Welcome to my review of The New Primal's Snack Mates Kids. The Mini-Foodies and I had the pleasure of sampling two flavors: Chicken & Maple and Classic Turkey. Overall, we found that these are a wonderful paleo/primal snack. One critique is that they are small even for kids especially allergy-kids with big appetites.

Before I move on to the review, for full disclosure, I did receive free samples in order to review the snacks. All the opinions found here are my own and those of the Mini-Foodies. For more information check out The New Primal. If you are inclined to try the snacks yourself, you can order them here or here.

Allergy Status

These snacks are made of 100% Free Range Chicken or Turkey (respectively), Hormone & Antibiotic Free, Certified Paleo, Certified Gluten-Free, Sweetened Naturally & Top 8 Friendly. And at first glance, all the ingredients look safe, but I became suspicious of the "encapsulated lactic acid" which prompted me to contact the company. I received an email stating that "The lactic acid in our meat sticks is not derived from corn. It's derived from non-GMO verified cane sugar." -6/28/18. Satisfied with the free of corn and gluten status, the Mini-Foodies and I were excited to try out these new to us snacks.

Chicken & Maple

The nose of these snacks is smokey, like fresh jerky.

Mini-Foodie A's comments: "It smells like fresh BBQ jerky."

Mini-Foodie M's comments: "It is like BBQ."

Mini-Foodie Z's comments: "Yummy!" She is nearly 4, so you know it smells good when a pre-schooler enthusiastically says "yummy".

The snack's flavor is layered. It tastes fresh, that is, non-chemical. The sweetness is subtle as is the pepper. While it does not taste strongly of chicken, it is quite tasty and an on-the-go snack I would enjoy and feel food about giving to my kiddos.

Mini-Foodie A's comments: "Smokey layer. Tastes a tiny bit of sweet at first. I taste the sweetness and pepperiness together which makes it good. Definitely tastes like BBQ. Yummy."

Mini-Foodie M's comments: "Tastes like intense smoked salmon. Like bacon with the intense and subtle flavors." My gals are huge fans of smoked salmon and bacon alike, so these comparisons are HUGE compliments.

Mini-Foodie Z's comments: "Yummy! "A good car rid snack".

One critique we all shared was that we wish that the snack were larger in diameter so that there would be less casing in relation to the actual meat which would allow for more flavor and a more pleasant texture. Mini-Foodie M removed sections of the casing and confirmed that the flavor is more intense. So if you and your kiddos enjoy more subtle flavors, then the casing should me no concern. Regardless of the meat to casing ration, this is a great paleo snack for kids as well as adults.

Classic Turkey

The nose is that of smoky jerky. The snack's flavor is more meaty than the chicken with a peppery almost beef-like flavor. Like the chicken, the seasoning flavors come in layers.

Mini-Foodie A's comments: "There is a huge smoky kick in the butt aftertaste. I would prefer less pepper." She preferred the chicken snack.

Mini-Foodie M's comments: "Yummy. Sour. Intense. Like the chicken, but more intense."

Mini-Foodie Z's comments: "I taste salt. It is good. Yeah.'

Snack Status

These are good snacks for on the go paleo. If you enjoy a stronger pepper flavor, I recommend choosing the Classic Turkey. If you prefer a more subtle, not that peppery snack with layers of flavor, opt for the Chicken & Maple.

As mentioned above, the one con we agreed on was that the snacks are not very filling even when eating two snacks unless accompanied with another snack or drink. So these are definitely not a meal-replacing snack, but they can be a wonderful addition to a well-balanced school lunch or on-the- go snack.

*** This post is for information purposes only, it is not medical advice. As always, it is advised before trialing a new food, that you do your due diligence in order to make certain the food or product is safe for you by contacting the company directly. Remember that production practices and ingredients do change and it is best to check with the company in order to avoid a potential reaction. ***