Critique: Ragu spaghetti sauce!

In past times, I've pretty much thrown together my own home brew sauce to throw over pasta. I had abandoned the store sauces, for the most part, due to their bad taste of objectionable amounts of sodium. And, then I tried Ragu!

After inspecting the label for the presence of any strange sounding chemicals, (there were none), I recently picked up a small 14 ounce glass jar that cost me a little over two dollars and took it home to try. One of the oddities I noticed as I prepared to open the jar was the advice they have printed on top which states 'Shake before opening'. I could not, for the life of me, figure out why you would want to do that and so I contacted Ragu via the net with an inquiry (I'll post their response in an update). While visiting their site at www.ragu.com, I noted that the company got its start back in 1914 when an immigrant by the name of Assunta Cantisano came to New York, planted a backyard garden and began brewing her own sauce that she sold from her front porch to neighbors in 1937, during the height of the Depression. [Please note that the company she started, Ragú Packing Company, could not have gotten started in the 21^st Century due to intense over regulation].

From a strictly nutritional standpoint, the serving size of half a cup (125 grams), yielded only 80 calories! Not too shabby. In addition, the sodium content of that serving was a modest 480 milligrams! [Note that this is considered modest for a 'processed food']. So, Ragu's Old World Style is low carbohydrate 94%), low sodium (20%) and has lots of vitamin A and C. So, what's not to like?

As to the taste? No complaints from me! When I've used this product, I often like to add in a little browned hamburger and canned mushrooms – ingredients that help make the eating experience truly enjoyable. I would highly recommend this product to everyone and plan to stock it on my shelf.

Side note: Ragu is available in all sorts of 'flavors' and can be purchased over the net. I noticed that Amazon carries the full line, and since I'm a Prime Member and I can get this product shipped free of charge via two day air, I plan to order their 'marinara' version as my local store does not offer it.

Response from Ragu: 'Thank you for contacting us regarding Ragu Old World Style Traditional Sauce!

Shaking our sauce is not required but, as with any liquid or semi-liquid food product, a good shake will always help ensure even distribution of the sauce ingredients and optimal enjoyment.

Thank you so much for your interest in our brand!

Sincerely,

Ragu Consumer Services'