Food Awards 2019: Best Supermarket Foods of the Year

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Introducing the PEOPLE Food Awards 2019!

Levi Brown

Grocery shelves are packed with products promising great taste, easy preparation and healthy benefits—but do they really deliver? To find out, PEOPLE editors ate, drank and cooked more than 1,200 different items to find the most delicious new supermarket foods. Make room in your shopping cart this week because these winners—all featured in the July 15th issue of PEOPLE— are worth it.

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WINNER: BEST PASTA

Brian Henn

Rao's Homemade Linguine

Slow-dried with a subtly bumpy texture, the noodles cook up perfectly al dente—firm, chewy, delicious—and absorb the ideal amount of sauce. “I added 20 bags to my wedding registry,” raved one tester.

Buy It! $3; raos.com

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WINNER: BEST SOUP

Campbell’s Well Yes! Sweet Corn & Roasted Poblano

Slightly sweet and smoky, it heats up in 2 minutes in the microwave and has a sippable spout. “Stash it in your desk—it’s the best work lunch,” said a tester.

Buy It! $2 each; amazon.com

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WINNER: BEST MEAL KIT

Food Network Kitchen Inspirations Korean-Style BBQ Kit

Just add steak (or chicken or tofu)—the flavorful rice, kimchi and sauce are included. “You can’t mess this up,” promised a tester.

Buy It! $4; foodnetworkkitcheninspirations.com

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WINNER: BEST PASTA SAUCE

BRIAN HENN

Barilla Vero Gusto Calabrian Marinara

The Italian peppers add a natural sweetness—not the sugary kind you find in some other jarred sauces—and a hint of heat.

Buy It! $6 for 20 oz.; publix.com

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WINNER: BEST PLANT-BASED

RightRice Garlic Herb

The fast-cooking kernels—made with lentils, chickpeas and green peas—won’t turn mushy when cooked or reheated the next day. Plus each serving has 10g of protein.

Buy It! $4 for 7 oz.; amazon.com

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WINNER: BEST CANNED BEANS

S&W Indian Style Savory Sides

“I could’ve eaten this out of the can by itself!” a staffer gushed about these flavorful garbanzo beans stewed with peppers, onions and curry.

Buy It! $1.59; fredmeyer.com

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WINNER: BEST WRAP

Angelic Bakehouse Garden Wraps: Turmeric Sweet Potato

Made with sprouted whole grains and packed with protein and fiber, they'll add great flavor to lunch or weeknight enchiladas.

Buy It! $4.49 for 6; angelicbakehouse.com

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WINNER: BEST RICE KIT

Brian Henn

Goya Paella

Rice, seasoning and seafood—it’s all in the box! Testers raved about the easy-to-follow directions (it's ready in three steps!) and flavorful results. “It brought me back to my days in Barcelona,” said one staffer.

Buy It! $7; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST COOKIES

Brian Henn

Fudge Covered Oreo

Cloaked in a layer of chocolate, the sandwich cookies are “sweet but not too sweet,” said a staffer. “The fudge shell also helps keep the wafers crispy when you dunk them in milk.”

Buy It! $3.29 for 12; target.com

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WINNER: BEST CANDY BAR

Brian Henn

M&M’s Crispy Milk Chocolate Bar

It’s like two treats in one: Each chunky square of this bar is generously studded with colorful, crispy candies.

Buy It! $1.68; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST CAKE MIX

Brian Henn

Trader Joe’s Mochi Cake Mix

A cross between traditional cake and Japanese mochi (a sweet, rice-based dough), the results are delightfully custardy and bouncy with chewy, browned edges.

Buy It! $4; traderjoes.com

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WINNER: BEST GUMMY CANDY

Levi Brown

Black Forest Gummy Bears

“I didn’t know gummy bears could taste so good!” a tester said of these soft, chewy candies made with real fruit juice and plant-based colors.

