Snack bar review

Seed bars Product HSR* Energy Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre Sodium (kJ/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (mg/100g) Emma & Tom’s Chia Bar Cacao 5 550 10.3 1.1 21.4 16.3 43 Emma & Tom’s Chia Bar Cinnamon 5 574 9.9 0.6 21.3 15.7 7 Golden Days Seed Bar with Quinoa Original 4.5 594 15.0 3.5 11.2 7.6 17 Golden Days Seed Bar with Quinoa Apricot & Coconut 4 576 12.3 4.9 12.3 8.2 16 Golden Days Seed Bar with Quinoa Cranberry 4 567 11.5 3.3 14.7 7.9 13 Thankyou Superseed & Fruit Bar with Chia and Flaxseed 4 752 9.9 2 19.5 7.8 57 Golden Days Sesame Snaps Original 2.5 213 13.9 4.4 31.1 6.7 85 Golden Days Sesame Snaps Dark Chocolate 2 289 11.4 8.2 35.3 5.8 63 Golden Days Sesame Snaps Yoghurt 1.5 290 11.4 10.5 35.3 3.1 61

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Raw bars Product HSR* Energy Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre Sodium (kJ/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (mg/100g) Soma Bite Goji & Chia 5 596 13.6 3 27 11 3.4 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Banana 4.5 667 9.8 1.5 41.5 9.9 28 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Cherry & Goji 4.5 663 8.5 1.2 44.2 9.3 8 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Fig and Lemon 4.5 664 8.8 3.2 36.8 11.7 10 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Apple Rumble 4.5 564 5.8 0.9 25.3 8.5 15 Soma Bite Apple and Superseed 4.5 510 14.1 4.6 25.6 11 79 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Cacao & Orange 4 692 9.0 3.8 39.6 8.2 28 Go Natural Raw Cacao Fruit Nut Activated Almonds Raspberry 4 574 6.6 0.1 49.9 11 2 Go Natural Raw Cacao Fruit Nut Licorice 4 638 6.4 2.3 45.3 10.8 2 Go Natural Raw Cacao Fruit Nut Macadamia Chia 4 612 5.7 3 47.8 11 2 Golden Days Nude Food Cacao 4 480 8.6 2.3 50.2 11.7 12 Golden Days Nude Food Cacao & Hazelnut 4 668 7.5 4.3 45.9 12 15 Kez’s Free & Naked Banana Cake Bars 4 400 7.8 1.3 52.8 8.3 14 Kez’s Free & Naked Choc Mud Bars 4 392 8.2 2.3 49.8 12.5 11 Kez’s Free & Naked Lamington Bars 4 395 7.4 5.9 48.2 12.6 6 Kez’s Free & Naked Sticky Date Bars 4 395 6.7 2.7 52 8.2 10 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Banana Bread 4 623 8.3 2.2 36.2 6.4 10 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Cashew Crush 4 669 10.1 3.9 35 6 10 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Cheeky Cocoa 4 602 8.0 2.3 42.5 7 10 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Berry Licious 3.5 592 6.9 2.4 38.4 6 15 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Cacao & Coconut 3 593 6.4 9.7 44.6 10.1 27.9 Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Cacao & Coffee Bean 3 497 8.1 3.3 43.6 9 27.9 Go Natural Raw Cacao Fruit Nut Cherry Coconut 3 588 4.3 9.9 50.6 11.9 4 Golden Days Nude Food Coconut & Almond 3 712 5.3 10 48 9.9 11 Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Cocoa Lamington 3 679 7.8 11.6 36.6 8.6 15 247 Raw Chocolate and Cranberry 2.5 587 4.6 2.6 52.7 8 6

