Hydrive Energy Full Power Energy Chews Orange Burst

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	15		13	10	5	5	4	0	77

Energy drinks took America by storm and since the success of Redbull people have been trying to figure out what the next big energy boost is. Hydrive is a rapid release soft chew which will set you back about $1.25 for the 2 chew serving. With 80 mg caffeine, 66 mg taurine and 100% of the daily value of B vitamins, the promise is "Full Power" energy. The reality is that sugar is the number 1 ingredient followed by corn syrup and a bunch of other ingredients that most people shy away from and it has a gritty taste. Did it work? Zzzzzzzz! Retails for $2.49.

Hydrive Energy, LLC
Rye, NY
914 925 9100
www.hydriveenergy.com

Sayan Chaga Super Antioxidant + Health Drink

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
30	15		15	15	5	5	5	1	91

This product is a HIT!
What's Chaga? Well, Chaga is an herb from Siberia which actually has more than ten times the amount of antioxidants of pomegranates. And actually Chaga is very tasty. Whether it's worth $3 a bottle for just 16 oz is the question. The taste is similar to a combination of tea mixed with berries (although there is no tea or caffeine in it). Keep in mind that it does contain 26 g of sugar in just one bottle. Retails for $2.99.

Sayan Health
Beverly Hills, CA
310 461 3556
www.sayanhealth.com





Annie Chun's Vietnamese Pho Noodle Bowl

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	17		10	10	5	5	4	0	76

At what price convenience? Annie Chun's Vietnamese Pho soup bowl says on the front it's ready in 2 minutes - well, it is ready in 2 minutes after you have boiling or hot water already prepared. You drain the water from the noodles and then you add the soup base and toppings. At what price taste? This one bowl has almost 2,000 mg of sodium and 90 g of carbs. And make sure you read the label - because the soup base is beef (albeit organic), but for those people looking for a meat free product; it's nowhere on the front of the label. The flavor's good and the noodles actually cook perfectly. Retails for $3.99.

Annie Chun's, Inc
San Rafael, CA
415 479 8272
www.anniechun.com

Lawry's Buffalo BBQ 30 Minute Marinade

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	15		12	11	5	5	5	0	78

If you like vinegar, you'll love Lawry's Buffalo BBQ - and by the way - see on the package where it says "cayenne pepper and vinegar"? Vinegar is the first ingredient; cayenne pepper is the 4th - so shouldn't vinegar come first? After all there's also more vinegar than water and high fructose corn syrup... The flavor isn't bad, although a little too sweet and since this is a marinade don't forget that the serving size on the label is one tablespoon - and one tablespoon has 350 mg of sodium. So if you use just half the bottle to marinade meat for at least 30 minutes and only half of the marinade is absorbed and consumed, that means you are adding 2100 mg of sodium along with that great BBQ flavor! Retails for $3.69 - $3.99.

Lawry's Foods, LLC
Sparks, MD
800 9LAWRYS
www.lawrys.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.