Annie's Homegrown Offers an Organic Alternative to Kids' Convenience Foods

Annie's Homegrown products are a line of organic convenience foods that are intended to appeal to kids for the fun factor, and grownups for the all-natural ingredients and the environmentally-friendly packaging. If your kids are pestering you for goldfish or Teddy Grahams but you don't want high fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated anything oil to cross their lips, Annie's is the line for you.

Sold at Whole Foods, Trader Joes and other natural foods markets, the line includes several types of macaroni and cheese, cereal, Bunny Grahams and Cheddar Bunnies in various flavors, and even canned organic equivalents to Chef Boyardee and Hamburger Helper. Their packaging is 100% recycled and they've also created a program entitled "Be Green," which as far as I can tell is intended to distribute stickers proclaiming that you care about the Earth. The practical value of this program may be negligible, but if you have to pay more for the good stuff (organic) anyway-a box of Annie's Homegrown Shells and White Cheddar costs $2.29, while a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese Premium Mild White Cheddar is only $1.39-- you might as well get a free bumper sticker or refrigerator magnet.

There are also products for children with allergies, including a gluten-free rice pasta and cheddar. (The daughter of one of my best friends has severe food allergies, and when I need to take her into account when preparing a meal, Whole Foods is the only place where I can find some version of every type of food imaginable that she can eat, which is how I got into the whole organic thing to begin with.)