels of processing compared to their competitors, aligning with Amy’s emphasis on simplicity and fewer processed ingredients. While Amy’s products tend to be priced 1.5 to 3 times higher than most competitors, the lower processing levels suggest that consumers may indeed get what they pay for in terms of quality.
Tied in 4th place are Eggland’s Best Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Bowl and Eggland’s Best Salsa, Bacon, & Cheese Breakfast Bowl. Eggland’s Best, owned by Land O’Lakes, a cooperative famous for its dairy products, offers a protein-packed breakfast bowl that’s a cut above many of its heavily processed competitors. In a landscape of options loaded with additives, these bowls shine as less processed choices, giving consumers a convenient and satisfying breakfast without a huge amount of extra baggage of unnecessary chemicals.
Final Five Most Processed
Super Ultra Processed
TIE for TWENTY THIRD
23. DEVOUR, All Day Breakfast Double Sausage And Bacon Loaded Tots
23. GREAT VALUE, Meat Lovers Breakfast Bowl
25. GREAT VALUE, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl
26. JIMMY DEAN, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl
27. JIMMY DEAN, Biscuit & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowl
While some frozen breakfast options manage to keep processing to a minimum, others are downright packed with additives, preservatives, and synthetic chemicals, landing them squarely in the “Super Ultra Processed” category. We’ve exposed the worst offenders in our rankings of the most processed frozen breakfast scrambles and bowls, and it’s glaringly obvious that some brands are making anything but healthy choices. Here’s the hard truth about these bottom-ranked options and the companies behind them. Let’s dive into the rankings and call out the biggest culprits.
Jimmy Dean and Walmart’s Great Value brands dominate the bottom of the barrel, with multiple products making a shameful appearance in the Nasty Nine. Jimmy Dean, owned by Tyson Foods, has three of its breakfast bowls splashed across this list, each loaded with alarming ingredients that should make any consumer think twice.
Jimmy Dean’s Biscuit & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowl sits at the very bottom, crowned as the most processed item in our review. But that’s just the beginning. Both the Biscuit & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowl and Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl pack a double dose of BHT and Titanium Dioxide. BHT is a preservative linked to endocrine disruption and organ-system toxicity. Titanium Dioxide, a controversial additive used to enhance visual appeal by adding color or restoring the original appearance of food, has been banned in the European Union and is currently under scrutiny by the FDA.
Walmart’s Great Value assortment is hot on Jimmy Dean’s heels, with three of its breakfast bowls—the Bacon Potatoes, Eggs, Bacon Cheese Breakfast Bowl, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl, and Meat Lovers Breakfast Bowl—all landing squarely in the Super Ultra Processed category. The presence of Sodium Nitrite in both the Bacon Potatoes and Meat Lovers options underscores Walmart’s strategy: cut costs and extend shelf life, but at the expense of customer health. These bowls are cheap in price but costly in terms of health, loaded with chemicals that should make consumers think twice before adding them to their carts. What happened to Save Money. Live Better?
Smart Ones and Devour, both owned by Kraft Heinz, also finish in the bottom of our rankings with their Super Ultra Processed offerings.The SMART ONES Ham & Cheese Scramble claims the second most processed on the list, while the DEVOUR All Day Breakfast Double Sausage And Bacon Loaded Tots ties for seventh place. Despite their branding efforts, these products are anything but “smart” or innovative when it comes to processing—they’re packed with preservatives and artificial ingredients that have no place in a supposedly wholesome breakfast.
Lastly, Kroger’s Private Label offers five Super Ultra Processed options. Although Kroger promises “fresh for everyone” as its brand ethos, its Frozen Breakfast scrambles fall short of delivering the quality one might expect from such a strong brand statement.
Key Takeaway: Choose Wisely in the Frozen Aisle
When you’re navigating the frozen aisle, don’t be fooled by familiar names or enticing packaging. Look beyond the marketing and check what you’re really putting on your plate. The WISEcode app is your ally in this fight, revealing the level of processing in each product and steering you towards better, more informed choices. Remember, not all convenience foods are created equal.
FULL RANKINGS (Least to Most Processed)
Minimally Processed
AMY'S KITCHEN, Tofu Scramble
Lightly Processed
AMY'S KITCHEN, California Scramble
AMY'S KITCHEN, Mexican Scramble
Moderately Processed
EGGLAND'S BEST, Sausage & Cheese Breakfast Bowl
EGGLAND'S BEST, Salsa, Bacon, & Cheese Breakfast Bowl
ATKINS, Farmhouse Style Sausage Scramble
EGGLAND’S BEST, Loaded Potato Scramble Breakfast Bowl
Ultra Processed
AMY'S KITCHEN, Homestyle Scramble
Super Ultra Processed
DEVOUR, All Day Breakfast Spicy Chorizo Queso Hash
TIE for TENTH
CRAV'N FLAVOR, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl
SMART ONES, Cheesy Scramble With Hash Browns Frozen Meal
12. KROGER, Sausage And Gravy Scramble Breakfast Bowl
13. GREAT VALUE, Sausage Breakfast Bowl
TIE for FOURTEENTH
14. KROGER, Sausage Scramble Breakfast Bowl
14. KROGER, Bacon Breakfast Bowl
14. KROGER, Meat Lovers & Scramble Eggs Breakfast Bowl
TIE for SEVENTEENTH
17. GREAT VALUE, Bacon Potatoes, Eggs, Bacon & Cheese Breakfast Bowl
17. SMART ONES, Ham & Cheese Scramble
19. KROGER, Farmhouse Style Scramble Breakfast Bowl
20. DUTCH FARMS, Sausage, Potatoes, and Eggs Breakfast Bowl
TIE for TWENTY FIRST
21. JIMMY DEAN, Sausage Egg & Cheese Frozen Breakfast Bowl
21. JIMMY DEAN, Meat Lovers Frozen Breakfast Bowl
TIE for TWENTY THIRD
23. DEVOUR, All Day Breakfast Double Sausage And Bacon Loaded Tots
23. GREAT VALUE, Meat Lovers Breakfast Bowl
25. GREAT VALUE, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl
26. JIMMY DEAN, Sausage & Gravy Breakfast Bowl
27. JIMMY DEAN, Biscuit & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Bowl
Ready to revolutionize your relationship with food?
Start your journey with WISEcode to move away from ultra-processed foods and towards healthier, more informed eating. Your body will thank you.
Want early access?
We’re launching soon. Drop your email and get on the list.
Ready to revolutionize your relationship with food?
Start your journey with WISEcode to move away from ultra-processed foods and towards healthier, more informed eating. Your body will thank you.
Want early access?
We’re launching soon. Drop your email and get on the list.