Fun Yums: Mixed Vegetables

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
30	16	15	15	N/A 5	2	5	5	93

This product is a HIT!
I really like this new product a lot.  I think it is a terrific snack, both for adults and kids and I LOVE the fact that each individual vegetable actually tastes like it is supposed to! This company says on their website that the veggies are "processed with the latest technology" which actually means they are not freeze dried as you might expect; they are first vacuum fried in canola oil to maintain the shape, and then are sunk into glucose liquid for the oil and water to come out... The result is that these sweet potatoes, taro, okra, pumpkins, carrots, green beans, and sweet peppers taste great and are loaded with healthy fiber. Retails for $3.43 - $4.99 / 6oz.

Ocean Spring, Inc
Lakeland, FL
863 797 1281
www.oceanspringinc.com



Sara Lee: Sweet Honey Mustard Sandwich Dressing

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
25	5	12	12	N/A 5	0	4	1	64

This product is a MISS!
In today's world no one wants to waste money and no one wants to harm the environment with wasteful packaging - which is why I have to question this new product from Sara Lee which takes a typical fast food restaurant's package, (which most of us steal anyway) and puts it a box with 7 other individual packets and charges two bucks... The 'Sweet Honey Mustard' dressing itself is not bad, but I still have to say this product makes me question this company's slogan: "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee" - I think they should stick to making cheesecake... Retails for $1.99 / 4oz.

Sara Lee Food and Beverage
Downers Grove, IL
888 863 2975
www.saraleedeli.com



Head Country: Garden Rich Mild Salsa

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
30	20	14	15	N/A 5	2	5	5	96

This product is a HIT and a RISING STAR!
I love salsa - I love spicy salsa even more - and I love this salsa even more than that! The first ingredient is crushed tomato and Head Country does not add any sugars. My recommendation is to add this to everything: fish, meat, baked potatoes, and veggies! The only thing to note here is this 'mild' salsa does have a nice, clean, spicy bite! Retails for $3.00 / 16 fl oz.

Head Country Food Products, Inc
Ponca City, OK
888 762 1227
www.headcountry.com.

Republic of Tea: Get Relaxed

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
20	10	14	14	5	3	5	5	76

This tea did not get me relaxed - in fact, I found the fragrance of the tea bags themselves overpowering - and it actually made me sneeze! I also found the flavor of the tea itself to be far too perfume-y and the taste too watery and at almost 30c for one tea bag this product had the opposite effect than the name suggests and made me feel stressed! Maybe if they left out the strongly scented 'Natural Rose Flavor' this tea would have a more soothing effect... Also beware anyone who is wants to avoid kava kava (a root used for medicinal purposes which causes an adverse reaction in some people) as it is contained in this product. Retails for $8.00 - $10.95 / 36 tea bags.

The Republic of Tea
Novato, CA
800 298 4832
www.repulicoftea.com.

So Delicious: Banana Split Coconut Milk Mini Sandwiches

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
30	18	15	13	n/a 5	2	5	5	93

This product is a HIT!
This is the perfect 100-calorie snack - forget chips and candy and reach for a So Delicious Mini! It is made with coconut milk, so it's dairy free and it is sweetened with agave instead of sugar - the banana split flavor is just perfect. My only complaint is the use of palm oil in the chocolate wafer, but you cannot taste it in the flavor of this frozen treat which is 'So Delicious'! Retails for $5.49 / 8 sandwiches.

Turtle Mountain, LLC
Eugene, OR
866 388 7853
www.sodeliciousdairyfree.com.

Our ratings have evolved!

More of our readers and viewers are concerned about the impact on our environment and of course the effect on agriculture. So, it's time for SupermarketGuru to meet that need and to take into account the important effect the entire chain of food production is having on our planet and ourselves.

As of this week we are changing our New Product evaluation scoring : adding 5 points for sustainability and subtracting 5 points from preparation; total possible score remains at 100 points.

Phil taste-tests and judges each product based on the following 8 criteria:

1. Taste (30 points): the most important attribute of any food
2. Value (20 points): is it worth it?
3. Health (15 points): based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
4. Ingredients (15 points): what's in it, how natural is it?
5. Preparation (5 points): when applicable, how accurate or good are the directions *
6. Appearance (5 points): is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description
7. Packaging (5 points): Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as resealability, added freshness, better storage, etc.
8. Sustainability (5 Points): is the packaging biodegradable, is it wasteful, is the company endeavoring to offset their carbon footprint?

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

More from Phil Lempert:

• More new product reviews
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