Is Simply Organic a Good Brand? Spice Quality Reviewed

Simply Organic earns a good reputation as an organic spice brand for shoppers who want certified, well-tested seasonings. Every product carries USDA Organic certification through Quality Assurance International, a USDA-accredited third-party certifier, and the brand runs organoleptic and laboratory testing at its parent company’s quality labs before anything ships. Consumer Reports included Simply Organic in a 2024 test of heavy metals across 126 herbs and spices, and most of the brand’s tested products showed no concerning levels of arsenic, cadmium or lead. Home cooks and reviewers regularly describe the flavor as fresh and clean next to supermarket spice racks. Prices run higher than conventional brands, but the certification, sourcing standards and published test results back up that premium.

Reasons Simply Organic Is a Good Brand

Yes, based on certification records, published lab results and customer feedback, Simply Organic ranks among the more trustworthy organic spice brands sold in the United States. Four factors support that verdict. Every product is USDA Organic certified and Non-GMO Project Verified, which rules out synthetic pesticides and genetically modified ingredients. Frontier Co-op, the parent company, runs its own quality lab with sensory testing, high-performance liquid chromatography and microbiological screening rather than relying only on certifier audits. Consumer Reports found no concerning heavy metals in most Simply Organic products it tested, placing the brand among the cleaner options in that comparison. Buyers who leave reviews consistently mention bold, fresh flavor and describe the jars as noticeably more potent than budget spice racks.

None of this means the brand is flawless. Simply Organic cinnamon products carry a California Proposition 65 warning for lead, a disclosure requirement rather than proof of danger, and it applies to nearly every cinnamon on the market because cinnamon bark naturally absorbs lead from soil. Shoppers who eat a lot of cinnamon, and parents feeding it to small children, should still follow general spice safety guidance and check with a doctor about any diet-related concern before making major changes.

What Certifications Does Simply Organic Have?

Simply Organic carries USDA Organic certification on every product, Non-GMO Project Verified status across the line, and additional kosher, gluten-free or Fair Trade certification on select items depending on the spice.

USDA Organic and Non-GMO Verification

USDA Organic certification comes through Quality Assurance International, an accredited third-party certifier that audits farms, processors and packaging facilities against federal organic standards. That certification already requires confirmation that ingredients are non-GMO, and Simply Organic products also display separate Non-GMO Project Verified marks on packaging. The company states plainly that it prohibits ethylene oxide sterilization, irradiation and methyl bromide treatment across its supply chain, three methods some conventional spice processors still use to control microbes or pests.

Fair Trade, Kosher and Gluten-Free Options

Select Simply Organic products carry Fair Trade certification, which applies to specific origin spices rather than the whole catalog. Individual items are also certified kosher through KSA and certified gluten-free through GFCO. Because certification is applied product by product, shoppers who need a specific label should check the front of the jar rather than assume every Simply Organic item carries every certification the brand offers.

What Quality Testing Does Simply Organic Use?

Frontier Co-op, the company behind Simply Organic, maintains spice quality through organoleptic sensory review, high-performance liquid chromatography, microbiological screening and climate-controlled storage before it reaches store shelves.

Organoleptic testing means trained staff evaluate color, aroma and taste against a written specification for that spice, catching batches that taste flat or smell off before they ship. High-performance liquid chromatography, often shortened to HPLC, measures the concentration of active flavor compounds, which is how the company confirms a batch of turmeric or paprika meets its potency standard rather than relying on appearance alone.

Microbiological testing screens for pathogens, and products that need pasteurization go through a validated steam process instead of chemical fumigation or irradiation. Allergen control procedures keep cross-contact spices separate during processing, though the company only labels a product gluten-free when it has been specifically certified for that claim, not by default.

Packaging plays a role in quality too. Simply Organic uses resealable containers designed to protect ground spices from light and air, the two biggest causes of flavor loss in a home pantry, and ships using biodegradable pea starch packing material instead of foam peanuts.