Buy It! $3.49 for 8 oz.; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST POTATO CHIPS

Levi Brown

Cape Cod Waves Sea Salt

Salty, crunchy and sturdy enough for dipping, this is the classic chip at its best. “I could polish off a bag in one sitting,” said one staffer.

Buy It! $3.79 for 7.5 oz.; target.com

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WINNER: BEST POPCORN

Brian Henn

SkinnyPop Sweet & Salty Kettle Popcorn

Every fluffy kernel is lightly sweet, slightly salty and super-crunchy. Gobble them up by the handful—it clocks in at only 140 calories for a 2½ cup serving.

Buy It! $4.29 for 5.3 oz.; shop.skinnypop.com

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WINNER: BEST TORTILLA CHIPS

Brian Henn

Doritos Flamin’ Hot Nacho

They start with a subtle nacho flavor but follow with a heat that continues to build. They had testers reaching for water and coming back to crunch some more.

Buy It! $4.29 for 9.75 oz.; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST CRACKERS

Brian Henn

Stacy’s Cheese Petites: Romano with Garlic & Pepper

Baked with real cheese, these bite-size crackers are perfectly salty, crispy and poppable.

Buy It! $5 for 4 oz.; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST SNACK BAR

Brian Henn

KIND Dark Chocolate Almond & Coconut

Both crunchy and chewy, each bar is full of roasted almonds and chunky coconut chips and drizzled with dark chocolate.

Buy It! $15 for 12 bars; kindsnacks.com

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WINNER: BEST NUTS

BRIAN HENN

Whole Foods Market Kettle-Cooked Cacao Nib Cashews

“They taste like candy!” a tester raved about these plump, candied nuts studded with bitter, chocolatey nibs.

Buy It! $6 for 8 oz.; wholefoodsmarket.com

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WINNER: BEST HOT DOG

Nathan’s Famous Jalapeño & Cheddar Beef Franks

Stuffed with cheese and chiles, the sausages impressed staffers who liked the “meaty flavor that wasn’t too salty or spicy.”

Buy It! $5 for 5; heb.com

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WINNER: BEST BACON

Levi Brown

Pure Farmland Applewood Smoked Bacon

Thick and marbled, the strips crisped up perfectly in the pan: “I see a lot of BLTs in my future,” said a taster.

Buy It! $5 for 10 oz.; target.com, Walmart stores

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WINNER: BEST TURKEY BURGER

Applegate Organics "The Great Organic Blend Burger": Turkey

No dry burgers here! Organic mushrooms are mixed into the patties, helping the turkey meat stay juicy and flavorful.

Buy It! $10 for 4; applegate.com

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WINNER: BEST FROZEN CHICKEN

Perdue SimplySmart Organics: Lightly Breaded Chicken Breast Strips

Fully cooked and frozen, the lightly breaded strips take minutes to heat up—and come out plump, crispy and juicy.

Buy It! $10 for 24 oz.; target.com

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WINNER: BEST TUNA

Chicken of the Sea Infusions: Basil

Whether served over salad or eaten on its own (there’s a fork in the lid!), this wild-caught tuna with olive oil and sweet basil was a lunchtime favorite.

Buy It! $2.29 for 2.8 oz; amazon.com

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WINNER: BEST JERKY

Brian Henn

Krave Cracked Peppercorn Gourmet Beef Cuts

Tasters gave high marks for “the perfect jerky texture” (not stringy or chewy like others we tried) and bold pepper flavor.

Buy It! $6 for 2.7 oz.; cvs.com

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WINNER: BEST FROZEN MEAL

Levi Brown

Amy’s Mac & Cheese Meatless Pepperoni Bowl

The creamy, cheddar-smothered pasta cooks up remarkably firm and chewy—even in the microwave.

Buy It! $4.49; target.com

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WINNER: BEST PIZZA CRUST

Green Giant Cauliflower Pizza Crust: Tuscan

While other veggie crusts got soggy and fell apart, the “wheaty” texture (it's packed with 80 percent cauliflower), Italian spices and cornmeal-crusted base had tasters raving.

