The Frozen Ravioli Brand That's Not Worth Your Time Or Money

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When it comes to Italian comfort food, ravioli is a cheese and meat filled delight. However, the process for making this hearty pasta is quite labor-intensive when going the homemade route, which leaves ravioli lovers seeking packaged frozen alternatives. Frozen ravioli is a perfectly acceptable dinnertime option, but there's one brand that should probably be avoided if you want to ensure a palate-pleasing experience.

Coming in dead last in Daily Meal's ranking of frozen ravioli brands, 365 Organic Four Cheese Ravioli from Whole Foods left quite a poor impression on our taste tester Jenn Carnevale, who declared, "I would never eat these again." Like many other items at the chain (remember that Whole Foods is often considered to be the most expensive grocery store), the product's price tag seemed particularly distressing when considering the lackluster quality of this frozen food. While it should be noted that prices fluctuate from location to location, Daily Meal's reviewer paid a whopping $8.79 for a 22-ounce bag that seemed to hit all the wrong notes.

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Where Did Whole Foods Go Wrong With Its Ravioli?

Per Daily Meal's review of 365 Whole Foods frozen ricotta-filled ravioli, the flavor of the product was a major issue — in that there was none. Equally troubling was the petite size of the pasta, which contained very little of the cheese filling that makes ravioli such a tasty dish. Compare this to the top pick, Louisa Four Cheese Ravioli, which was described as "the perfect bite" thanks to the balanced mixture of provolone, ricotta, romano, and parmesan.

The distinct lack of cheese and flavor were also mentioned on Amazon. According to one shopper, "There is literally no cheese in some of the raviolis," while another person stated, "There's absolutely no taste of cheese whatsoever [...] it's just noodle-flavoured ravioli." Both reviewers gave the product a one-star review, and there were plenty of other criticisms highlighting the same deficiencies. With a product this bad, one can't help but wonder how Whole Foods flubbed such a simple preparation.

Who Makes 365 Organic Four Cheese Ravioli?

Whole Foods takes a lot of pride in its store brand. According to the grocery store's website, the 365 brand includes over 3,000 products and is held to "rigorous quality standards" that dictate the type of ingredients used, as well as how they're sourced. While this level of attention is certainly beneficial from an environmental perspective and ensures that products sold in Whole Foods only contain wholesome ingredients, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that a particular product will satisfy all customers.

As for who actually manufactures the 365 Organic brand, that's not entirely clear. Whole Foods refrains from releasing information on the manufacturers it works with, and it's likely that the chain derives products from multiple third parties, as well as producing some products on its own (and here are some more interesting facts about 365 by Whole Foods for those who are curious). In the event you're saddled with a bag of 365 Organic Four Cheese Ravioli or some other Whole Foods product you're not jazzed about, you can return the item to the store for a refund. However, the chain reserves the right to refuse a refund if you're sans receipt.

Read the original article on The Daily Meal.