Category: Spotted on Shelves

Update: Click here to read our Whitemint Stride Gum review

You know how some folks have the perfect name for what they do.

Now I’m not talking about porn stars because most of them make up their names. I’m talking about people like Winter Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, who has an appropriate last name for a snowboarder.

He also has a last name that can easily become part of a made up compound word, which Stride Gum has compounded to name their new Shaun White-inspired gum, Whitemint.

White helped select Stride Whitemint’s flavor which is described as “a long lasting intense mint.” He also helped create the look of the gum’s packaging which consists of “a simple, cool design with unique and exclusive graphics that bring White’s personality to life.” The packaging also includes five random comedic scenarios of White with the Stride Ram (you know, the one that forces Stride gum chewers to spit out their gum).

Stride Whitemint will be available from now until September 2011 and the 14-piece packs have a suggested retail price of $1.49.

Because I inhale Kettle Brand potato chips with a suction that is only bested by a Dyson vacuum cleaner, I tend to consume an entire 8-ounce bag in one couch potato-ing session. Of course, doing so makes it hard for me to keep my girlish figure. Fortunately for my girlish figure, Kettle Brand is releasing new line of reduced fat potato chips that come in some of their most popular flavors — Sea Salt, Sea Salt & Vinegar, and Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper.

The reduced fat potato chips will have 40 percent less fat than their regular counterparts. But, just like the regular versions of their chips they will contain non-GMO ingredients and contain no preservatives, no artificial colors or flavors, and no MSG.

To give you an idea of how different the reduced fat version is from the regular version:

A 1-ounce serving of Kettle Brand Reduced Fat Sea Salt chips has 130 calories, 6 grams of fat, 0.5 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 4.5 grams of monounsaturated fat, 160 milligrams of sodium, 19 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

A serving of regular Kettle Brand Sea Salt chips has 150 calories, 9 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 1 gram of polyunsaturated fat, 7 grams of monounsaturated fat, 115 milligrams of sodium, 16 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of fiber, and 2 grams of protein.

Kettle Brand Reduced Fat Sea Salt potato chips are available now in 8-ounce bags and have a suggested retail price of $3.49. Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper and Sea Salt & Vinegar will be released in August.

Update: Click here to read our Starbucks VIA Caramel Iced Coffee review

Last year, Starbucks added an iced coffee version to their VIA instant coffee line and I wrote a review so positive that it makes me sound like ABC TV Minneapolis movie critic Rusty Gatenby who the said the following about Transformers: Dark of the Moon, “Biggest action movie of the summer? How about biggest action movie EVER!”

Sounds like someone wants to be quoted in a Transformers: Dark of the Moon commercial. Oh wait, he was.

Anyhoo, my positive review of Starbucks’ VIA Iced Coffee had me hoping for a sequel from them, and they delivered.

This week, the Giant Green Coffee Machine released a new iced coffee flavor — caramel. Just like the regular VIA Iced Coffee, Starbucks VIA Caramel Flavored Ice Coffee is made using “a special blend of medium roast coffee made from 100 percent high-quality arabica beans.”

Each VIA packet makes 16 fluid ounces of iced coffee.

Oh, wait. It’s Starbucks.

Each VIA packet makes a Grande of iced coffee.

Starbucks VIA Caramel Flavored Iced Coffee is available for a limited time in 5-packs at a suggested retail price of $5.95.

Is there anything Snapple won’t attach itself to?

Besides the Snapple Lady.

Snapple teamed up with the reality show The Amazing Race to promote their Papaya Mango Tea. The company also worked with worked with Bret Michaels during a season of Celebrity Apprentice to create their Trop-A-Rocka flavor.

Two reality shows? My goodness. Snapple is like the Kardashian of beverage companies because if it didn’t have those reality shows, I would’ve forgotten about them.

And now they’re joining Jelly Belly to create a line of Snapple-flavored jelly beans.

The Jelly Belly Snapple Mix is made up of five Snapple flavors: Fruit Punch, Mango Madness, Cranberry Raspberry, Pink Lemonade and Kiwi Strawberry. Each jelly bean is made from real fruit juice and purees. They’re also fat free, gluten free, dairy free, certified OU Kosher, and contain no artificial coloring.

Jelly Belly Snapple Mix will be available at the Jelly Belly website later this month and in 10-lb. bulk cases at candy stores with suggested retail prices $8.99 to $9.99 per pound. Snapple also plans to release a 3.1-oz. bag with a suggested retail price of $2.49 and a 1.65-oz. Jelly Belly Snapple Bottle.

What the smurf?

How can the new Post Limited Edition The Smurfs Cereal not have any smurfin’ Smurf Berries? First, Optimus Prime gets a mouth in the Transformers movies. Then, no H.I.S.S. Tanks in the G.I. Joe. movie. It’s as if companies want to ruin my childhood.

The sweetened rice cereal is made up of regular boring tan cereal with Smurf blue-colored cereal. What’s so smurfy about that? You know what would’ve been totally smurfy? Post bringing back Smurf Berry Crunch. I would’ve totally smurfed Smurf Berry Crunch.

The Post Limited Edition The Smurfs Cereal comes in two different boxes. One with Papa Smurf and Smurfette drawn like the 1980s cartoon that would make Peyo proud and another with a computer generated Smurfette and another Smurf. I would totally not Smurf CGI Smurfette.

The cereal is available now and comes in 11-ounce boxes.

Source: Cereal Bits