Raising the Bar to Better Health & Wellness

Beyond the candied, the artificial and the ordinary

There is so much choice in the nutrition and energy bar category, it is as hard for a consumer to single out the right bar as it is for a manufacturer to stand out in the crowded bar scene. While a few bar brands dominate various channels or consumer segment s, some companies are generating interest for their young bar products based on targeted formulation with proven natural health ingredients.

Raw and organic food bars are hot tickets. They offer minimally processed and whole food ingredients, taking them a step closer to the foods they are intended to replace or supplement. In fact, for those nutrition bar shoppers who feel like kids in a candy store, whole food bars provide a health food alternative.

“Many bars are little more than fortified candy bars,” said Rebecca Zimmerman, product manager for SOYJOY. Her company uses whole soybeans in their bars, foregoing the more commonly used soy protein concentrates, isolates or any other highly processed soy ingredients.

Jules Lambert, president of PROBAR, reported “energy” bars or processed energy snacks, over the last 20 years, have set the stage for unprocessed whole food bars, with limitless flavor and ingredient options over the last few years. “Nutrient dense, whole, unprocessed ingredients (nuts, seeds, fruits) are replacing ‘fortified’ bars, bluffing a very weak hand of nutrition,” he said, noting foods direct from nature are better than those concocted in the lab. “Superfoods such as blueberries, dark chocolate, organic greens, açaí (berry from the Amazon), cinnamon (and many others) provide powerful antioxidants and exciting flavors for consumers to both enjoy and benefit from.”

Still, with a raw or organic food bar, standing out is becoming increasingly difficult. In fact, the minute raw and organic became hot, many companies flocked to the segment. “A few companies are reinventing the category, while hundreds of others continue to enter the market with ‘me-too’ products, duplicating bars already on the market,” Lambert lamented. “How many cookie-style bars are on the market? How many date-based bars are on the market?” He explained most bars contain no more than 18- to 20 -percent solid/whole food ingredients. The mass production of most “food” bars, according to Lambert, largely involves food ingredients pulverized and compressed together, then enrobed in a coating of chocolate, yogurt or glazing.

Despite the abundance of candy coatings and ingredients in the bar market, at least one company is proving a bar with a yogurt coating that can be a great alternative to yogurt. After a few years of development, Attune Foods introduced its line of probiotic wellness bars. “Less than 50 percent of Americans actually eat yogurt, so we can help them get the live cultures into their regular diet,” said Kathy Oneto, co-founder and vice president of marketing.

The company sources three LAFTI® brand probiotics strains f rom DSM Food Specialties—L . acidophilus, L. casei and B. lactis. “Lactobacillus and bifidobacteria are the most predominant strains found in one’s digestive system,” Oneto noted. “This is why you often see these strains in health products and why we liked these strains for Attune bars.” She further noted while the bars’ labeling doesn’t make a digestive health claim, the strains they contain have been shown to reduce digestive discomfort and can help with strengthening the immune system. The bars—based on granola, organic rice crisps, dried fruit, nuts and seeds— also feature inulin, a natural dietary fiber and fuel source for probiotics. One to added there is also a beneficial amount of calcium and protein in the bars.

This idea of scientific support for specific nutrition bar ingredients is a concept Saul Katz, chief executive officer (CEO) of New Era Nutrition, finds easy to digest. In developing Solo GI brand bars to address the growing metabolic and obesity epidemics, he said it was important to employ good science and clinically validate products, when possible. “We chose to develop bars that address the in-between-meals snacking issue, which is really where the acute problem in our society occurs,” he explained.

Working with David Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., inventor of the glycemic index (GI), Katz and New Era produced Solo GI bars, which are very low GI. “A GI value under 55 is considered low, and below 35 is called very low,” Katz explained. “Our bars have a value of between 22 and 28.”

He said the key to the debate on carbs, energy and obesity isn’t complex vs. simple carbs, but what the intake of a certain carb does to insulin and blood sugar, which can affect the storage of excess glucose in the body. “The glycemic index is a scientific and physiological measurement of how carb foods impact blood sugar,” he emphasized. “It provides a means of direct comparison of one ingredient to another.”