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Protein bars Product HSR* Energy Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre Sodium (kJ/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (mg/100g) Go Natural HI Protein Nut Crunch Choc Berry 4 949 27.0 4 21.9 3.5 13 Go Natural HI Protein Nut Crunch Original 4 983 26.4 4.7 17.9 3.8 13 247 Dark Chocolate Coconut and Almond Crunch 3.5 600 26.0 7.6 3 15.3 239 247 White Chocolate and Raspberry Truffle 3 567 25.6 7.3 5.1 12.4 219 Carman’s Gourmet Protein Bars Dark Choc & Cranberry 2.5 803 25.3 5.4 24.5 5 203 Carman’s Gourmet Protein Bars Greek Style Yoghurt & Berry 2.5 715 25.9 4 25 4 182 Tasti Protein Bar Nut Bar Choc Peanut 2.5 746 14.2 6.8 25.3 5.3 24 Tasti Protein Bar Dark Choc Orange 1.5 812 25.1 6.3 21 ns 222

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Oat slice bars Product HSR* Energy Wholegrains Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre (kJ/bar) (g/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) Uncle Tobys Oat Slice Choc Chip Soft Baked Lunchbox Bars 3 592 9.5 6.2 8.1 22.1 6.2 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Almond Grains & Honey 2.5 772 12.8 10.5 9.6 19.4 7.4 Uncle Tobys Oat Slice Apple & Cinnamon Soft Baked Lunchbox Bars 2.5 595 9.8 6.0 7.7 19.4 6.6 All Natural Bakery Banana Oat Slice 2 1770 30.0 7.0 11.4 20.12 7.7 All Natural Bakery Carob, Macadamia and Apricot Oat Slice 2 1815 30.0 7.5 13.85 19.36 6.75 All Natural Bakery Fruit & Nut Oat Slice 2 1798 30.0 7.1 12.34 16.94 7.5 All Natural Bakery Nut Delight Oat Slice 2 1958 30.0 8.7 12.31 16.62 7.9 Carman’s Oat Slice Maple, Pear & Almond 2 663 9.8 7.4 17 26.4 5.7 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Chocolate Chip 2 736 10.8 7.1 11 30.9 6.6 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Chocolate Oats 2 728 10.8 8.1 9.2 27 6.1 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Golden Oats 2 772 18.8 7.6 15.5 22.4 7.5 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Raspberry & White Chocolate 2 732 11.6 7.6 12.3 26.9 6.7 Nature Valley Soft Baked Oatmeal Squares Peanut Butter 2 694 8.1 8.5 5.8 26.2 6.7 All Natural Bakery Yoghurt Almond and Apricot Oat Slice 1.5 1807 30.0 7.5 14.11 19.45 6.75 All Natural Bakery Yoghurt Peach and Mango Oat Slice 1.5 1819 30.0 7.7 13.54 23.11 7.1 Hillcrest (Aldi) Mrs Millers Oat Bars Apricot & Dark Chocolate 1.5 720 6.4 6.5 11.4 33.7 6.1 Hillcrest (Aldi) Mrs Millers Oat Bars Chocolate Chip 1.5 752 7.6 6.6 12.9 35.5 7 Hillcrest (Aldi) Mrs Millers Oat Bars White Choc & Raspberry 1.5 732 8.8 7.1 12.4 34.3 5 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Apple Crumble 1.5 692 12.4 6.5 9.2 28.8 6.3 Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices Chocolate Orange 1.5 740 12.4 7.2 12.1 28.4 7.3 Carman’s Oat Slice Belgian Chocolate Brownie 1 715 10.5 7.0 17.6 27.8 7.5 Carman’s Oat Slice Cranberry & Blueberry 1 678 10.2 6.3 21.1 26 5.6 Carman’s Oat Slice Golden Oat and Coconut 1 684 10.5 6.0 19.7 26.2 5.6 Fontelle Oven Baked Mini Meal Choc Chip 1 2412 na 7.2 18.8 28.7 6.2

