Phil Lempert's SupermarketGuru
 

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:

  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

Swerve
All Natural Sugar Alternative
Crystallized

[Image of: All Natural Sugar Alternative]
85
This product is a HIT! Each week there seems to be a new sugar alternative on the market. This one is a blend of erythritol and natural flavors and has the same consistency, measurement and taste as real sugar. The differnece is that it is zero calories and zero glycemic index. They say it's even good for cooking and baking, although I just tasted it plain. It's a good alternative, but once again I'd really like to see us get rid of our sweet tooth and not have to make everything taste so sweet.
$13.95 / 16 oz

Phytoceutical Formulations
888 979 3783
http://www.swervesweetener.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Jamba
Smoothies
Caribbean Passion

[Image of: Smoothies]
87
This product is a HIT! The smoothie sensation continues to grow, just three months ago Starbucks bought its own smoothie chain. But many of us, both to save money and for more convenience are making smoothies at home. This one is ultra easy - with all the fruit and yogurt already mixed, all you do is add 8 oz of apple juice and blend. With the apple juice added, one 8 oz serving is just 120 calories, but remember 1 packet is 2 servings. The taste is actually very fruity, not too sweet, however I can barely taste the yogurt.
$2.99 / 8 oz

Inventure Foods, Inc
n/a
http://www.athomesmoothies.com

Scoring Breakdown:

David's Unforgettables
Balsamic Vinaigrette
Low Fat

[Image of: Balsamic Vinaigrette]
90
This product is a HIT! If you're looking to pare down, to clean out all those cabinets and just have one bottle of sauce that you can use for everything this might just be the one. A low fat, just 3 grams per tablespoon, sauce, that can be used as a salad dressing, a dipping sauce, on sandwiches, or even as a marinade. This balsamic and red wine vinegar based recipe is quite flavorful and the spices come through loud and clear. Not too sweet and not too salty, they really got this one right. Do take note that one tablespoon does have 3 grams of sugars and is 40 calories.
$4.99 / 1lb. 4oz

Earth Island
818 786 6186
http://www.unforgettablefoods.com/

Scoring Breakdown:

Litehouse
Freeze Dried Herbs
Salad Blend

[Image of: Freeze Dried Herbs]
93
This product is a HIT! You might know this brand from their line of salad dressings - now they've expanded with a full line of freeze dried herbs and spices that are imported from Germany. This blend is a very fresh tasting combination of parsley, red onion, chives, shallots, garlic and dill. Unlike many other jarred spices, because of the freeze drying process, once they come into contact with moisture there is a burst of flavor. I really like the airtight cap.
$4.50 / 0.42 oz

Litehouse, Inc
n/a
http://www.litehousefoods.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Pamela's
Whenvever Bars
Oat Cranberry Almond

[Image of: Whenvever Bars]
94
This product is a HIT! These wheat free, gluten free and non dairy bars are actually shaped more like a cookie. They're very moist and actually the flavor of the cranberry is very pronounced - which is a good thing. One bar contains 180 calories, 9 grams of fat and 9 grams of sugars. It also contains 120 mg of omega 3s and 9 grams of whole grains. Definitely a tasty and satisfying mid-afternoon snack.
$4.99 / 7.05 oz

Pamela's Products, Inc
n/a
http://www.pamelasproducts.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
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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.