SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 8/20/2015

Here are some interesting new and limited edition products found on store shelves by us and your fellow readers. If you’ve tried any of the products, share your thoughts about them in the comments.

Fanta Berry

Fanta Berry

A quick Google search shows that this isn’t really a new flavor. But if the banner on the corner says so, then I guess I’ll call it a new flavor. (Spotted by Andrew.)

Werther's Original Sugar Free Chocolate flavored Chewy Caramels

Werther’s Original Sugar Free Chocolate flavored Chewy Caramels

Have any of you ended up at a house that only passes out sugar-free candy for Halloween? (Spotted by Sylvia at Walmart.)

Birds Eye Steamfresh Disney Frozen Pasta & Carrots with a Tomato Sauce

Birds Eye Steamfresh Disney Frozen Pasta & Carrots with a Tomato Sauce

Birds Eye Steamfresh Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends Whole Grain Pasta & Corn with a Butter Sauce

Birds Eye Steamfresh Disney Mickey Mouse & Friends Whole Grain Pasta & Corn with a Butter Sauce

More Disney shaped pasta from Birds Eye. Here’s the other two we covered. (Spotted by John at Walmart.)

H-E-B Hey Joe! Coffee Squares

H-E-B Hey Joe! Coffee Squares

H-E-B Hey Joe! Latte Coffee Squares

H-E-B Hey Joe! Latte Coffee Squares

Hey Joe! I can’t enjoy this though. Because I live far away from an H-E-B, you know. (Spotted by Robbie at H-E-B.)

Thank you to all the photo contributors! If you’re out shopping and see an interesting new or limited edition product on the shelf, snap a picture of it, and send us an email ([email protected]) with where you found it and “Spotted” in the subject line. Or reply to us (@theimpulsivebuy) on Twitter with the photo, where you spotted it, and the hashtag #spotted. If you do so, you might see your picture in our next Spotted on Shelves post.

Also, if you’re wondering if we’ve already covered something, search our Flickr photos or use the Google Search box on the right (or below if you’re on a mobile device) to find out.

15 thoughts to “SPOTTED ON SHELVES – 8/20/2015”

    1. I was just going to say that lol I hope it does taste like Pepsi Blue cuz then I’m buying a crapton of it. Possible Slurpee flavor then as well?!

  1. Yup happens to me. I got a handful of sugar-free candies for Halloween and I wanted to pelt eggs on that house. But it was so dark and I didn’t see what the person handed out. UGH sugar free candy. I donated these to the nursing home and they took it with stride

    1. It depends on what sweetener they use. I hate all the usual “diet” sweeteners and stevia, but the sugar alcohol xylitol (aka birch sugar) tastes and looks like regular cane sugar to me with no aftertaste. Not much is metabolized, although the official calorie count is listed as about the same as sugar. The pathogenic microbeasties in your mouth that cause cavities can’t metabolize it, either, so using a bit of xylitol after a meal or snack (just a gram or two) starves the little buggers out and helps bring your mouth back to neutral or alkaline pH, which they don’t like. Over time, this makes a huge difference in your dental bills and the health of your teeth and gums (you just need 6-10 grams per day for the therapeutic effect, about 1.5 tsp). So it can be used in “sugarless” products like gum and candy without the ick factor. They just won’t look low-calorie on the label, I guess. You can bake with xylitol also and can get granulated xylitol in bulk or teaspoon packets (4 grams each). Humans (NOT dogs and cats etc.) usually have a fairly high tolerance for xylitol so you would have to eat a lot for any unpleasant effects in your intestinal tract.

  2. The carrots and tomato sauce pasta I believe you posted before. I have had them more then once and I really like them. It’s better then it sounds. A good staple for someone like me that mostly lives on microwaveable food. I will skip the mickey one. Pasta with butter on it just sounds cheap to me. And who thinks that putting a lot of peas in with pasta is something children will like?

  3. Birdseye could have just puréed the carrots since they get washed out color-wise in the tomato sauce. Or switched the corn and carrots (corn with tomato sauce and carrots with the butter sauce) just to have some color contrast. Something green would work better with the tomato sauce, but probably best to purée and mix.

    I often add frozen veggies to pasta, and if I got these I would boost them up with whatever I have in the freezer. Takes the same amount of time in the microwave. Sometimes I can add it to a box if they say to lift up the lid partially for steam, so I don’t even have to find a clean separate cooking vessel. I have been known to eat the frozen veg frozen, though (peas and corn are really tasty that way, just by themselves). But bags of frozen veggies are really useful to bulk up the meal when you tend to find even cooking up some rice or pasta on your own is “too much work” (me! me!) and will buy it frozen like this.

    Many years ago, Green Giant used to have bags of frozen rotini pasta with cheese sauce, carrots, and broccoli (maybe something else as well?). It was so good, I think the cheese coated the rotini. I often ended up with a bag of frozen veg because I kept pulling out the rotini to eat frozen, a “just one more, and I’ll stop” kind of thing. I wished they sold separate bags of just the coated rotini.

  4. Those caramels aren’t bad. Not very chocolatety, but quite caramely in flavour. Just way too soft and not very chewy compared to the regular ones.

  5. What exactly are coffee square? is it chocolate with coffee flavor or like squares of coffee you put in hot water and you have instant coffee? the package doesnt really make it clear.

    1. Basically like a chocolate square but tastes like coffee. They’re pretty good, I work at HEB 🙂 We sell some pretty unique items.

    2. We are all so confused! Lol.. I am pretty sure you add it to your coffe.. It is delicious! But the packaging DOES NOT explain what the item is or how to use it.. You definitely do not mix it with only water, though (trial and error :P)

    3. I didn’t know that question either so I tried both. First I ate one and it tastes really good. I also heated one with water and added cream and sugar tastes amazing. I will be buying these slot faster when your on the go and tastes better than I expected.

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