Climate-controlled storage matters more than shoppers might expect. Heat, humidity and light break down the essential oils that give a spice its aroma, so warehousing conditions can affect a jar’s flavor before it ever reaches a store shelf. Keeping storage temperature and humidity steady protects the compounds that HPLC testing measures, which is why the two practices work together rather than as separate checkboxes.

A specification sheet for each product also gives the quality team a consistent benchmark, so a batch of cumin grown one year can be compared fairly against cumin grown the next, even if the harvest came from a different farm within the same certified region.

Does Simply Organic Contain Heavy Metals?

Most Simply Organic spices tested clean for heavy metals in Consumer Reports’ 2024 to 2025 investigation, with oregano the one exception flagged for some concern.

Consumer Reports tested 126 herbs and spices spanning 15 types for arsenic, cadmium and lead, comparing results across dozens of brands sold in the United States. Simply Organic showed no concerning heavy metal levels in basil, black pepper, chili powder, coriander, cumin, curry powder, garlic powder, ginger, paprika and turmeric. Roughly two-thirds of the Simply Organic products tested came back clean, a stronger showing than many competing brands in the same investigation.

Heavy Metals Test Results by Spice

Spice	Simply Organic Result
Basil	No concern
Black pepper	No concern
Chili powder	No concern
Coriander	No concern
Cumin	No concern
Curry powder	No concern
Garlic powder	No concern
Ginger	No concern
Oregano	Some concern
Paprika	No concern
Turmeric	No concern

What the Prop 65 Warning on Cinnamon Means

Nearly every cinnamon brand on the market carries a similar warning, since cinnamon bark naturally draws lead from the soil it grows in regardless of farming method.

The label is a legal disclosure, not a recall or a safety failure, though people who use cinnamon heavily, or who feed it to toddlers daily, may want to moderate portions and ask a pediatrician or doctor about any specific concern.

How Does Simply Organic Compare to Other Spice Brands?

Independent coverage of Consumer Reports’ 2024 heavy metals testing placed Simply Organic among the better-performing brands, a result that held across dozens of competing spice lines in the same investigation. A separate write-up of that testing round reached the same conclusion, calling Simply Organic a comparatively safer choice rather than disputing the magazine’s own findings. That agreement across independent sources matters, because a single favorable review can be an outlier while two publications reading the same underlying data point to a real pattern.

Price is the main tradeoff against that safety record. Budget and store-brand spice lines generally cost less per ounce, and some conventional brands also test clean for heavy metals, so certification and lab testing are what shoppers are really paying for rather than a guarantee that every alternative is unsafe.

Readers who mainly want the lowest price per recipe, and who are not concerned about organic status or GMO content, will not see enough of a quality gap in every dish to justify the premium every time. Cooks who reach often for pepper, cumin, turmeric or the other spices Consumer Reports tested clean get the clearest value from choosing Simply Organic specifically for those items.

Where Does Simply Organic Source Its Spices?

Global sourcing shapes the Simply Organic lineup, starting with black pepper from Kerala, India, and vanilla from Madagascar, and every international farm goes through the same USDA certification process used domestically.

Global Sourcing from Kerala to Madagascar

Rather than sourcing every spice from a single country, Simply Organic buys from the growing regions historically known for that specific crop. Black pepper comes from Kerala, a coastal Indian state where pepper cultivation goes back centuries, and vanilla comes from Madagascar, which produces most of the world’s natural vanilla. This region-first approach is common among specialty spice brands because climate and soil affect flavor intensity as much as processing does.

How Simply Organic Vets International Farms

Every farm in the supply chain, foreign or domestic, goes through the same organic certification process, including on-site inspection by a USDA-accredited certifier in that country. Farms must also avoid synthetic fertilizers and persistent chemical pesticides to keep organic status. The company describes its grower relationships as long-term partnerships rather than one-off purchase contracts, which supports more consistent quality from harvest to harvest since the same farms supply the brand year after year.

Does Simply Organic Give Back to Communities?

