State of the Functional & Nutritional Bars Market

An interview with DSM, one of the world’s largest suppliers of nutritional ingredients. Read more

Clif Bar: Blueberry Crisp

Made with organic oats and soybeans, Clif’s Blueberry Crisp bar has a pleasant tasting base that’s very chewy with a slightly crispy finish. There’s a fair amount of flavor to this bar, with the oats and blueberries providing the majority of the flavor, while an earthy note added flax seed and oat bran. It’s a relatively sweet bar, but not too sweet to the point where you can’t consume it during physical activity. Functionally, this bar definitely has some sustenance to it, with 240 calories, 5g of fiber, 9g of protein, and loads of vitamins and minerals. It’s just the right portion for a quick pick me up – or even to replace a light meal. Packaging has a “crunchy” vibe to it, complete with brown toned colors and an image of a mountain climber. It’s appealing and credible, especially given the equity that exists in the Clif Bar brand name. Overall, a very enjoyable product.

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Think: Thin “Bites” White Chocolate Flavored Raspberry

From a marketing point of view, this is a pretty clever line of bars for Think. There are actually two portions in each wrapper, with 75 calories per portion. They’ve clearly labeled it for the purposes of diet programs, such as Weight Watchers, and hope to get some buzz from those programs. Inside the wrapper, the flavor of the bar is certainly edible, with the pairing of white chocolate and raspberry. The white chocolate provides the coating to this chewy bar, while a soy, rice, and peanut butter center is filled with a touch of raspberry. Packaging is clean and functional, with the calories and note about portions listed clearly on the front of the wrapper. Images of white chocolate and raspberries provide a nice accent, although the white chocolate blends in with the beige color of the background. Overall, we like the clever approach and the bar is definitely an above average entry.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Review: YouBar (YouBars.com)

YouBars.com is a “build of bar site” founded by and run by a mother (Ava) and son (Anthony) team in Los Angeles, CA. Read more

Raw Revolution: Cashew & Agave Nectar

If you’re like us and you subscribe to the belief that raw food is better for you than processed food, then this is a bar that’s worth checking out. Made with only a handful of ingredients (cashew, date, agave nectar, almond, sprouted flax seed), this bar delivers “raw” flavor that’s pleasant and satisfying to eat. The flavor starts out with a light (compared to other bars) date flavor that’s followed with notes of almond and cashew. Bear in mind, the taste of raw nuts is different than that of roasted, so this will likely taste somewhat different than you are expecting. The bar is, as the name suggests, sweetened with agave nectar, which gives it a subtle honey like sweetness and also helps bind this soft and chewy bar together. Packaging is hip and functional, with a cool looking logo that’s tries to make “crunchy” into something that’s fun. Overall, a superbly executed product that delivers great taste and nutrition using only raw ingredients.

Rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cascade Fresh: Activ8 Cherry/Vanilla Probiotic Crunch Bar

Cascade Fresh’s Activ8 Cherry Vanilla bar is a “probiotic crunch bar”, meaning that it has 5.5 billion CFUs of live probiotic cultures in each bar. To keep these creatures living, the bar requires refrigeration, which means you’ll have to look for it in a different place than you’d normally find bars in your local retailer. As far as flavor goes, this bar is pretty heavy on peanut flavor, which is probably the most enjoyable part about the bar. Since it’s refrigerated, the bar is pretty stiff and this did have a slight impact on our level of enjoyment of the bar. They’ve added also cherry and vanilla flavoring, which doesn’t tastes like flavoring rather than the real thing. That was definitely a disappointment. Functionally, we appreciate their desire to deliver real probiotics, plus the bar has 6g of protein and 3g of fiber. Lastly, there’s the look of the bar, which is decent, but hard to read. We think they’ve missed the mark by putting “organic” in a script font, making it easy to glance over this somewhat important bit of information. Overall, an enjoyable bar that’s innovative in concept, but the use of flavorings and less than appealing packaging leave room for improvement.

Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Clif Kid Z Bar: Chocolate Brownie Bar

The Clif Bar “kid” line has been an intriguing one to us, mainly because the concept of creating a bar that satisfies the finicky palate of kids while still providing nutrition seems like a difficult task.  In the case of their “Z-bar Organic Chocolate Brownie” bar, we think they’ve made a valiant effort.  The moderately sweet bar has a noticeable whole grain flavor to the body.  Between the chocolate in the body and the drizzle on top, there’s enough chocolate flavor to satisfy the palate of kids of various ages (at least in our sampling).  However, the consistency of the bar was a bit dry, leaving the bar with a slightly tough mouth feel.  Nutritionally, this 120 calorie bar has 3g of fat, protein, and fiber.  It also has vitamins A,C, and B as well as calcium, and iron.  Packaging relies on the established Clif name, but otherwise has competing text modifiers in “Clif Kid” and “Z Bar.”   Removal of one of these would certainly make the presentation cleaner.  Overall, a nice tasting kids bar that achieves a good balance of flavor and functionality.