Product Review: Whole Foods Organic Tofu

As a vegetarian I depend heavily on meat substitutes such as tofu for the protein requirements of myself and my family. For that reason it's extremely important to have access to quality tofu. I much prefer that the tofu be organic, since I'm very concerned about our health. Since there usually isn't much of a price difference, and the tofu over the board is inexpensive, buying organic tofu is no imposition at all.

365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu is a very good quality tofu. I generally buy the extra firm, because when I buy tofu, I'm buying it to make stir fry. 365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu fries up very well in the pan, getting an excellent firm brown coating on the outside. It doesn't fall apart while I'm trying to fry it like some other tofus. It has a very nice nutty flavor which contributes to the recipe I'm adding it to, which usually consists of organic vegetables such as broccoli, green beans, corn, and sweet peppers in a brown sauce, served with vegetable fried rice with peas, carrots, scrambled egg and lots of soy sauce. The results were restaurant-quality, and the tofu turned out to be an unexpected kid-pleaser. My youngest dubbed it, "To-Food," and demanded it loudly whenever he knew we were having Chinese for dinner.

The nutrition breakdown is pretty comparable to other extra firm tofus. The only real difference is that 365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu is about a gram higher in protein than other tofus. Other than that, all tofus are about the same in that they are all very low in fat, sodium, and being a vegetarian product, free from cholesterol.

My main concern in regards to organic tofu is one of availability. When I shop at Wal Mart, I usually get Nasoya organic extra firm tofu. However, I've had problems with the product not being on the shelves. Recently I had to buy Azumaya extra firm tofu, which is not organic.

Worse, I often find that I end up paying more for the non-organic tofu than for the organic. I paid only $1.59 for an entire 14 ounces of 365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu, whereas Azumaya's non-organic tofu cost me $1.78.

When Whole Foods says 365 Everyday Value, they mean 365 Everyday. When you walk into Whole Foods, you can count on the fact that they will have 365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu, along with all their other 365 Everyday Value Organic products, on the shelves. So it's worth the trip out to Whole Foods, even though I don't have one right near my home, just to be sure that the products that I want and need are available. Also I've had a consistent problem with Wal Mart overcharging me for the Nasoya organic tofu, and they never corrected the error in their computers, even though I complained repeatedly. So this isn't just a matter of the quality of the product. It's a matter of the quality of customer service from the store selling it.

Overall, I feel that 365 Everyday Value Organic Tofu is an extraordinary value, and a superior product. I have every intention of continuing to use it in the future, and I recommend it to everyone, vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike.