Best and Worst Food Brands of 2016

1 Best: Whole Foods

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Lindsay Miller

Whole Foods reached an exciting milestone this year with the grand opening of its 365 by Whole Foods Market. This new version of Whole Foods is geared toward millennials, meaning it's a more affordable, tech-friendly, and fun grocery store that's just as high quality as any regular Whole Foods. The first location opened in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silverlake in May, but look out for 365 locations near you opening throughout 2016 and 2017.

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2 Best: Wegmans

Image Source: Flickr user _Bubby_

This year, Wegmans proved it really is the best grocery store in the country when it beat out Trader Joe's for America's favorite grocery store in a survey. Wegmans is an East Coast-based chain with most locations in New York and New Jersey, so consider yourself lucky if you live near a location.

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3 Best: Moe's Southwest Grill

Image Source: Flickr user Dave Stone

Chipotle is no longer king of the fast-casual burrito stop (more on that later), but the restaurant that took its spot might surprise you. Moe's Southwest Grill is America's favorite Mexican chain, according to a 2016 survey for brand of the year. Maybe it's time to give your regular Chipotle bowls a break and revisit the official fan favorite (reminder: queso!).

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4 Best: Costco

Image Source: Flickr user Mike Mozart

What would we do without Costco? This year more than ever, Costco proved it's the grocery store that gives customers the most bang for their buck. In addition to Costco's reliable deals, Costco has the most addicting rotisserie chicken for the incomparably low price of $5.

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5 Best: Starbucks

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography

No major food release got quite as much buzz this year as Starbucks's Rainbow Drinks, and the good news for loyal Starbucks customers is that wasn't even the best one. The coffee powerhouse had a memorable year, debuting more than a dozen new beverages and "secret menu" items, including the Valentine's Day secret menu, Waffle Cone Frappuccino, and — finally — almond milk. To top it all off, Starbucks is ending the year on a positive note with an encouraging message about the election, 13 Instagram-worthy holiday red cups, and an additional holiday green cup with a heartwarming meaning.

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6 Best: M&M's

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Erin Cullum

M&M's satisfied our candy addiction all year with its exciting new flavors, including three new Peanut M&M's flavors (Coffee Nut FTW) and the best of all, Caramel M&M's. The ooey-gooey stuffed M&M's take the flavor combination of caramel and chocolate to new heights, but the only bummer is they won't be available in stores until May 2017. Trust us, they're worth the wait.

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7 Best: McDonald's

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Anna Monette Roberts

Not only was McDonald's the first to release a pumpkin spice latte this year, but its PSL actually beat out Starbucks's in our office's taste test. Oh, and so did the McDonald's Peppermint Mocha — it's that good. McDonald's new garlic fries also made America's mouth water, and the most unexpected international McDonald's news was the release of chocolate french fries in Japan. No need to travel to Tokyo, though, because you can make McDonald's chocolate fries at home.

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8 Best: Trader Joe's

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Erin Cullum

Trader Joe's never lets us down (thank you, free samples and best return policy ever), and 2016 was a particularly good year for the store, even if it did get beat out by Wegmans for America's favorite. Every month, POPSUGAR brings you the best of what's new at Trader Joe's, and 2016's best new Trader Joe's products included everything from vegan marshmallows to smoked salmon bacon and hatch chile mac 'n' cheese.

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9 Best: Oreo

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Erin Cullum

Fruity Crisp, Filled Cupcake, and Cinnamon Bun are just a few of the best Oreo flavors of 2016. Here's hoping the cookie brand doesn't have any plans to slow down in 2017.

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10 Worst: Chipotle

Image Source: POPSUGAR Photography / Erin Cullum

Following its unfortunate E. coli outbreak that ended in the beginning of 2016, Chipotle has had a difficult time bouncing back and winning customers over. Chipotle introduced a rewards program, added chorizo to the menu, and even opened a burger restaurant called Tasty Made, but, according to Business Insider, Chipotle's sales might not ever recover.

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11 Worst: Blue Bell Ice Cream

Image Source: Flickr user Jonny Hunter

Blue Bell Ice Cream had a scary recall not once, but twice, in 2016. The Texas-based creamery issued voluntary recalls in April and September due to a bacteria called listeria, and several people even died after consuming the contaminated ice cream.

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12 Worst: General Mills (Gold Medal)

The General Mills flour recall was one of the worst food recalls of the year, affecting more than 10 million pounds of Gold Medal flour, Wondra flour, and Signature Kitchens flour with the risk of E. coli. If you've still got and older bag of one of those hanging around in your pantry, be sure to replace it before your holiday baking is underway.

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