He further explained insulin developed in prehistoric times as a survival hormone to control both blood sugar (glucose) and hormones that signal hunger or storage of glucose in fat. “Too many foods and bars are predigested during processing,” he warned. “Instead of using the full 22 ft. of intestines—as in the case of grains, roots and berries—bars with refined flours and sugars are only using 2 ft. and are spiking blood sugar levels. In cases of high insulin, the pancreas floods with insulin, promoting spike-crash craving.”

Katz said this problem manifests in so-called “energy” bars that have only a few grams of net carbs but use an undeclared amount of sugar alcohols, which are non-caloric and pass right through the digestive system. “The body needs available carbs for energy,” he said. Thus, he urged avoiding all carbs is not the best solution; rather increasing the ratio of low GI-to-high GI carbs is a better method of controlling blood sugar and the vicious spike-crash-binge cycle.

In addition to their clinically validated low-GI status, Solo GI bars also contain beneficial ingredients to promote satiety, including beta glucans from oat fiber, prebiotic inulin and both whey and soy protein. The company offers the GI value and glycemic load (GI plus calories) for each bar.

Lydia Wanders, with Dr. Smoothie, reported nutrition bars sweetened with organic agave deliver a delayed glycemic response (low glycemic load). “Consumers with their eye on health prefer this over processed sugars,” she said. “In addition to organic agave, the high fiber in our raw food Bio Bars is derived from the rice bran complex, which provides more than 10g of fiber per 2-oz bar.”

Innovative products are great if they reach the people who need them. Good companies not only know taste is king, but also that a combination of great taste and supported nutrition is the best leader.

“The first generation of chewy, pasty bars to hit the market used science and technology to drive sales with little resistance, although the flavor and texture were 'space-food' worthy,” Lambert noted. “The second generation of bars evolved with improved, cookie-like textures and a multiplicity of flavors, while still of fering adequate caloric fuel. Today, consumers are still looking for nutritious ways to supplement their specific dietary needs, but are returning to what they’ve always enjoyed—food that tastes and looks appealing.”

According to Zimmerman, the key to an appealing yet natural, whole food taste is to use all-natural, healthy ingredients and no artificial or chemical ingredients such as high-fructose corn syrup, palm oil, sugar alcohols or trans-fat. In fact, SOYJOY, PROBAR, Attune, Bio Bars and Solo GI bars rely on dried fruits, pure cocoa butter and nuts to create a variety of flavors.

Getting these great tasting bars on consumers’ grocery lists is another challenge. Zimmerman said it is good for a bar brand to be colorful and fun and not take itself to seriously. SOYJOY conveys this sentiment via its packaging, as well as its web site (www.Soyjoy.com) and its original “vlog” (videoblog) television commercials running nationwide. The company is also offering consumers three free bars as long as they promise to give the other two to friends.

“Giving people the oppor tunity to try your bar is important,” Oneto agreed, adding Attune tried to participate in and sponsor community events and benefits. Further forming a link with its market, Attune sponsors Joy of Sports, which supports kids by encouraging them to grow healthy in body, mind and spirit. “This is accomplished through physical activity and nutritional education,” she said.

Zimmerman agreed reaching consumers requires some footwork. She said SOYJOY vans cruise the country, delivering bar samples at local events such as farmers’ markets, car shows and marathons.

Katz said bars are easy to sample, and it makes sense for his brand to align with community events, including those associated with National Diabetic Month (November) and back-to-school, as Solo GI 100-calorie bars are good for children’s lunchboxes. He said the clinically validated Solo GI bars have also made great inroads to the athletic world, as well as the medical community, including Harvard Medical School and various diabetes specialists.

Education is a major tool in reaching consumers, especially if the bar is based on a lesser known health concept, such as low GI. “We are sometimes penalized by consumers who don’t understand the science and importance of GI to their health, especially in the areas of weight control and diabetes,” he said.

On bar marketing, Wanders countered, “We believe that today’s consumer is becoming more savvy and makes purchases based on health-derived benefits, as opposed to clever marketing.” In fact, the innovators in this category have much to offer, such as whole foods ingredients, including those supported by research for specific health benefits. Education and awareness on the ingredients, and science of new, innovative products is the formula for raising the bar to better health and wellness.

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