Izze Sparkling Ginger

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
28	17		13	15	5	5	5	2	91

This product is a HIT!

I've always been a fan of Izze sodas...oh sorry, I mean sparkling beverages. There really is a huge distinction. This has less carbonation, contains nothing artificial and it's made with real sugar. I'd like this ginger flavor to be a bit more gingery and have that ginger bite. Keep in mind that although it is all-natural, it still has 120 calories per bottle. But if you're a soda drinker this will be more refreshing, and the flavor actually will enhance the flavors of your foods, rather than just drowning them out. Retails for $1.39.

Izze Beverage Co
Boulder, CO
877 476 7380
www.izze.com



Dipper Cracklins Red Pepper Seasoned

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
15	17		12	12	5	5	4	0	70

 

No, it's not true that you have to be southern to eat Dipper Cracklins. Imagine "Fried out pork with attached skin," and if that's not enough to make you wanna move north, well, the third ingredient is MSG. I will admit that I'm no fan of pork rinds, either the taste or the nutritional profile, and just opening up the package the scent of fried pork was enough to turn my stomach. So, to be fair, this is one of those products that if you like pork rinds, go out, taste these and email me your opinion (Phil@supermarketguru.com), because when it comes to my taste buds these are just horrible. They are as hard as any food I have ever tried and way over seasoned -- I imagine that's to cover the actual taste of, you know, the fried out pork and skin. Retails for $1.99.

Rudolph Foods Co., Inc
Lima, OH
419 648 4087
www.southernrecipe.com


Heinz No Salt Added Tomato Ketchup

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
28	18		14	13	5	5	5	0	88

This product is a HIT (with a caveat)!
I applaud Heinz for their new No Salt Added Ketchup. More people are trying to avoid sodium and having a product like this helps. It's made with Also Salt, which is a salt substitute, and the tomato taste of the ketchup is really quite good, but Heinz only went part of the way with this nutritional correction. How about  aking out the high fructose corn syrup and using sugar instead? Then you would really have a great ketchup. Retails for $2.59.

H.J. Heinz Co., L.P.
Pittsburgh, PA
800 255 5750
www.heinz.com



Country Choice Organic Soft Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
30	16		15	15	5	5	4	2	92

This product is a HIT!

Remember what I said a couple of weeks ago about not "getting" soft baked cookies? Well, these Country Choice Organic Soft Baked Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies are great! Made with organic whole grain oats, they're not wheat based and the real flavor and mouth feel come through. These are expensive, but they're worth it. Retails for $3.99.

Country Choice Organic
Eden Prairie, MN
952 829 8824
www.countrychoiceorganic.com



Chobani Greek Yogurt Pineapple Flavor

Taste	Value		Health	Ingredients	Prep	Appearance	Packaging	Sustainability	Total
29	18		15	15	5	5	5	1	93

This product is a HIT!
Remember those old Dannon TV commercials that showed all those 100-year-old Greeks that were fit and healthy because they ate yogurt? Well, Chobani's recipe might well have been the yogurt they were eating. This is Greek-style yogurt, meaning you can actually taste the yogurt, not a bunch of sugar and artificial flavors. It contains 5 active cultures which they name on the package, has no artificial anything and great flavor. 1 cup with just 2 1/2 grams of fat and 160 calories is guaranteed to satisfy your hunger and taste buds, but read the label carefully because the amount of sugars vary by flavor and can be up to 19 grams. Retails for $1.59.

Agro Farma, Inc
New Berlin, NY
877 847 6181
www.chobani.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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