Handi-Snacks adds Mister Salty, Ritz

Kraft Handi-Snacks 'n Cheez. Mister Salty Pretzels, Ritz Crackers and Premium Breadsticks. $1.89 per 5-ounce package of five individual snacks, or $2.79 per 8-ounce package of eight snacks.

Bonnie: Remember Mister Salty? Well, that pretzel-shaped sailor is back, this time on Handi-Snacks' new pretzels and cheese snack. Kraft also just introduced a Handi-Snack containing cheese dip and Premium breadsticks, and the dip with Ritz crackers. Each contains about 100 calories, 3.5 to 6 grams of fat, and some calcium. Mister Salty contains the least fat, but as you might have guessed from his name, the most salt. All provide some convenient nutrition while curbing your appetite.

Carolyn: Kraft is revamping its famous I'm-Stuck-at-the-Office-With-Nothing-to-Eat Handi-Snacks cheese and crackers (excuse me, cheez 'n crackers) desperation food fare to include some of the Nabisco brands Kraft now owns.

Premium Cheez 'n Breadsticks is a case of Kraft simply slapping the Premium name onto its long-standing, slightly sweet and quite delicious generic breadstick and cheez combo.

The Ritz Crackers 'n Cheez is more troubling because the crackers look exactly like the old saltines, although (and this could be the power of suggestion) they do seem to have some of Ritz's rich taste. In any case, I believe Kraft should either pair this cheez with the golden-brown round Ritz we know and love, or call this cheez 'n cracker something else.

The only truly new offering is the Mister Salty Pretzels 'n Cheez. It's a good, if rarely seen, combination that also marks the return of the Mister Salty pretzel man after more than a decade's absence (or so Kraft says). Personally, I think Kraft should be at least as concerned about the dilution of its much better known and more beloved Ritz brand.

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Carb Options Skippy Peanut Spread. $3.49 per 16.1-ounce jar.

Bonnie: Skippy Peanut Butter Carb Options is proof that the furor over low-carb foods has turned to madness. At 7 grams of carbohydrates per 2-tablespoon serving, regular peanut butter is already a low-carb food. To save a minuscule 2 grams of carbs, Skippy has been transformed from a nearly 100 percent peanut product to one that contains only 65 percent peanuts, a protein-compensating amount of soy protein and the artificial sweetener Splenda (sucralose). The latter two are the reasons for its off aftertaste.

Thankfully, you can still buy regular Skippy (which, incidentally, contains the exact same amount of calories, fat and protein).