Content by SupermarketGuru.com

Ratings Criteria

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:

(30 points) Taste: The most important attribute of any food
(20 points) Value: Is it worth it?
(15 points) Health: Based off the nutritional information, is it nutritionally balanced?
(15 points) Ingredients: What's in it, how natural is it?
(5 points) Preparation: When applicable, how accurate or good are the directions *
(5 points) Appearance: Is it appetizing and does it resemble its photo or description
(5 points) Packaging: Is it appropriate for the product and does it have any benefits such as resealability, added freshness, better storage, etc.
(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

Starbucks Via Ready Brew Lightly Sweetened Iced Coffee

64

This product is a MISS! If you are an iced coffee lover, you are probably going to hate Starbucks new Via Ready Brew Iced Coffee. This is one of those products where the added convenience just does not make up for the taste. Inside one of these little packets is a secret recipe of instant and ‘microground’ coffee. But the first ingredient is not coffee – it is actually sugar, which begs the question – want a little coffee with your sugar? No aroma, no real coffee flavor, and for about a buck each – no sale! And for a company like Starbucks who have built their business promoting the source of their beans, just listing the coffee as ‘instant and microground Arabica’ is lame. Retails for $5.95 for 5 packets containing a 16 oz serving.

Starbucks Coffee Company
800 235 2883
http://www.starbucksvia.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Gimbal’s Honeylovers Candies

79

If you are going to indulge in candy consider Gimbal’s Honeylovers. These are about twice the size of a Jelly Belly and in the shape of hearts. There are 16 flavors, including Orchard Pear and Honey, Butter and Honey Popcorn and Honey Coconut. As the name implies they are made with real honey and they are giving 5% of the proceeds to fund honey bee research… but wait a minute – while honey is in the ingredients list, it is number 3, after sugar and corn syrup. Just imagine how terrific these would be if made only with honey as the sweetener! By the way 15 of these candies actually contain 25% of the RDA for vitamin C – although I would not suggest replacing your glass of OJ just yet. Retails for $9.99 - $10.99 for 38 oz.

Gimbal’s Fine Candies
888 841 9373
http://www.gimbalscandy.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Perky Jerky Invigorating Beef Jerky Flavored with Guarana

81

Over the past couple of years we have seen a lot of new brands of Jerky come to the market. Most have been loaded with preservatives, MSG and other additives. Perky Jerky is actually real slices of beef that are then marinated. One of the most interesting ingredients is guarana, which not only adds sweetness, but is also a pick-me-up and is rumored to be an aphrodisiac. The taste is actually very good – 1 oz is only 90 calories and 2g of fat. Sodium comes in at 530mg which is higher than I would like, but not over powering taste-wise. Retails for $4.99 for 2.2oz.

PEMS, LLC
888 343 6113
http://www.perkyjerky.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Mariel’s Kitchen Blisscuits Classic Cinnamon Cookies

88

This product is a HIT! All too often celebrities have linked their names to a brand of food and most of the time it has bombed! Remember Sinatra’s pasta sauce, Dennis Rodman’s lollipops, or Bing Crosby’s ice cream? Of course you don't! Now, there are exceptions – most notably Paul Newman, but the reason for the success is that he was personally involved with the recipes. Blisscuit might well be another success story. Mariel Hemmingway has put her health and wellness passion and smarts into these soft, gluten free, all natural snacks. More like a little cake than a cookie, this Cinnamon Blisscuit is tasty and satisfying. The texture, a bit more grainy, comes from the base of almond meal. And by the way, cinnamon has been proven to lower blood sugar and cholesterol. These just taste great – but do be aware that each cookie contains 4 ¼ grams of fat which comes primarily from coconut and coconut oil. Retails for $2.99 for two cookies.

Mariel’s Kitchen Group Inc
No phone number available
http://www.marielskitchen.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Unique Pretzels Sprouted 100% Whole Grain “Splits”

92

This product is a HIT! Finally pretzel lovers and healthy eaters can agree on a single product! These Sprouted 100% Whole Grain Pretzels with 25% of whole grains in just 3 pretzels are delicious. The nutrients in sprouted whole grains are easier for our bodies to digest and the nutrients can be absorbed better. Unlike most other pretzels they are not too salty and are made with organic extra virgin olive oil. The other things I really like are the crunch, and that these pretzels taste like real food. Retails for $3.99.

Unique Pretzel Bakery, Inc
610 929 3172
http://www.essentialeating.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Thank You

We hope you enjoyed this edition of

New Product
Hits and Misses

If you would like Phil to consider your new product for review, please send 4 samples of each flavor you to submit for review, with the suggested retail price and other product information. We regret that we can not review all products submitted. Please send to:

New Product Review
SupermarketGuru.com
3015 Main Street, Suite 320
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Product reviews are conducted by randomly selecting one flavor of a product and taking into consideration the information available on the package itself as it would appear in the retail environment. Information contained in advertisements or on websites is not taken into account for evaluation or ratings.

Email danielle@supermarketguru.com with any questions and whenever possible please be environmentally friendly when packaging your products.