Simply Organic runs a charitable program called the Simply Organic Giving Fund, established in 2018 to address food insecurity in the United States and Canada.

The fund directs support toward getting nutrient-dense organic food to underserved communities rather than functioning as a general marketing donation. It sits alongside the brand’s broader sustainability claims, which include protecting ecosystems, enriching soil and keeping waterways clean through the organic farming practices required of its grower partners. Shoppers who weigh a brand’s social record alongside its product quality will find Simply Organic makes specific, checkable claims here rather than vague sustainability language.

Is Simply Organic Worth the Price?

For most shoppers who specifically want organic, non-GMO spices with documented testing, Simply Organic is worth the higher price compared with conventional supermarket spice brands.

Reviewers consistently rate the flavor above budget spice lines, describing it as bolder and fresher, and the brand’s All-Purpose Seasoning holds a five out of five star average across customer reviews cited by spice comparison sites. That premium exists because organic certification, third-party lab testing and smaller-batch sourcing all cost more than mass-market spice production.

Shoppers who mainly care about lowest price per ounce, and who are not concerned about organic status, will find conventional brands cheaper without a corresponding quality gap for every use case, such as spices destined for a long-simmered stew where subtle flavor differences matter less.

ConsumerLab.com has tested a small number of Simply Organic products as well, though its full ratings sit behind a paywall, so shoppers who want that additional data point will need a subscription to see the details.

A simple way to decide is to sort spices into two groups before shopping. High-use spices in a household, the ones that go into nearly every dinner such as black pepper, garlic powder, cumin or paprika, are worth buying from Simply Organic first, since those are also among the varieties that came back clean in Consumer Reports’ testing and get used often enough that flavor quality is noticeable.

Occasional-use spices bought once for a single recipe are a reasonable place to save money with a conventional brand, since the cost difference matters less when a jar sits in the cabinet for months between uses anyway.

This guide does not list individual prices on this page; compare the jar price and size where you shop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Simply Organic Owned by Frontier Co-op?

Yes, Simply Organic is part of the Frontier Co-op family of brands, which supplies its quality assurance labs, sourcing relationships and packaging standards. Frontier Co-op is a cooperative business, and Simply Organic operates as its dedicated all-organic spice line.

Does Simply Organic Use Irradiation or Ethylene Oxide?

No, the company states it prohibits ethylene oxide sterilization, irradiation and methyl bromide treatment across its supply chain. Food safety instead relies on validated steam pasteurization along with climate-controlled storage and microbiological testing.

Does Simply Organic Support Any Charitable Causes?

Yes, the Simply Organic Giving Fund, started in 2018, focuses on reducing food insecurity in the United States and Canada by expanding access to organic food. The fund is separate from the brand’s day-to-day sourcing and certification programs.

Is Simply Organic More Expensive than Conventional Spices?

In most stores, Simply Organic costs more per jar than conventional, non-organic spice brands sold on the same shelf. The higher price reflects organic certification, third-party lab testing and smaller-scale sourcing rather than packaging or marketing alone.

Simply Organic holds up well against the questions a careful shopper should ask before paying a premium for spices: real certification, documented lab testing and independently published heavy metals data all point the same direction. The brand is not the cheapest option in the spice aisle, and a handful of gaps remain, such as full ConsumerLab ratings sitting behind a paywall, but the public record supports its reputation as a genuinely better-tested organic spice line rather than an organic label used only for marketing.

References

• Simply Organic About Page, Simply Organic
• Simply Organic FAQs, Simply Organic
• Simply Organic Brand Page, Frontier Co-op Wholesale
• Summer Essentials, Simply Organic
• Your Herbs and Spices Might Contain Arsenic, Cadmium, and Lead, Consumer Reports
• Heavy Metals Found In 20+ Popular Spice Brands, Deep Roots at Home
• Is There Lead in Your Spices?, Real Food Blogger
• Simply Organic Reviews and Ratings, ConsumerLab.com

Sources read in September 2026.