Bird's Eye Steamfresh: Shrimp Pasta Primavera

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
15	12	7	7	4	3	5	1	54

This product is a MISS!
One of the most important advances over the last 12 months has been the steaming technology for microwaveable foods - and I just love it! Ideally it allows products that could not normally be cooked in a microwave to actually be cooked to perfection every time - but not this time. This Shrimp Pasta Primavera consists of mushy vegetables, way too al dente pasta and rubbery shrimp. This package serves 2 and contains 48 grams of fat, so I was expecting a rich and creamy primavera sauce, but even that was a disappointment. You would be so much better off making your own pasta and adding some chopped veggies and shrimp. It will be CHEAPER and BETTER! Retails for $8.99.

Bird's Eye Inc
Rochester, NY
800 563 1786
birdseyesteamfresh.com



Got Milk? Chocolate Straws

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
29	10	7	10	1	4	5	0	66

This product is a MISS!
I first got a glimpse of these types of chocolate straws at a food show about 4 years ago and at the time it was a product imported from China and the sipping through the straw delivery system was flawed. This time almost all the problems are gone. The flavor and the flow through the straw are terrific, but it still needs more help than just licensing the Got Milk? slogan. I have two complaints: each straw adds a whopping 217 calories and 39 grams of sugar (totaling 54 grams of total carbs) to a glass of milk and secondly as there are no clear directions on the package most kids will try to rip the top off the straw before they figure out that you simply put it in the glass of milk. Retails for $3.99 for 10 straws (that's 40 cents a straw!).

Bridge Brands Chocolate
San Francisco, CA
888 732 4626
bridgebrandschocolate.com


Tim Tams: Caramel Flavor

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
22	16	12	10	N/A 5	5	4	0	74

When you think of Australia you think of beer and you think of barbecue and now Pepperidge Farm wants you to think of cookies; supposedly this is one of Australia's best. This cookie is made with 2 crispy biscuits sandwiching a layer of chocolate crème and caramel and then covered in chocolate. The cookie is crunchy, but that's about the only thing I can get excited about - I can barely taste the caramel and the chocolate coating is just ordinary. I have to wonder why one of America's leading brands would actually choose to import this all the way from Australia rather than making these cookies right here in the US; in this case the global footprint just ain't worth it. Retails for $3.39.

Pepperidge Farm Inc
Norwalk, CT
888 737 7374
pepperidgefarm.com


Clif Bar: Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel Flavor

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
30	19	15	15	N/A 5	5	5	4	98

This product is a HIT and a RISING STAR!
There's a reason that Clif Bar keeps growing, they understand the balance between good health and good taste and their latest Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bar follows the tradition. Not too sweet, not too salty with a crispy texture that is very satisfying. While I'm not sure that it will make you want to climb a mountain, I am sure that you will be satisfied. Retails for $1.29.

Clif Bar and Co
San Francisco, CA
800 CLIF BAR
clifbar.com/




Sizzlin Sauces: Creepin Quag Hot Sauce

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Sustainability	Appearance	Packaging	Total
20	15	10	10	N/A 5	5	5	0	70

While this might have been the 2008 Golden Chile Winner (although I've no idea where that accolade originated and there is no clue on their website or package) it is possible that having its first ingredient as ketchup is the problem. I also like it when hot sauces list their Scoville rating so that I have some idea of just how hot the product is going to be. In this case I found that the heat filled my entire mouth very quickly and didn't come across as a clean flavor, but as an overall burn. Retails for about $3.

Sizzlin Sauces LLC
Conway, NH
sizzlinsauces.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
• Get more tips and information on Today Show on iVillage