New Product Reviews: Honey Kix Cereal, Natural Cola & More!
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! (Points system explained below the products!)
Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what's hot...and what's not!
Watch Phil's New Product Review video
Each week we will post the latest reviews and I hope you will log in to see what's hot...and what's not!
Honey Kix
This product is a HIT!
Breakfast cereals have always been one of the thorns in good nutrition's side. The new Honey Kix may just change that. I expected this cereal to be sickeningly sweet, but it wasn't. In fact, even though it contains sugar, honey and brown sugar syrup you can barely taste the sweetness and there are only 6 g of sugar in a serving. My suggestion is - don't move the kids right from Trix and Lucky Charms to Kix - you've got to ease them into the less sweet taste. (You might try mixing half a serving of a sweeter cereal with half a serving of Kix until they cleanse their palate from all that sugar.) This cereal also contains 16 g of whole grains per serving - one third of the recommended daily intake. Retails for $4.38.
General Mills
Minneapolis, MN
800 328 1144
www.GeneralMills.com
Zevia Natural Diet Cola
This product is a HIT!
While we're waiting for Coke and Pepsi to wake up and get rid of the artificial sweeteners and switch to Stevia, run out and buy Zevia. In fact this Zevia Natural Diet Cola tastes as good as, if not better than, the Diet Coke or Pepsi you may be drinking now. I also give kudos to Zevia for telling us right on the label that 1 can contains 45 mg of caffeine - so if you are a soda drinker, now is the time to switch! Retails for $1.
Zevia LLC
Seattle, WA
800 230 2221
www.zevia.com
Green and Black's Organic Ginger Dark 60% Chocolate
One of the cool things about tasting foods is that we get a lot of chocolate sent to us - some of it is fabulous, some mediocre and some above average. Green and Black's is well above average. The 60% Cacao with Ginger Pieces, which is imported from Italy has a nice flavor, but I find the texture a bit gritty and the cacao flavor isn't as noticeable as it should be. Also don't hide the fact that you are Fair Trade on the inside of the wrapper, and why aren't you using the Fair trade logo?
Retails for $3.49.
Green and Black's USA, Inc
Parsippany, NJ
877 299 1254
www.greenandblacks.com
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Sustainability | Total | |
| 28 |
19 |
14 |
14 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
90 |
This product is a HIT!Breakfast cereals have always been one of the thorns in good nutrition's side. The new Honey Kix may just change that. I expected this cereal to be sickeningly sweet, but it wasn't. In fact, even though it contains sugar, honey and brown sugar syrup you can barely taste the sweetness and there are only 6 g of sugar in a serving. My suggestion is - don't move the kids right from Trix and Lucky Charms to Kix - you've got to ease them into the less sweet taste. (You might try mixing half a serving of a sweeter cereal with half a serving of Kix until they cleanse their palate from all that sugar.) This cereal also contains 16 g of whole grains per serving - one third of the recommended daily intake. Retails for $4.38.
General Mills
Minneapolis, MN
800 328 1144
www.GeneralMills.com
Zevia Natural Diet Cola
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Sustainability | Total | |
| 30 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
91 |
This product is a HIT!While we're waiting for Coke and Pepsi to wake up and get rid of the artificial sweeteners and switch to Stevia, run out and buy Zevia. In fact this Zevia Natural Diet Cola tastes as good as, if not better than, the Diet Coke or Pepsi you may be drinking now. I also give kudos to Zevia for telling us right on the label that 1 can contains 45 mg of caffeine - so if you are a soda drinker, now is the time to switch! Retails for $1.
Zevia LLC
Seattle, WA
800 230 2221
www.zevia.com
Green and Black's Organic Ginger Dark 60% Chocolate
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Sustainability | Total | |
| 25 |
15 |
12 |
14 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
3 |
83 |
One of the cool things about tasting foods is that we get a lot of chocolate sent to us - some of it is fabulous, some mediocre and some above average. Green and Black's is well above average. The 60% Cacao with Ginger Pieces, which is imported from Italy has a nice flavor, but I find the texture a bit gritty and the cacao flavor isn't as noticeable as it should be. Also don't hide the fact that you are Fair Trade on the inside of the wrapper, and why aren't you using the Fair trade logo?
Retails for $3.49.
Green and Black's USA, Inc
Parsippany, NJ
877 299 1254
www.greenandblacks.com
OrganicVille Organic Ketchup
This product is a HIT!
If you love ketchup you will love OrganicVille's Organic Ketchup. Instead of using high fructose corn syrup like most ketchups, they use organic agave nectar and a very subtle blend of really tasty spices and onion powder - and it's also gluten free. Most parents dread the fact that their kids love ketchup, but it doesn't have to be that way anymore! Retails for $4.99.
Organicville
Emeryville, CA
www.organicvillefoods.com
Salba Smart Thin Twisted Pretzels
This product is a HIT!
What's Salba? Salba is a whole grain, an heirloom variety of chia with an extremely high content of omega 3s and fiber. In fact it has about 15 times as much omega 3 as salmon in the same size portion. The pretzels are tasty and crisp and have a good balance of salt. For those who snack, this is a great alternative that is loaded with heart-healthy omega 3s. Retails for $3.99.
Salba Smart Natural Products, LLC
Denver, CO
303 999 3996
www.salbasmart.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.
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Sustainability | Total | |
| 30 |
17 |
15 |
15 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
93 |
This product is a HIT!If you love ketchup you will love OrganicVille's Organic Ketchup. Instead of using high fructose corn syrup like most ketchups, they use organic agave nectar and a very subtle blend of really tasty spices and onion powder - and it's also gluten free. Most parents dread the fact that their kids love ketchup, but it doesn't have to be that way anymore! Retails for $4.99.
Organicville
Emeryville, CA
www.organicvillefoods.com
Salba Smart Thin Twisted Pretzels
| Taste | Value | Health | Ingredients | Prep | Appearance | Packaging | Sustainability | Total | |
| 29 |
17 |
13 |
15 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
90 |
This product is a HIT!What's Salba? Salba is a whole grain, an heirloom variety of chia with an extremely high content of omega 3s and fiber. In fact it has about 15 times as much omega 3 as salmon in the same size portion. The pretzels are tasty and crisp and have a good balance of salt. For those who snack, this is a great alternative that is loaded with heart-healthy omega 3s. Retails for $3.99.
Salba Smart Natural Products, LLC
Denver, CO
303 999 3996
www.salbasmart.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.
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