Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crisps. Cheddar Jack, Four Cheese, and Cheesy Sour Cream & Onion. $2.99 per 10-ounce box.
Bonnie: Crisps is a new line of medium-size, flat Pepperidge Farm Goldfish made with zero grams of trans fat. Crisps packages already indicate the amount of trans fat just under the saturated fat line on the Nutrition Facts panel, just as all food products will be required to do by Jan. 1, 2006, according to Food and Drug Administration regulations. Most of the Goldfish line will be changed to zero trans fats by May, with the remainder by the end of the summer.
Keep in mind that "no trans fats" doesn't mean "no fat." In fact, Goldfish Crisps — and most crackers — get more than a third of their calories from fat. Goldfish Crisps are tasty, although there's little difference between the Cheddar Jack and Four Cheese. Since Cheddar Jack contains slightly less salt than the other two, I'd suggest trying that.
Carolyn: What's the difference between regular Goldfish and Goldfish Crisps? Crisps are flat, goldfish-shaped crackers packaged in boxes, whereas regular Goldfish are puffy and packed in bags.
This is also about as big a difference as there is between the Cheddar Jack and the Four Cheese Goldfish Crisp varieties and the flavor of the original Cheddar Goldfish. That is: There is hardly any.
As a result, as tasty as these may be, I think there's hardly any need for these or any chance they'll still be in stores in eight months.
Barber Foods Chicken Sticks. Barbecue Seasoned, Honey Crunch and Potato Chip. $3.79 per 9-ounce box containing six frozen sticks.
Bonnie: Imagine a chicken finger on a stick, like foods at state fairs, and you've envisioned Barber Foods Chicken Sticks. Although the sticks make chicken into a fun snack, I worry that they could pose a danger to any kid who eats these while moving around.
As for taste, they're like traditional chicken fingers, with the honey breading the most flavorful and the potato chip breading a tad too salty. Nutritionally, they're comparable to Weaver Original Breast Strips and Banquet Chicken Tenders, but contain slightly more fat and calories than Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips.
Carolyn: Americans are snacking a lot more and sitting down to eat chicken dinners a lot less. Hence these new portable chicken sticks from frozen stuffed-chicken-breast specialist Barber. These are reminiscent of state fair corn dogs both in presentation and also in the fatty meat. That weirdly textured chicken and the sweet honey coating combine to turn the Honey Crunch Chicken Sticks into a U.M.S. (unidentified meat on a stick). The barbecue and even the potato chip coating (unconventional though it may be) make the others seem more like chicken. But poor-quality meat makes these more interesting than endearing.
Stonyfield Farms YoBaby. Peach and Pear Yogurt Variety Pack, and Peach and Banana Drinkable Yogurt. $2.99 to $3.79 per six 4-ounce yogurt cups, or 24-ounce drinkable yogurt bottle.
Bonnie: Stonyfield just added a pear-flavored yogurt to its YoBaby multipack paired along with an old favorite, peach. Adults who enjoy eating the full-fat small cups of yogurt may find the pear flavor a bit too subtle. I know I did.
Stonyfield also just introduced YoBaby drinkable yogurts in banana and peach flavors. Like the other YoBaby products, both are made with live active cultures and have the creamy texture of whole milk. The drinkable yogurts are sweetened just enough to balance the slight sourness of yogurt and can be enjoyed in place of milk whether you're an adult or a baby. And those live active cultures may offer such benefits as boosting a baby's (and your) immunity.
Carolyn: YoBaby whole milk yogurt for babies is Stonyfield Farm's most successful product ever. That's not solely because so many babies are clamoring to eat yogurt. It's because of parents and other adults who discovered that YoBaby is better-tasting than La Creme or any of the indulgent yogurts marketed to us.
New YoBaby Drinkable is also more delicious than any of the other new yogurt drinks for adults. That's probably why Stonyfield Farm is introducing it in family-sized bottles. (Certainly I don't know many babies who could single-handedly finish one of these bottles off in the week to 10 days it will keep in the fridge after opening.)
The best thing about regular YoBaby's new Peach & Pear variety pack is a design that eliminates the environmentally wasteful cardboard overwrap. Certainly I'm a lot more excited about that than the new pear flavor, which is also too subtle for me.
Bonnie Tandy Leblang is a registered dietitian and professional speaker. Carolyn Wyman is a junk-food fanatic and author of "Jell-O: A Biography" (Harvest/Harcourt). Each week they critique three new food items. © Universal Press Syndicate