I was shopping at Trader Joe’s to look for healthy items that could be sold from a vending machine, and came across Frooze Balls, in addition to some other snacks like packaged olives and packaged marinated artichokes.
The Trader Joe’s Frooze balls came in a couple of varieties – Peanut Butter and Jelly, and chocolate hazelnut. I went for the peanut butter and jelly because I love PB&J and wanted to compare them to other on-the-go PBJ offerings like Uncrustables and the healthier sandwiches from Chubby Snacks. There’s also PBJ bars from Trader Joe’s, but those are less substantial.
As far as healthy snacks go, I’d place Frooze Balls nutrition on the same tier as Chubby Snacks. However, FBs do not have any bread and are (a gluten free snack), and don’t use sugar-alcohols (like from monkfruit or stevia) to sweeten the PB&J without adding more calories. So, I love that. Now, because of this, the pack of FBs is 280 calories, though it weighs only 0.1 ounce more than a Chubby Snacks sandwich which only has 200 calories (but uses monkfruit).
The second major benefit that Frooze Balls Trader Joe’s have in this competition is that they do not need to be refrigerated. This is huge. Freezer space is much harder to come by than cabinet space, so a large amount of them are easy to stock, and they even have frooze balls at costco.
And lastly, they taste good! No sugar-alcohol aftertaste, and though the outer shell of the ball kind of looks like bread, it is really a paste that has a nice texture to it.
Are Frooze Balls a good snack for a vending machine?
100% yes, Frooze Balls are a great snack for a vending machine, just like many consumer packaged goods. Since they don’t need to be refrigerated and they are packaged in an appropriate sized bag, they are a great CPG brand for a vending machine. The cost is on the higher end, but they are practically a sandwich replacement, so the cost is probably justified, and they are certainly cheaper than Chubby Snacks sandwiches.
