New ‘slushees’ appealing to youngsters
Before cool nights steal away ice cream weather for another year, there’s a new Blue Bunny treat children might like. Adults should consider steering clear of this one.
Food panel members and the young guests who joined them during a recent meeting were sharply divided on the merits of the new squeezable “slushees” from Blue Bunny. The adults couldn’t find enough ways to say, “Yuck!” Some even wrote in zeros on their tasting forms. (The scale is generally from one to five stars.) Both flavors, blue raspberry and cherry lime, ended up with a one-star rating from the adult set.
“Absolutely horrible!” said Larry Inman. “I needed to spit out the only bite I took.”
Laura Hollman seconded the horror. “Granular, awful, alien food. I don’t understand this.”
Even Skip Hubbard, who has been known to enjoy foods that others on the panel reject, was not impressed. “What a terrible aftertaste. I wouldn’t eat this after crawling through the desert for days.”
Most of the kids liked the treats, which are served in a pouch with a twist-top lid. To eat them, you simply take off the lid and squish the flavored ice into your mouth. “Take this slushee fruit treat anywhere – with no spills and no mess,” says Blue Bunny packaging.
Not all of our young tasters were wowed by the “slushees,” but enough that it earned a three-star rating. Generally speaking, the younger the taster, the more they liked it.
Seven-year-old Drew Kazanis said he liked the way the icy treat turned his teeth blue. “I love it.”
Pierce Hubbard, 5, said he might like to eat the “slushees” if there were no popsicles. “Yummy!”
Katie Kazanis, also 5, said the icy treats were “really good. (It) tastes like Kool-Aid.”
But others were not impressed. Eleven-year-old Stephen Gese said he won’t be asking his mom for the Chill Pouch.
“It tastes like bubble gum ice cream goo. It’s too sweet and frozen. I would like it better if there was less sugar. There’s probably no nutritional value, period,” he said of the Blue Raspberry flavor.
Sydney Williams, 9, also thought the treats were too sweet. “Disgusting, too chalky.”
Blue Bunny Chill Pouch, Blue Raspberry
Price: $2.89 for 6 (88 gram) pouches
Nutrition per serving: 90 calories, no fat, no protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 10 milligrams sodium.
Adults
Taste: •
Value: •
Comments: “Truly awful. Like a horrible Pepto-Bismol. Do not ingest under any circumstances.” – Donald Clegg
“Chalky flavor.” – Peggy Kazanis
“Horrible flavor. Granular.” – Marcia Oranen
“Not on my grocery list.” – Marilyn Moore
Kids
Taste: • • •
Comments: “Yummy.” – Pierce Hubbard, 5
“I love it.” – Drew Kazanis, 7
“Disgusting. Too chalky.” – Sydney Williams, 9
Blue Bunny Chill Pouch, Cherry Lime
Price: $2.89 for 6 (88 gram) pouches
Nutrition per serving: 90 calories, no fat, no protein, 24 grams carbohydrate, no cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 10 milligrams sodium.
Adults
Taste: •
Value: •
Comments: “Chunky squeezable ice cream? What were they thinking?” – Tina Johnson
“Ladies and gentlemen! Step right up…. gooey neon mush food directly from Mars!” – Andy Hoye
“Something went terribly wrong with this.” – Chris Burggraat
Kids
Taste: • • •
Comments: “Tastes like Kool-Aid. It’s good.” – Katie Kazanis, 5
“Too sweet. It was like pure sugar almost. There is way too much sugar in it.” — Stephen Gese, 11
“I loved it.” Bryton Martin, 10
“Gritty.” – Daniele Tavenner, 14