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Our trained tasters tried 24 snack bars in chocolate, peanut, and strawberry flavors. Four taste very good, two fair, the rest in between. We also rated the nutrition of each bar. Our experts' conclusions:
Don't buy by brand. Although the two Nature Valley bars we tried are very good, two Clif bars varied. One is very tasty; the other is bitter, has chemical and vitamin flavors, and is gritty and chalky inside.
Don't spend too much. The two bars rated just fair cost at least $1.15 per serving, more than twice as much as many others, though they also weigh more.
Read labels. These bars—whether called cereal, granola, or health—may seem healthful, but there are big differences in nutrition. Calories range from 90 to 270 per serving; fat, from 2 to 9 grams; sugars, from 2 to 20 grams; fiber, from less than 1 gram to 9 grams. If you're looking for fiber, as many people do at breakfast time, pick a bar with "fiber" in its name.
Price: $3.11 per package; 62 cents per serving
Nutrition: Good
Calories: 190 calories
Fat: 8 grams fat
Sugars: 12 grams
Fiber: 3 grams fiber
Flavor: It's crispy and crunchy with a nice flavor of toasted grains and honey plus a few chocolate chips.
Price: $2.10 per package; 35 cents per serving
Nutrition: Fair
Calories: 170
Fat: 8 grams
Sugars: 11 grams
Fiber: 1 gram
Flavor: This sweet storebrand winner has a big roasted-peanut flavor with a nice hint of honey and toasted grains. But the bottom coating was a little waxy.
Price: $2.90 per package; 48 cents per serving
Nutrition: Fair
Calories: 190
Fat: 7 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Flavor: Crunchy and not overly sweet, these bars have a tasty balance of flavors including toasted grains, honey, and cocoa.
Price: $2.93 per package; 49 cents per serving
Nutrtion: Fair
Calories: 170
Fat: 9 grams
Sugars: 12 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Flavor: A very tasty combination of sweet (honey) and salty (roasted peanut) flavors. But like the Target bar, its bottom coating was a tad waxy.
Price: $2.92 per package; 58 cents per serving
Calories: 120
Fat: 4 grams
Sugars: 7 grams
Fiber: 9 grams
Flavor: The big chocolatey flavor reminded testers of sweet, cheap, mass-produced chocolate—think store-bought chocolate cake mix vs. homemade chocolate cake.
Price: $2.86 per package; 36 cents per serving
Calories: 120
Fat: 3 grams
Sugars: 11 grams
Fiber: 3 grams
Flavor: Though it wasn't as candylike as the other strawberry bars we tasted, this cakelike bar's jam filling was a bit pruney, and the bar had hints of baking-soda flavor.
Flavor: Crispy and nougat layers; bitter, chalky, chemical taste
Flavor: Gritty, chalky, pasty, chemical taste
Cascadian Farm Organic Chocolate Chip Chewy Granola Bars
Fiber One 90 Calorie Chewy Bars Chocolate
Kashi Dark Mocha Almond Chewy Granola Bars
Nice Oats & Chocolate Fiber Chewy Bar (Walgreens)
Quaker Chewy 90 Calories Low Fat
365 Everyday Value Strawberry Cereal Bars Low Fat (Whole Foods)
Kashi Ripe Strawberry Soft-Baked Cereal Bars
Kellogg's Special K Pastry Crisps Strawberry
Market Pantry Strawberry Cereal Bars (Target)
Fiber One Chewy Bars Oats & Peanut Butter
Great Value High Fiber Oats & Peanut Butter Chewy Bars (Walmart)
Kashi Peanut Butter Chewy Granola Bars
Kellogg's Special K Protein & Fiber Granola Bars Chocolatey Peanut Butter
Luna Nutz Over Chocolate Whole Nutrition Bar
Quaker Chewy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
Zone Perfect Nutrition Bars Chocolate Peanut Butter
Snack bars may be smaller than their packaging would suggest. No wonder this one has 90 calories per bar.
A version of this article appeared in the July 2013 issue of Consumer Reports magazine with the headline "Snack Bar Taste-Off."
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