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Baked bars Product HSR* Energy Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre Sodium (kJ/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (mg/100g) Hillcrest (Aldi) Fruity Filled Bars Apricot 3.5 506 4.9 0.4 30.6 8.4 190 Hillcrest (Aldi) Fruity Filled Bars Apple & Cinnamon 3 510 0.4 33.6 190 Hillcrest (Aldi) Fruity Filled Bars Mixed Berry 3 521 5.3 0.7 33 8.1 200 Woolworths Homebrand Oven Baked Fruit Bars Apple 3 525 4.5 <1.0 33.9 4.2 140 Kellogg’s K-Time Twists Raspberry & Apple Flavour 2.5 540 3.9 1.1 36.9 5.7 140 Kellogg’s K-Time Twists Strawberry & Blueberry flavour 2.5 544 4.2 1.2 35.9 6 150 Kellogg’s K-Time Twists Strawberry & Yoghurt Flavour 2.5 544 4.1 1.2 35.1 6 175 Woolworths Homebrand Oven Baked Fruit Bars Apple & Blueberry 2.5 529 4.3 <1.0 40.7 3 140 Tasti Muffin Bakes Choc Caramel 2 600 4.6 4.3 29.6 ns 96 Weight Watchers Raspberry & White Chocolate 2 354 4.2 6.5 33.1 4.7 157 Weight Watchers Caramel Shortcake Baked Bar 1.5 363 4.3 7.4 29.2 2.8 326

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Cereal bars Product HSR* Energy Wholegrains Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre (kJ/bar) (g/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) Goodness Superfoods Better for U Cereal Bars Wild Berries & Yoghurt 4.5 524 16.1 7.9 2.9 18.9 20.5 Well Naturally No Sugar Added Cereal Bar Almond Sesame Seed Linseed 4.5 588 na 13.0 3.9 3.2 2.8 Well Naturally No Sugar Added Cereal Bar Currant Pepita Seed Sunflower 4.5 494 na 9.1 2.7 12 30.8 Well Naturally No Sugar added Peanut Puffed Quinoa Almond 4.5 588 na 11.8 3.9 3.9 28.7 Kellogg’s Special K Nourish Cashews, Pepitas, Pink Lady Apple & Blackcurrant 4 468 9.0 8.0 1.9 21.2 9.4 Nestle Milo Snack Bar Original 4 334 4.6 5.9 1.5 21.8 10 Freedom Foods Vanilla Shake Crunch Bar 3.5 396 na 4.3 3.6 20.5 8.6 Aribar Wholegrain Rice Crispy Bars Chewy Cocoa 3 371 8.1 3.8 2.9 22 5.6 Go Natural Popcorn Snack Bars Apricot Banana 3 405 na 3.7 0.2 40 4.3 Hillcrest (Aldi) Bubble Bars Choc Rainbow 3 308 na 2.4 5 27.1 11.3 Hillcrest (Aldi) Bubble Bars Vanilla 3 302 na 1.7 4.8 22.6 12.3 Nestle Milo Snack Bar with Milk 3 456 5.1 6.3 4.8 24.2 9 Aribar Wholegrain Rice Crispy Bars Vanilla Blast 2.5 380 8.1 3.1 3.5 22 5.1 Coles Chewy Bars Milk Chocolate 2.5 490 na 6.8 3.5 23.2 4.8 Coles Yoghurt Topped Bars Apricot 2.5 561 na 6.1 5.6 26.2 4.8 Coles Yoghurt Topped Bars Mango & Passionfruit 2.5 498 na 6.3 5.8 25.2 4.3 Hillcrest (Aldi) Bubble Bars Vanilla with Chocolate Squiggle 2.5 322 na 2.4 8.3 29.1 10.6 Kellogg’s Special K Nourish Roasted Almond, Pepitas, Coconut & Dark Chocolate 2.5 504 9.3 9.2 6.9 13.7 8.4 Coles Yoghurt Topped Bars Strawberry 2 555 na 5.8 7.3 25.2 4.8 Kellogg’s Crunchy Nut Peanut 1.5 621 na 13.0 8.1 24.1 5.1 Kellogg’s LCM’s Golden Joys 1.5 391 na 3.7 5.9 29.2 1.6 Kellogg’s LCM’s Kaleidos 1.5 376 na 4.6 4.3 34.5 1.3 Kellogg’s LCM’s Split Stix Chocolatey 1.5 407 na 3.9 9.4 32.6 1.1 Kellogg’s Special K Chocolatey Bars Caramel Flavour 1.5 372 na 9.8 6 30.8 2.5 Weight Watchers Choc Delight Indulgent Bar 1.5 361 na 4.8 9.7 36.4 7.4 Weight Watchers Coconut Delight Indulgent Bar 1.5 374 2.1 4.3 12.5 37 7.7 Kellogg’s LCM’s Split Stix Yoghurty 1 419 na 3.7 12 34.2 0.4 Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars 1 422 na 9.9 7.6 36.6 1.8

