Review: Santa Cruz Organic Foods

I was given the opportunity to review the new products from Santa Cruz Organics as a member of the Family Review Network.  As a family, we have been truly impressed!  If you simply just look at the labels of Santa Cruz Organics fruit spreads, peanut butter, or fruit sauces, you'll be impressed at the number of ingredients (or lack thereof)!  I also love that I can pronounce every ingredient on the label and therefore have no question what I'm feeding my family!

Ingredient List for Strawberry Fruit Spread:  ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES, ORGANIC SUGAR, FRUIT PECTIN, ORGANIC FRUIT AND VEGETABLE JUICE (COLOR), CITRIC ACID.

Ingredient List for Creamy Peanut Butter:  ORGANIC ROASTED PEANUTS, CONTAINS 1% OR LESS OF SALT.

We received an amazing selection of their new products to try including four fruit spreads (apricot, blackberry pomegranate, strawberry, and seedless red raspberry), crunchy and smooth organic light-roasted peanut butter, and apple and peach fruit sauce cups and tropical fruit sauce cups!

We made Peanut Butter and Jelly (really fruit spread) pancakes from the lid of the peanut butter jar (my modified recipe coming Friday) and they were truly yummy!  My kids thought these were better than a PB&J sandwich...amazing!  The peanut butter gave plain pancakes a wonderful flavor and they were thicker and creamier than a normal pancake!  The fruit spread was also a great addition in lieu of syrup for these wonderful pancakes!  As you can see in the picture, there are large chunks of strawberry in the fruit spread (we melted in the microwave to make it runny...it is normally really thick)!

We've used the peanut butter and fruit spreads for sandwiches, eaten most of the fruit cups (who wouldn't love a tropical fruit cup (puree like applesauce) with ingredients like apples, mango, strawberry, pineapple, and kiwi) and can't wait to try Santa Cruz Organics recipes for Peanut Butter Bran Muffins and PB&J Bars!

Santa Cruz Organics are USDA certified Organic.  So what does organic mean?
As stated on Santa Cruz Organics:  The national organic standards were fully implemented in October 2002. After more than a dozen years in the making, these standards give consumers clear and consistent product labeling, as well as the added assurance of a uniform set of standards backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).  Generally speaking, organic food and fiber products must be made without the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Specifically prohibited from organic products are genetically modified organisms, irradiation, and the use of sewage sludge; all three practices are permissible in conventional agriculture.  The label of Organic means that these products contain at least 95 percent organic ingredients (excluding water or salt). They are eligible for the organic label provided the remaining 5 percent of the products' ingredients are not commercially available in an organic form, and also that the remaining 5 percent of the ingredients were not produced using specifically prohibited methods (i.e., irradiation). These products will be labeled "organic" and may carry the USDA seal on the primary display panel.

All of Santa Cruz Organic’s products are certified organic, do not contain high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients or preservatives and are manufactured entirely with renewable energy from a variety of sources, including on-site solar energy and renewable energy certificate purchases.  So if you're trying to go green, this is definitely a company you should check out!  Coupons are also available on their website!

Find out if Santa Cruz Organics are available near you by searching in the upper-right hand corner of their website by zip code!  We really liked the pure, fresh taste and I loved that I could pronounce everything on the ingredient label!  This is a product we will definitely be buying again in the future!  Santa Cruz Organics also offers fruit juices, tea, juice boxes, dessert toppings (yum!), and sparkling beverages.  Visit their site to see the available products and find them near you today!

Disclosure:  This post was written for Family Review Network & Santa Cruz Organic who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions!  No additional compensation was provided!