This product is a HIT!

Americans consume way too much salt; some government studies suggest that many consume over 6,000 mg a day. No wonder we're a nation with off-the-chart blood pressure readings. Now there's an alternative: Also Salt is packaged both in a salt shaker package and individual servings. If you are trying to cut down on sodium, try this -- the taste is excellent and there's no aftertaste. Bring these to the restaurant, order your food prepared with no salt and then just sprinkle on your own. Retails for $2.90 / 50 packets.

Also Salt
Maple Valley, WA
800 381 SALT
www.alsosalt.com



Taza to Go Drinking Chocolate

If you're a chocoholic, you are going to love this product. Just imagine drinking a cup full of warm dark chocolate. To be fair, this product is a lot more than just chocolate; it contains milk, sugar, artificial flavors and natural flavors as well as thickening and emulsifying agents. It tastes great, but with 38 grams of sugar and 6 grams of fat per cup, why shouldn't it? It's imported from Spain and very easy to prepare, but I would suggest having it in a 1- or 2-ounce espresso cup portion, otherwise it's just too rich. Retails for $10.99.

Valor Chocolates USA Inc
Miami, FL
No phone number available
www.amigosdelchocolate.com


Clint's Texas Salsa Medium

This product is a HIT!

This is the way an ingredient list should read: "Tomatoes, onions, Serrano peppers, tomato paste, cilantro, garlic, salt, distilled vinegar and lemon juice." Clint's Texas Salsa contains no sugars and has a nice clean, spicy flavor, even in the medium variety. I'm not sure why the label says that it's "Not available in New York City" and I can only assume that they are trying to be too cute and play off that other salsa's TV commercial. What I can tell you is there's no question why it's a first place winner in the Texas Fiery Food Show. Retails for $4.00-5.00.

Clint's Picante, Inc
San Antonio, TX
210 274 5986
www.clintspicante.com



Neuro Gasm

It's time to forget about energy drinks; now for just $3 a bottle you can get a bottle of Neuro Gasm. Yes, the intention is to give you more energy, better performance and more satisfaction, presumably from sex, or at least by looking at the shape of the bottle. It's loaded with a lot of different vitamins and minerals in addition to ingredients which include glycerol ester of wood rosin and red # 40. Their slogan "Get smart play the healthy way" could only have been thought up in an episode of "Mad Men," which of course takes place in the 60s. Retails for $2.99.

Neuro Brands, Inc
Beverly Hills, CA
no phone number available
www.drinkneuro.com



Pacific Natural Foods Tuscan White Bean Soup

This product is a HIT!
If you're one of those who wrinkles your nose at the thought of tasting white bean soup, it's time to un-wrinkle. Pacific has combined carrots, beans, tomato paste, a little bit of cane juice, oil, sea salt and other flavors to create a terrific-tasting gluten-free soup. I typically like my bean soup a little thicker, but with a taste this good, even I don't complain. The only drawback is that 8 ounces contains 550 mg of sodium. Retails for $2.89-$3.49.

Pacific Foods of Oregon, Inc.
Tualatin, OR
503 692 9666
www.pacificfoods.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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