New Products Hits & Misses for 07/22/2009

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

Red Espresso

93

This product is a HIT! This product is a hit! Don’t let the package fool you – Red Espresso is not what you think – it is not coffee, it is Rooibos tea. Rooibos has over 5 times the amount of antioxidants as green tea and claims to relieve insomnia, to have a calming effect and ease digestion. We tested it in an espresso machine and not only was it a full-bodied, great taste, but not at all acidic - and it’s also caffeine-free. Retails for $12.99.

Better Living, Inc Xtreme
N/A
http://www.redespresso.com

Scoring Breakdown:

V8 Fusion Passionfruit Tangerine

90

This product is a HIT! This product is a hit! V8’s new Passionfruit Tangerine is 100% juice with no added sugar, the flavor and mouth-feel is terrific. It’s also low sodium (only 70 mg) and contains 600 mg of potassium, but like any juice made with fruit it’s high in sugars (24 g). This will quench your thirst and at the same time gives you a full serving of both fruits and vegetables in just an 8oz serving. Retails for $3.99. (Please note: the price in the video is incorrect due to an editorial error.)

Campbell Soup Company
800 871 0988
http://www.v8fusion.com

Scoring Breakdown:

JK Gourmet Grain Free Granola

86

This product is a HIT! This product is a hit! Most people who have grain allergies are limited in the cereals they can consume. JK Gourmet is gluten-free and made with a tasty recipe of sunflower seeds, organic raisins, coconuts, walnuts, almonds, honey, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds. It might not be as crispy as other granolas, but with no trans fats and no added fat, it is a great alternative to cereal, or just to munch on as a great snack. Retails for $9.99.

Grain-Free JK Gourmet
800 608 0465
http://www.jkgourmet.ca

Scoring Breakdown:

Clif Quench Orange Flavor

88

This product is a HIT! This product is a hit! Clif Bar’s new entry Clif Quench needs some help. I know it’s a sports drink and I know it’s loaded with electrolytes and I know it’s designed to keep us hydrated while exercising, but the taste just isn’t there. There’s no high fructose corn syrup, it’s made with organic evaporated cane juice instead and no artificial colors which means that many people will be surprised when they open it and see that it’s clear. Just remember when you see the 88% organic on the front of the label that means that 88% of the added ingredients are organic – needless to say, the filtered water, which is the main ingredient, doesn’t count in that percentage. Retails for $1.49.

Clif Bar & Company
800 CLIF BAR
http://www.clifbar.com

Scoring Breakdown:

Putney Pasta Chicken Piccata Skillet

87

This product is a HIT! This product is a hit! There have been a lot of “skillet meals” that have come on the market… Putney Pasta’s Chicken Piccata Skillet is exceptional. Putney Pasta started out with unique shapes and flavors of frozen ravioli. These new skillet pastas live up to this brand’s reputation. The organic white wine and lemon sauce is a perfect balance, with hormone free chicken and capers – and the penne came out perfectly al dente. Retails for $8.99 – 10.99.

Putney Pasta
800 AL DENTE
http://www.putneypasta.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.