Nature Valley Granola Thins are tasty

Nature Valley Granola Thins Crispy Squares. Dark Chocolate, and Peanut Butter. $3.59 per 6-ounce box, containing 10 individually wrapped packets.

Bonnie: The primary ingredient in Nature Valley Granola Thins is whole-grain oats, and yet these boxes feature no boasts about either whole grains or fiber. That was my tip-off that these new snacks are an insignificant source of both.

These chocolate- or peanut-butter-coated cookies are tasty, though, and provide a not-too-bad 80 to 90 calories and 6 grams sugar. The 4.5 grams total fat (of which 1.5 grams is saturated) would be modest if the single-serving pouches do their job and keep you from eating more than one.

Carolyn: The granola bar probably seemed as strange in 1975, when Nature Valley introduced it to U.S. supermarkets, as this company's new Granola Thins seem today.

So what's a Granola Thin? A slimmed-down crispy granola bar topped with a layer of peanut butter or chocolate.

The concept, according to Nature Valley press materials, was to create a sweet treat that is not as sinful or heavy as the cake and cookie alternatives. But this actually has only 30 fewer calories than the larger and more filling two Chips Ahoy! cookies or one chocolate-covered granola bar.

The peanut butter or chocolate "frosting" also adds an additional layer of mess to the already very crumbly hard granola base. (When I tried these in hot weather, half the frosting stuck to the square's cardboard platform.) So though individually wrapped and technically portable, eating them in the car in business clothes is a bad idea for everyone but your dry cleaner.

On the plus side: These are pretty tasty; the chocolate version, in fact, resembles delicious U.K. chocolate-covered McVitie's HobNobs biscuits. But this American variation has far too many drawbacks ever to achieve the popularity of Nature Valley's original groundbreaking snack.

Simply Heinz Tomato Ketchup. $2.69 per 32-ounce bottle.

Bonnie: Simply Heinz is simply Heinz ketchup made with sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). As you may have read, the underlying main issue with HFCS has mostly to do with our farm bill subsidizing the overproduction of corn. I feel strongly that the government should instead increase incentives for farmers growing fruits and vegetables, making these nutritional powerhouses more affordable to Americans. Eliminating the purchase of HFCS-containing foods is one way to register your opinion on this issue.