GoodGuide's Peanut Butter Ratings: Which Brands Are Best and Worst?

Kettle Foods Hazelnut Butter receives top marks, while Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter Spread ranks worst among more than 100 peanut butter products rated by GoodGuide.

Consumer Ally has teamed up with GoodGuide, whose experts have rated more than 65,000 consumer goods -- including food, toys, personal care and household products -- using factors that include concern for the environment, personal health and social responsibility.

GoodGuide's ratings also include a brief explanation for each category, though the user can drill down into each score for more detail. The health score measures a product's potential health impact on consumers.The environment score is based on the impact of the product in question and the company's overall policies and practices. The society score evaluates social impact, which can include treatment of workers, workplace diversity, community involvement and corporate ethics.

For example, Kettle Foods Hazelnut Butter's 7.9 rating is based on:

• A Health score of 9.4: This product's manufacturer has stated that its food products do not contain genetically modified organisms.
• An Environment score of 8.1: The company that makes this product has one of the highest scores in use of resources.
• A Society score of 6.1: The company that makes this product has an above average score in customer satisfaction.

Conversely, Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter Spread's 3.9 rating is based on:

• A Health score of 2.4: This product contains trans fats, which may increase the risk of heart disease.
• An Environment score of 4.8: The company that makes this product has a below average score regards policies that affect climate change.
• A Society score of 4.6: Compared to other companies, this company is one of the lowest rated on quality, safety and performance.

GoodGuide experts rated 106 peanut butter products. Below are the top five best -- and worst -- rated. In order to avoid repetition of a particular brand (Kettle Foods and Santa Cruz dominate the top 10 slots, while Peter Pan and Jif account for nine of the 10 worst-rated products), we've skipped ahead to the next best or worst brand.

The Best Peanut Butter

• Kettle Foods Hazelnut Butter (7.9)
• Santa Cruz Peanut Butter, Dark Roasted, Creamy (7.2)
• Peanut Butter & Co. The Heat Is On (6.6)
• Natural Value Peanut Butter, Crunchy, Organic (6.4)
• MaraNatha Organic No Stir Peanut Spread with Calcium (6.3)

The Worst Peanut Butter

• Laura Scudders, Peanut Butter Nutty (4.5)
• Great Value Creamy Peanut Butter (4.4)
• Adams, No-Stir Peanut Butter, Creamy (4.3)
• Jif Creamy Peanut Butter (3.9)
• Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter Spread (3.9)

You can view all the top-rated peanut butter (in descending order) here and all the poorly rated peanut butter (in ascending order) here. You can also search for the ratings of a particular brand of peanut butter here.

Last time around, we examined GoodGuide's toothpaste ratings.