Bottom line first
Both brands sell the same core product, a grass juice powder made from barley grass or wheatgrass with the fiber removed. The difference is in how they're dried, how much you have to commit, and what happens if you change your mind.
- Green Foods is the better pick for most people. It's been around since 1979, sells barley grass, wheatgrass and chlorella in small sizes from $17.62, and offers a 30-day return window on unused items (though perishable foods are excluded, so ask first).
- Optimally Organic suits committed daily greens drinkers, with more caveats, who specifically want freeze-dried powder by the half pound. Go in knowing that every sale is final, shipping can take weeks, and much of the rest of the catalog makes health claims you should treat as marketing.
Neither is a treatment for anything. Greens powders are food-based supplements. Barley grass, wheatgrass and chlorella are rich in vitamin K, so check with your doctor first if you take blood thinners or have a health condition.
Head-to-head on greens
| | Green Foods | Optimally Organic |
|---|---|---|
| Our take | Better pick for most people | Buy with care: all sales final |
| Barley grass juice powder | Organic Green Magma, from $17.62 (2.8, 5.3, 10.6 oz sizes) | Barley Grass Juice Powder, $37.95 for 1/2 lb |
| Wheatgrass juice powder | Wheat Grass Shots, $23.99 to $39.99 (5.3, 10.6 oz) | Wheatgrass Juice Powder, $39.95 for 1/2 lb |
| Drying method | Spray-dried at low temperature | Freeze-dried, never heated |
| Tablets available | Yes (Green Magma Tabs, Chlorella Tabs) | No |
| Other greens | Chlorella powder and tabs, $18.99 | SuperGreens Powder, $49.95 |
| Organic | QAI-certified Green Magma | Listed as organic |
| Returns | 30 days for unused items; perishable foods excluded | All sales final |
| Shipping policy | Not published | Flat rate; up to 14 days to ship, 9 to 21 business days in transit |
| Phone support | 800-777-4430 | (818) 292-8809 |
Price: closer than it looks
Optimally Organic's bags look expensive at $37.95 and $39.95, but they're half a pound (8 oz) each, roughly $4.74 to $4.99 per ounce. Each bag holds about 130 servings at 2 teaspoons, or about $0.31 per serving for the wheatgrass.
Green Foods sells smaller sizes, which makes the entry price lower. Its listed price ranges suggest the largest 10.6 oz bags land at a similar or lower cost per ounce: Wheat Grass Shots runs $23.99 to $39.99 across 5.3 and 10.6 oz, and Green Magma $17.62 to $54.99 across three sizes. Check the per-ounce price at checkout, since the listings don't map each price to a size.
The practical difference: Green Foods lets you try a 2.8 oz bag for under $20 before committing. With Optimally Organic, your first purchase is a half pound you can't return.
Freeze-dried vs spray-dried
This is the one real product difference. Optimally Organic juices its grasses to remove fiber and then freeze-dries them, with no heat, carriers or preservatives. Green Foods juices young barley grass and spray-dries it with a method its listing traces to Dr. Hagiwara in 1969, and describes its wheatgrass as spray-dried at low temperature to keep enzymes active.
Freeze-drying is generally considered the gentler process, and brands that use it often market it as preserving more of the raw plant's compounds. Neither brand publishes lab data comparing the two in its listings, so treat nutrient claims from both as brand claims. Optimally Organic's comparisons against spinach and oranges, for example, cite no testing.
Both are juice powders, so neither provides meaningful fiber. If you want fiber, a whole-leaf grass powder is a different product.
Taste and form
Barley grass is generally milder than wheatgrass, which is why many people start there. Green Foods describes Wheat Grass Shots as earthy and grit-free. If you can't get past the taste, Green Foods sells Green Magma as 250 tablets ($27.51) and chlorella as tablets ($18.99), which Optimally Organic doesn't offer for its grasses.
Policies: the deciding factor for many buyers
Optimally Organic has the strictest policy we've seen in this category: all sales are final, with no refunds, exchanges or returns under any conditions, citing perishability. Incorrect shipments must be reported within 7 days, and refused orders are credited minus a 20% restocking fee and shipping. The shipping policy says orders usually ship in 24 to 48 hours but asks you to allow up to 14 days for packaging and pickup, then 9 to 21 business days for delivery. It does ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and US territories at a flat rate, and publishes a phone number and two addresses.
Green Foods uses a template refund policy: 30 days for unused items in original packaging, no refunds on sale items, and exchanges for defective or damaged products. The same template excludes perishable food, so it's unclear whether unopened powders qualify. It doesn't publish a shipping policy, so costs and timing only appear at checkout, and its FAQ page showed placeholder text when we checked. Call the toll-free line before a large order.
Beyond the greens
The rest of each catalog tells you a lot about the brand.
Green Foods stays close to whole foods: chlorella, Japanese matcha ($19.99), Carrot and Beet Essence juice powders ($21.99 each), collagen, a meal-replacement shake and even Barley Dog, a barley grass powder for dogs.
Optimally Organic's signature line is Fulvic Ionic Minerals, sold in X100, X200 and X350 strengths, and some bundle listings market it for weight loss and detox. Several liquid extracts carry condition names like Prostate Relief and Candida Cleanse. Those claims aren't established by mainstream medicine. If you buy here, stick to the plain grass and fruit powders or single-herb extracts, read labels, and talk to your doctor before using any extract, especially with medications or during pregnancy.
Who should buy which
- Trying greens powder for the first time: Green Foods Green Magma in the smallest size.
- You want wheatgrass shots at home: Green Foods Wheat Grass Shots, or Optimally Organic's half-pound bag if you already know you like it.
- You specifically want freeze-dried powder: Optimally Organic Barley Grass or Wheatgrass Juice Powder.
- You dislike the taste: Green Foods tablets.
- You want chlorella: Green Foods, in powder or tablets.
- You need the option to return: Green Foods, after confirming with support.
- You need it soon: skip Optimally Organic, whose policy allows up to 14 days to ship plus 9 to 21 business days in transit, and check Green Foods' delivery estimate at checkout.