Buy It! $5; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST BISCUIT

Pillsbury Grands! Sweet Hawaiian Biscuits

They bake up fluffy, flaky and buttery with just the right amount of pineapple sweetness. “Hello, biscuit of my dreams!” said a tester.

Buy It! $2; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST SALAD DRESSING

Newman’s Own White Balsamic Vinaigrette

Staffers raved about its versatility—as a dressing and a marinade—and light, sweet-sour flavor. “It tastes homemade,” one said. Bonus: All of the profits from its sale go to charity.

Buy It! $4 for 16 oz.; newmansown.com

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WINNER: BEST SANDWICH SPREAD

Levi Brown

Hellmann’s Classic Burger Sauce

It’s a condiment supergroup: Imagine the best of ketchup, mayo, mustard and relish coming together in one special sauce.

Buy It! $3.49 for 11 oz.; hellmanns.com

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WINNER: BEST RANCH

Twisted Ranch Black Peppered Parmesan

Get all the satisfaction of tangy ranch dressing with a cheesy, spicy kick. “Eat it with pizza—trust me on this,” urged a taster.

Buy It! $3.29 for 13 oz.; walmart.com

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WINNER: BEST SALSA

Brian Henn

Pace Pineapple Serrano Chunky Texas Salsa

The hearty tomato salsa starts out sweet (that’s the pineapple) and builds to a medium-level heat (that’s the serrano chile).

Buy It! $2.47 for 15 oz.; heb.com

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WINNER: BEST NUT BUTTER

Justin’s Maple Cashew Butter

Salty, sweet, creamy, crunchy . . . check, check, check and check! This maple sugar-infused spread is the ultimate craving buster.

Buy It! $13 for 12 oz.; shop.justins.com

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WINNER: BEST CEREAL

Brian Henn

Blueberry Cheerios

It’s the classic Cheerios flavor but with a pop of sweet berries (the O’s get that purple tint from a blueberry puree). “I now carry a bag of these in my purse—they’re my favorite on-the-go snack,” said a staffer.

Buy It! $4.79 for 19.5 oz.; target.com

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WINNER: BEST BREAD

Trader Joe’s Pancake Bread

Designed to taste like a stack of buttermilk pancakes, the maple-syrup-infused loaf is so buttery and tender it melts in the mouth. “I had to hide it in the garage because my husband and I couldn’t stop eating it!” said one tester.

Buy It! $4; traderjoes.com

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WINNER: BEST BAGEL

Levi Brown

Silver Hills Bakery Organic Sprouted Power Bagels: Cinnamon Raisin

Chewy yet tender with a sweet, slightly malty flavor, they led one tester to declare these “the best grocery-store bagels I’ve ever had.”

Buy It! $6 for 5; silverhillsbakery.ca

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PEOPLE Food Awards 2019: The Best Supermarket Products of the Year

1 of 55

Introducing the PEOPLE Food Awards 2019!

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WINNER: BEST PASTA

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WINNER: BEST SOUP

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WINNER: BEST MEAL KIT

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WINNER: BEST PASTA SAUCE

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WINNER: BEST PLANT-BASED

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WINNER: BEST CANNED BEANS

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WINNER: BEST WRAP

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WINNER: BEST RICE KIT

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WINNER: BEST COOKIES

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WINNER: BEST CANDY BAR

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WINNER: BEST CAKE MIX

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WINNER: BEST GUMMY CANDY

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WINNER: BEST POTATO CHIPS

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WINNER: BEST POPCORN

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WINNER: BEST TORTILLA CHIPS

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WINNER: BEST CRACKERS

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WINNER: BEST SNACK BAR

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WINNER: BEST NUTS

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WINNER: BEST HOT DOG

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WINNER: BEST BACON

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WINNER: BEST TURKEY BURGER

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WINNER: BEST FROZEN CHICKEN

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WINNER: BEST TUNA

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WINNER: BEST JERKY

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WINNER: BEST FROZEN MEAL