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New Food Product Hits & Misses | 26 Nov 2008

New Product Hits & Misses
With over 50,000 products in the average supermarket, people don’t have the time, or the money, to test every product on the shelves and with 15,000 new products every year consumers need to know what’s out there!
So Phil does the testing and the tasting for you and gives the product a rating out of 100 so you know what you can expect when you try something new!
SupermarketGuru does not sell the foods we review, nor receive any compensation from the manufacturers for reviewing or rating them.
Phil taste-tests and judges each product based on the following 8 criteria:
1. (30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
2. (20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
3. (15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
4. (15 points) Ingredients: What’s in it, how natural is it?
5. (5 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions *
6. (5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description
7. (5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as resealability, added freshness, better storage, etc.
8. (5 Points) Sustainability: 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
To see more New Product Hits & Misses visit: http://www.supermarketguru.com
This product is a MISS! One of the most important advances over the last 12 months has been the steaming technology for microwaveable foods and I just love it! Ideally it allows products that could not normally be cooked in a microwave to actually be cooked to perfection every time but not this time. This Shrimp Pasta Primavera consists of mushy vegetables, way too al dente pasta and rubbery shrimp. This package serves 2 and contains 48 grams of fat, so I was expecting a rich and creamy primavera sauce, but even that was a disappointment. You would be so much better off making your own pasta and adding some chopped veggies and shrimp. It will be CHEAPER and BETTER! Birds Eye Inc., Rochester, NY 800 563 1786

http://www.birdseyesteamfresh.com

This product is a MISS! I first got a glimpse of these types of chocolate straws at a food show about 4 years ago and at the time it was a product imported from China and the sipping through the straw delivery system was flawed. This time almost all the problems are gone. The flavor and the flow through the straw are terrific, but it still needs more help than just licensing the Got Milk? slogan. I have two complaints: each straw adds a whopping 217 calories and 39 grams of sugar (totaling 54 grams of total carbs) to a glass of milk and secondly as there are no clear directions on the package most kids will try to rip the top off the straw before they figure out that you simply put it in the glass of milk. Retails for $3.99 for 10 straws (thats 40 cents a straw!). Bridge Brands Chocolate, San Francisco, CA 888 732 4626

http://www.bridgebrandschocolate.com

When you think of Australia you think of beer and you think of barbecue and now Pepperidge Farm wants you to think of cookies, supposedly this is one of Australia’s best. This cookie is made with 2 crispy biscuits sandwiching a layer of chocolate crème and caramel and then covered in chocolate. The cookie is crunchy, but thats about the only thing I can get excited about I can barely taste the caramel and the chocolate coating is just ordinary I have to wonder why one of Americas leading brands would actually choose to import this all the way from Australia rather than making these cookies right here in the US; in this case the global footprint just aint worth it. Pepperidge Farm Inc., Norwalk, CT 888 737 7374

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com

This product is a RISING STAR! Theres a reason that Clif Bar keeps growing, they understand the balance between good health and good taste and their latest Mojo Peanut Butter Pretzel bar follows the tradition. Not too sweet, not too salty with a crispy texture that is very satisfying. While Im not sure that it will make you want to climb a mountain, I am sure that you will be satisfied. Retails for $1.29. Clif Bar and Co., San Francisco, CA 800 CLIF BAR

http://www.clifbarmojo.com

While this might have been the 2008 Golden Chile Winner (although Ive no idea where that accolade originated – and there is no clue on their website or package) it is possible that having its first ingredient as ketchup is the problem. I also like it when hot sauces list their Scoville rating so that I have some idea of just how hot the product is going to be. In this case I found that the heat filled my entire mouth very quickly and didnt come across as a clean flavor, but as an overall burn. Retails for about $3.
Sizzlin Sauces LLC, Conway, NH
http://www.sizzlinsauces.com

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