Parents are always on the look out for healthy snacks for kids, and with school in session, snacks that are easy to pack are a must.

A new line of fruit snacks, called FruitaBü are labeled as organic “smooshed” fruit and carry the USDA Organic symbol. These fruit snacks are made with organic fruit puree concentrates (apple, pear, strawberry, lemon) along with white grape juice concentrate and pectin. No artificial colors are used.

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FruitaBü snacks are labeled as organic ‘smooshed’ fruit and carry the USDA Organic symbol. These fruit snacks are made with organic fruit puree concentrates (apple, pear, strawberry, lemon) along with white grape juice concentrate and pectin.

Have a question of general interest? E-mail Chris Rosenbloom Fit to Eat columns Get out of rut: Try new fruits and vegetables  Three questions: Organic produce, iron and iodine, and tryptophan  Setting the record straight on some food myths         More Fit to Eat • Chris Rosenbloom, Ph.D., R.D., is a member of the nutrition faculty in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Georgia State University Related: • Carolyn O'Neil: Think of add-ons as accessories  Good links: • Evening Edge • AJC Food & Drink • AJC Health Channel • Diet and Nutrition headlines, resources • Atlanta Restaurant reviews and search • Low fat/ heart healthy recipes • Search recipes

Are these healthy snacks for kids? What about taste — will kids like an organic version of fruit roll ups?

The products comes in three varieties: fruit twirls, fruit “sploooshers” (a tube of a gooey substance that can be eaten as is or frozen), and fruit flats (like fruit roll ups.) We tried the “sploooshers” and fruit flats. One serving of the snacks contains 40 calories from sugar; a fruit roll up has about 50 calories of sugar.

My problem is that even though these snacks are made from organic ingredients, they are still concentrated sources of sugar that provide no vitamins, minerals other than potassium (each serving provides about 2 percent of daily needs), fiber or phytonutrients as real fruit does.

What about taste? I conducted an unscientific taste test with six of my nieces and nephews (ages 3 to 16) and they gave the products an average rating of 2.5 on a scale of 1 to 5 — with the scale as : 1 = “nasty” and 5 = “let me have more.” Only two of the kids really liked the products.

A 13-year old said they were “unique and tasty and fun to eat.” But a 6-year-old said the fruit flat was like “chewing on tree bark.” The texture of the products seemed to get the most negative reviews —“disturbing and a turn-off” were typical comments. The best thing said about the “splooosher” was that it “wasn’t horrible.”

The price is another consideration. The fruit flats sell for about 45 cents each and a box of six sploooshers sells for $3.80.

I think one of my nephews summed it up best when he said, “I’d rather eat a piece of fruit.”