It takes a lot for a food product to succeed. In fact, out of more than 30,000 new food items that were introduced in 2003, less than 5 percent were hits. (And less than 10 percent of all new products are still on supermarket shelves three years after they launch.) To help you avoid spending money on the likely failures, here are this week’s Hits and Misses.
HITSZhena’s Gypsy Tea We immediately wanted to love this product because it is USDA Certified Organic, and because black tea is a rich source for antioxidants. And there’s more good news: This loose-leaf tea also is heavy in flavor and body. A bonus is the creative, fun packaging — a colorful can featuring a quick lesson in Gypsy palmistry. Retails for $8.99 for 3.5 ounces.
Kedem Light Grape Juice BeverageThis company is known for its line of sparkling juices, mostly with people who follow kosher dietary laws. But now they are looking towards more mainstream distribution, and have come up with a product that is on target — a low-calorie grape juice. Numerous studies have shown that grape juice has numerous health benefits, such as raising good cholesterol and high levels of antioxidants; however, the natural sugars it contains are quite high in calories. Thus low-calorie juice tastes great and has no high-fructose corn syrup (which regular readers of this column will know is a pet peeve) or artificial colors. Retails for $4.99 for 63 fluid ounces.
CONSUMER-NOMINATED HITS
Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper Here’s what Beth M. had to say about this product: “Smooth tasting with natural vanilla notes with absolutely no aftertaste. You would never know it’s diet.” Thanks, Beth! Your SupermarketGuru tote bag is on the way. Retails for about $0.99.
Betty Crocker Cinnamon SugarHere’s what Sharon T. of Smithville, Tex., had to say about this product: “For holiday season, this product is a must for cooking. It is already mixed for you and tastes great!! Saves a lot of time!! I like it a lot!! Easy to make cinnamon toast, cookies, etc.” Thanks, Sharon! Your SupermarketGuru tote bag is on the way! Retails for $3.39.
MISSContessa Shrimp Primavera This frozen meal kit takes less than 10 minutes to prepare, which makes a great solution for a family on the go. OK, so it may be convenient, but it’s not exactly healthy. The hydrogenated oils in the ingredients automatically raise a red flag, and it doesn’t help that one serving contains 780mg of sodium (almost a third of the Recommended Daily Allowance!), 21g of fat, and 60mg of cholesterol. It’s a hit for convenience, but a big miss for nutritional value. Retails for $6.99.
Phil Lempert is food editor of the “Today” show. He welcomes questions and comments — as well as nominations for “hits” and “misses” in this column — which can be sent to . If he selects your nomination for publication, he’ll send you a SupermarketGuru.com Tote Bag! You can also visit his Web site at .