With over 40,000 products in the average supermarket, people don't have time (or the money) to test every product on the shelves – so we do it for you!

Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what’s hot…and what’s not!

Each product is judged and taste-tested based on the following seven criteria:

1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food

2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?

3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?

4. (15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?

5. (10 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions?*

6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description?

7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as reseal ability, added freshness, better storage, etc?

*Products that do not require any preparation will have the full value of these points included in their total score.

Bot Fortified Grape Water

This beverage for kids was developed the parents of twin daughters concerned about juices made for children containing unhealthy amounts of sugar. With obesity in youth being a major concern of our times, and with many schools and parents responding by eliminating higher sugar beverages from children's diets, this product follows an important trend. Grape bot has a nice aroma and flavor that we feel children will enjoy with only nine grams of sugar. It is probable that the clear beverage is less appealing to kids than would be a colored beverage. But the flipside of that is that it may very well train children to not expect only colored beverages to taste good. The product also contains 10% of the RDA for Vitamin B12.

Bot Beverage LLC
Princeton, NJ
www.botbeverages.com
$1.49/ 12 fl oz bottle

Funkin White Peach Puree

Here’s one product where the package may actually be detracting from the product itself! The flexible pouch is designed to keep the fruit puree fresh for up to one year; however, we had to fuss with it a bit, even following the printed instructions, before getting it open. The benefit of this puree, which can be used to make smoothies, cocktails, or added to desserts, is that it is made from 90% peach and only 10% sugar using only natural ingredients. The package lists the country of origin as France, in spite of that we find the asking price of $9.99/300g pouch to be entirely too high, even if it is considered a gourmet product.

New York, NY
1 917 254 9752
www.funkin.co.uk
$9.99/ 300g pouch

Sargento Pasture-Grazed Cheddar Limited Edition

Sargento has historically brought us great products, but we fear that the "limited edition" marketing concept takes away from what a good product it truly is. Sure...food companies are continually looking for interesting ways to present their products, but this seems unnecessary. The fact that this cheese comes from pasture grazed cows is fantastic! This means the cows graze on natural grasses, which ultimately leads to a more natural product that tastes better. So why tout its “limited production” more than the benefit of the product itself? And why aren’t they listing the health benefits of this great tasting product on the package? The Nielsen company reports that cheese snacks are down this year in dollar sales by one percent. Perhaps that's the reason for the new marketing scheme, but it’s not an excuse. Sargento has been an innovator in the cheese world, but this time it may be a signal to hire a new marketing person.

Sargento Foods Inc
Plymouth, WI
1 800 243 3737
www.sargento.com
$3.39 - $4.29/ 7 oz re-sealable bag

Amy's Kids Meals Baked Ziti

Amy's has a long line of natural and healthier foods that we applaud. This microwaveable meal designed for kids includes baked ziti, vegetables, and a fruit dessert that all comes out of the microwave tasting exceptionally good. The fact that they use some organic ingredients and eliminate preservatives, no trans fats, and no MSG is another bonus. And all those following dairy free or gluten free diets can also enjoy this product. Our complaints are the poor placement of the nutritional information on the tear strip used to open the box and the food compartments trays themselves, sort of a makeshift rather than the multi-compartment trays that kids usually love.

Amy's Kitchen Inc
Petaluma, CA
707 578 7188
www.amys.com
$4.29/ 8.0-oz