Apple & Eve Fruitables: Tropical Orange Flavor

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	16	14	14	5	4	5	0	83

Apple & Eve made their mark by teaching us that cloudy apple juice was a good and tasty thing! They also stressed 100% juice content as their competitors' products - especially those in the cran/ apple category - contained far less juice. Now comes Fruitables which are fruit and vegetable juice with 1/3 less sugar. The 1/3 less sugar is simple math: this beverage contains only 66% juice. It does taste good, but I still feel that calling product Tropical Orange when it contains apple, pear, orange, carrot, sweet potato, pineapple, passion fruit, butternut squash and tomato is a little misleading. And here is another example of a product which states on the front good source of antioxidants, but does not say which antioxidants, or what percentage of our daily requirement is contained. Retails for $7.76 for 9 x 6.7 oz boxes.

Apple & Eve, LLC
Roslyn, NY
800 969 8018
www.appleandeve.com




Healthy Choice All Natural Entrees: Sweet Asian Potsickers

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
29	20	13	14	4	5	5	1	91

This product is a HIT!
I love the new look for Healthy Choice and I love their new formula which is all natural, without preservatives - and to use their words - real food. This Sweet Asian Potstickers Entrée comes with whole grain rice, vegetables and is made with sesame oil. Their new design on the back of the package tells you the daily value of antioxidants and how much fiber comes from the grains. And the veggies are chopped big enough so they actually look like veggies! The taste is a perfect balance between sweet and spicy and the potstickers and rice are cooked perfectly. However the cooking instructions are somewhat confusing as they say to cut a slit on the film cover and then rotate the potstickers half way through cooking - let me tell ya - that was a little tough - unless you remove film cover. Retails for $2 - $2.49

ConAgra Foods, Inc
Omaha, NE
800 323 9980
www.conagrafoods.com



Pitter Patties Cheezini Patty

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
29	15	14	15	5	5	5	2	90

This product is a HIT!
I love the idea of Pitter Patties! These are about the size of a small burger, but loaded with veggies and protein from cottage cheese and other cheeses. There is nothing artificial and this product is added growth hormone free. Cheezini is a blend of zucchini, mushrooms, whole grain oats and cheeses. Pitter Patties are designed for kids aged from 1 to 4 years old - and my only question is whether the flavor is a little too spicy for that age range? Retails for $6.37 / 11 oz.

Pitter Patties
Sherman Oaks, CA
818 807 8396
www.pitterpatties.com



Living Harvest Tempt: Vanilla Bean Flavor

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
29	17	15	15	5	5	4	2	92

This product is a HIT!
Do not be afraid of hemp! Hemp is one of the most misunderstood crops on the planet - it is not marijuana and actually contains one of the most complete sources of protein, with all 10 of the essential amino acids - as well as a balanced ratio of omega 3s and 6s. I tried the Vanilla Bean flavor of Tempt, which is a non-dairy frozen dessert made with hemp milk, because it is really hard to mask off flavors with vanilla... and I must say - I'm impressed - a good, clean vanilla flavor and a great mouth-feel. This is gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free... I can't wait to taste the coconut lime flavor! Retails for $4.99

Living Harvest Foods
Portland, Oregon
888 690 3958
www.livingharvest.com



Sweet Riot Unbar: 70% Dark Chocolate Flavor

Taste	Value	Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
24	13	13	14	5	5	3	0	77

I'll bet you that no matter how much of a chocolate lover you are, you could not eat the entire Sweet Riot unbar in one sitting! Even though it is just about one and 1/3 oz this is an intense, all natural, gluten and dairy free chocolate bar with 70% cacao and raisins... this aint your mom's Hershey bar! And don't get too excited about the surprise inside... it is just a sticker of their logo... Retails for $3.49 - $3.99

Sweet Riot
New York, NY
212 431 7468
www.sweetriot.com



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.