Does a meal in a bottle beat one in a can?(Up front: news / trends / advice)(Product/Service Evaluation)

Slim-Fast is the leading drink-a-meal product, aimed at dieters as well as people too rushed to sit and eat. It now has some new competition from brands such as Yoplalt, Frulatte, and Snapple.

We pitted Slim-Fast orange-pineapple flavor against similar fruit flavors of Yoplait Nouriche, Frulatte, and Snapple-a-Day. The thick drinks contain protein (from dairy, soy, or both) and fiber and are fortified to provide many of the nutrients you may need.

Snapple and Slim-Fast don't need refrigeration, making them more portable than the other two.

Which tastes best? Yoplait Nouriche. Our tasters judged it very good: a yogurt drink that tastes mainly of pineapple and other tropical fruit with tiny fruit shreds. Frulatte orange mango was chalkier and more astringent than the others. Slim-Fast and Snapple-a-Day had orange-pineapple flavors along with some vitamins.

How nutritious are they? Most are a vitamin cocktail with fruit or fruit juice, and all but Frulatte use additional sweeteners such as sugar or corn syrup. The manufacturers consider a one-bottle or one-can serving (around 11 ounces) to be a low-fat or nonfat meal. Calories range from Snapple's 210 to Yoplait's 290, not a meaningful difference unless you're using the drinks as part of a diet. Sugar ranges from Snapple's 36 grams to Yoplait's 46. That's the equivalent of 9 to 11 1/2 teaspoons.

These drinks also provide 3 to 6 grams of fiber. ...