Posted by kathryn in Snacks

News in the herald this morning of a Choice report into cereal and muesli bars. While they’re easy and convenient – they aren’t a great snacking choice.

What’s wrong with cereal bars?

While cereal and muesli bars are often marketed as healthy, they’re rarely a good snacking option. Choice found:

• most contain more than 20 percent sugar
• some have more saturated fat than a packet of chips.

Of the bars Choice tested

• seven contained more kilojoules than a Mars Bar
• fourteen only met one of the criteria set by Choice
• one of them failed on every count – Nice & Natural Yoghurt & Nut Bars
• Sunibrite Muesli Slices have more saturated fat than a fried breakfast
• Kellogg’s K-time Muffin Bars have more than three teaspoons of sugar per bar

Also, as they point out, some of the fruit in these bars “owes more to chemistry than agriculture”.

The “strawberry flavoured pieces” in Nestle Ski D’Lite Apple and Strawberry are made from “strawberry puree 2.3 percent, apple paste, pear paste, plum paste, invert sugar, sugar, humectant (422), wheat fibre, gelling agent (pectin), food acid (malic acid), flavour (elderberry concentrate)”

And the “red cherry fruit pieces” in Uncle Toby’s Chewy Forest Fruits contain “fruit (red cherry purée (2%), apple paste, pear paste), invert sugar, sugar, humectant (422), wheat fibre, vegetable fat [emulsifier (soy lecithin)], vegetable gum (pectin), food acid (lactic), flavour”

What are the best choices

The top five cereal and muesli bar choices have less than 600 kilojoules and comply with Choice’s nutritional criteria:

• Nestle Ski D’Lite
• Fit & Active Grains Delight
• Coles Farmland Chewy Muesli Bars Choc Chip
• Nice & Natural Apricot Muesli Bars
• Uncle Toby’s Chewy Muesli Bars (apricot or forest fruits)

The cereal bars were assessed on their total kiloujoules, amount of wholegrains, saturated fat, sugars and fibre content. The full table of results is here .

26 September, 2006