Applegate Farms Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	16		15	15	5	4	4	1	85

This product is a HIT!

For parents who are trying to feed kids that have gluten allergies, there's some respite. Applegate Farms Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets to the rescue! Instead of using wheat they're using rice flour with a nice mix of spices. While the chicken is all natural and has no antibiotics, it is a mix of both white and dark meat. The breading is a little chewy, versus crispy, and will take some time to get used to, but overall, this is an excellent product. Retails for $5.99.

Applegate Farms
Bridgewater, NJ
866 587 5858
www.applegatefarms.com



Mercado Juarez Salsa

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
25	17		13	11	2	4	5	0	77

 

If you like salsa, pay attention -- Mercado Juarez is a very tasty salsa. What's interesting is that they tout on the front of the label "Best Served Warm" and that's the way I tried it. This is a great idea; however, just putting on the side of the label "heat in microwave" isn't enough. Give us some better heating instructions. And while we're talking about information, what's this "Gold Winner Medal" on the front of the label? Nowhere on the label does it say what that means, or where it came from. The "medium" is actually pretty spicy, and it is a little more watery than I like. And the ingredients might surprise you, especially if you are a vegetarian: chicken base, chicken powder, chicken fat, beef base and beef broth. Retails for $3.50.

Mercado Juarez
Fort Worth, TX
817 461 4335
www.mercadojuarez.com


iChill Relaxation Shot Blissful Berry Flavor

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
27	10		11	14	5	5	5	0	77

For maximum relaxation, drink the entire bottle. For moderate relaxation, drink half the bottle. It really does say that, right here on the bottle. iChill is trying to start a new category of relaxation shots. It's sugar free and made with stevia, which is great. It contains B vitamins, valerian root, rosehips and melatonin. I drank the whole bottle; now let's see what will happen. The flavor has just a hint of berry and I can only imagine that many people will use it as a mixer with their favorite spirit. Did it work? After 10 minutes I did not feel any more relaxed. The label says not to exceed 2 bottles a day; I did try another one, but same result. For me, iChill just did not have any effect. Retails for $2.99 / shot.

iChill Beverages, LLC
Irving, TX
800 886 6354
www.iChill.com



Ian's Jungle Mix 2 Go

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
28	18		14	13	5	5	5	1	89

This product is a HIT!

Ian's made their mark by developing allergy-friendly foods for kids, and they've done it again with their Jungle Mix 2 Go, which is nut-free and made with organic granola and raisins. The banana chips are enormous! It's 70 percent organic, and that's because the chocolate chips and banana chips are not organic. The taste is great and it has just 160 calories and 6 grams of fat, though half of that is saturated. Retails for $4.89 for 6 bags.

Ian's Natural Foods
Revere, MA
800 54 FOODS
www.iansnaturalfoods.com



Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free 2% Milk

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
29	18		15	15	5	5	5	0	92

This product is a HIT!
Being the grandson of a dairy farmer, I don't want anybody to screw around with my milk. But the reality is that there are millions of people who are now lactose intolerant. Valio Real Goodness Lactose Free Milk has one of the best mouth feels, colors and tastes of lactose-free milk I've had. On top of which it has over 1/3 less fat and 40 percent less sugar than regular milk. Close your eyes, take a sip and you'll most likely not be able to tell the difference between this and your regular milk. Retails for $2.59.

Valio, Ltd
Parsippany, NJ
No phone number available
www.valio.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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