Food Columnists Award Best and Worst New Food Products of 1998

Nationally syndicated food columnists Bonnie Tandy Leblang and Carolyn Wyman have given their highest food honor of 1998 to the organic, vegetarian food product, Amy's Kitchen Frozen Pocket Sandwiches. ``Amy's Pocket Sandwiches are sure indications that organic vegetarian foods are going mainstream,'' says Leblang. The sandwiches are made by Amy's Kitchen, a Petaluma, CA-based company that produces nearly 50 organic vegetarian meals and entrees.

The pocket sandwiches feature seasoned vegetables and grains in ``unusually tasty crusts, each providing a good source of fiber in a highly modern, convenient form,'' according to Leblang.

``Taste is the reason. These are among the most flavorful sandwiches I've ever eaten, frozen or not,'' says Wyman. ``The Roasted Vegetables is so 'oniony' sweet you won't even miss the meat.''

But besides the big winner, Leblang and Wyman gave ``Double Forks Down'', a designation of the worst new food products, to the following:

Nutz Sparkling Pistachio and Hazelnut Soda Pop. Pistachio soda pop ``looks like Listerine'' and neither pop tastes like the promised flavors.

Brummel & Brown Spread Made With Yogurt. ``Yogurt offers no taste or nutritional advantage in this bread spread.''

StarKist Ready-Mixed Tuna Salad & Crackers. ``Look and smell would seem more appealing to cats than people.''

SoBe Wisdom and Zen Blend Drinks. The implied claims of the names of these drinks lead the columnists to cry, ``modern-day snake oil.''

Smucker's Magic Shell Cookie Dough Crunch Topping. ``More fat than a serving of pepperoni sausage pizza.''

Sara Lee Golden Pound Cake. ``A new non-frozen, non-butter pound cake that can sit on the shelf for up to 21 days. If this is progress, we'll take the old days.''

Kellogg's Marshmallow Blasted Fruit Loops. Registered dietitian Leblang says these sugary fruit pieces should be called candy.

Leblang is a registered dietitian and certified culinary professional, Wyman is a junk food fanatic and journalist; both are book authors. This unlikely pair share methods of shopping, choosing, praising and panning foods to newspapers across the country in their weekly column, Supermarket Sampler, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate in Kansas City, MO.