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.

Simple Harvest All Natural Fruit Bars

New from Quaker, these chewy granola bars are an all-natural snack made with whole oats, whole wheat and barley, with real fruit, nuts or chocolate. Each bar is naturally sweetened and contains 2 grams of fiber and two grams of protein, no cholesterol and zero grams trans fat. The ingredient list is short and simple, which makes for a much more wholesome alternative to similar snacks that have ingredient lists that sound more like science than food. The good news for this company is that data from The Nielsen Company shows that dollar sales of granola bars went up by 12.6% in 2007. Available in 3 flavors : Dark Chocolate Chunk, Cinnamon Brown Sugar with Apples and Cranberries, and Honey Roasted Nut.

The Quaker Oats Company
Chicago, IL
800 856 5781
quakersimpleharvest.com
$3.69 / 6 x 1.65 oz bar

Sweet Simplicity Sweetener

While sugar substitutes showed minimal growth in dollar sales in 2007 (only 1.5%, according to The Nielsen Company), there are still a large amount of Americans with a sweet tooth that may find themselves in positions with their diet and health to stay away from sugar. According to the American Diabetes Association, there are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States, or 7% of the population, who have diabetes. There is particular concern for diabetes in children, which is on the rise. In the past, sugar substitutes have been notorious for their bitter, artificial flavor, but here's an all natural one that tastes closer to the real thing than most. The sweetening ingredient is a sugar alcohol called Erythritol, which has fewer calories than sugar.

Whole Earth Sweetener Company LLC
Chicago, IL
800 958 7337
sweetsimplicitysweetener.com
$9.99/30 packets equaling 6.4 oz

Purple

The Purple Beverage Company has combined seven of the planet's most powerful antioxidants in the formula for its new beverage - PURPLE. All-natural with no sugar added, it combines the exotic acai ("ah sigh ee") berry with six other antioxidant-rich juices, including: black cherry, pomegranate, black currant, purple plum, cranberry and blueberry. The University of Florida did a study recently that found, in a cell-culture model, that this little tropical berry causes leukemia cells to kill themselves. The berry worked in up to 86 percent of the tests. Much like when pomegranates became all the rage, products with the acai berry as an ingredient are popping up more and more. The price is definitely high for 10 ounces of juice, but not that far off from what many people spend on a coffee drink at their local coffee shop.

Purple
Purple Beverage Co
Fort Lauderdale, FL
877 34 SEVEN
drinkpurple.com/
$3.99 / 10 fl oz

Crystal Light LiveActive On The Go Nutrient Enhanced Drink Mix

This drink mix is great for keeping in your purse, briefcase, or glove compartment to add a little flavor and nutrients to your water. It contains a prebiotic fiber called inulin to help increase daily fiber intake and naturally regulate the digestive system. Available in Natural Mixed Berry and Natural Raspberry Peach flavors. Each 10-calorie beverage is enhanced with 3 grams of prebiotic fiber and 100% daily value of vitamin C. The only downside is the artificial sweetener used, aspartame, which may be a turn off to some consumers.

10-count package, $4.59 for 14-count package.
Kraft Foods Global Inc
Northfield, IL
800 431 1002
LiveActiveFoods.com