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Muesli bars Product HSR* Energy Wholegrains Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre (kJ/bar) (g/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) Food for Health Cinnamon Hazelnut & Chia Bars 4.5 431 na 10.4 2.2 8.1 9.4 Food For Health Coconut Cacao & Chia Bars 4.5 516 na 8.2 4 11.6 11.1 Food For Health Vanilla Blueberry and Teff Bars 4.5 460 na 10.4 4.5 13.2 7.9 Freedom Foods Crafted Blends with Superfoods- Pepitas, Spinach & Chickpeas 4.5 411 na 9.7 1.5 15.7 10 Uncle Tobys Farmer’s Pick Roasted Macadamia & Almond 4.5 570 15.0 11.0 1.9 13.3 9.2 Aribar Wholegrain, Fruit & Veggie Bars Apple, Raisin & Oats 4 360 7.7 6.4 1.7 32.2 7.8 Aribar Wholegrain, Fruit & Veggie Bars Raspberry, Apple & Oats 4 359 7.7 6.4 1.7 31.7 7.8 Be Natural Trail Bars Berries, Currants & Nuts 4 467 16.3 6.6 1.4 20.7 12.4 Be Natural Trail Bars Honey, Almonds & Peanuts 4 483 16.6 7.9 1.7 14.3 12.6 Be Natural Trail Bars Sultanas, Dates, Almonds & Peanuts 4 477 14.7 7.5 1.6 18.3 12.6 Carman’s Original Fruit Free Muesli Bars 4 799 21.2 9.9 2.3 13.6 7.3 Carman’s Super Berry Muesli Bars Cranberry, Blueberry & Goji 4 796 18.5 13.3 3.7 14.7 8.1 Coles Muesli Bars Cranberry & Almond 4 797 18.5 9.7 2.3 17.9 6.6 Food For Health Cacao Vanilla & Chia Bars 4 403 na 7.0 2.9 24 8.6 Food for Health Chia & Almond Fruit Free Bars 4 370 na 7.5 1.8 20.4 2.4 Food For Health Coconut Almond & Chia Bars 4 400 na 6.9 2.8 24 8.6 Food For Health Cranberry Apple & Amaranth Bars 4 507 na 6.5 1.6 15.6 4.3 Freedom Foods Ancient Grains Muesli Bar Cranberries, Apple & Grains 4 471 na 5.0 2.4 21.6 8.9 Freedom Foods Apples and Cinnamon Crunchola Chewy 4 530 15.8 5.7 1.9 15.7 9.4 Freedom Foods Apricot, Coconut and Chia Crunchola Chewy 4 530 15.8 6.0 2.1 14.3 9.7 Freedom Foods Choc Chip Crunchola Chewy 4 580 17.2 6.8 4.4 12.4 9.3 Freedom Foods Crafted Blends with Superfoods- Cranberries, Pomegranate & Goji Berries 4 466 na 6.5 2.8 21.3 8.3 Hillcrest (Aldi) Secret Harvest Fruit Free 4 842 18.9 10.2 3.9 14.2 7.6 Kellogg’s Edge High Protein Bars Original Roasted Peanuts 4 756 9.9 23.5 3.4 16.9 5.8 Macro (Woolworths) Muesli Bar Nuts & Chia 4 593 9.8 6.2 1 18 8 Macro (Woolworths) Muesli Bars Blueberry and Almond 4 587 9.8 6.5 1.8 18.1 7.4 Macro (Woolworths) Muesli Bars Cherry & Almond 4 593 10.2 6.2 1.3 18 7.7 Uncle Tobys Apricot Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 460 15.3 7.2 2.1 13.5 11.2 Uncle Tobys Choc Chip Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 510 15.0 7.3 4.2 16.5 10.8 Uncle Tobys Farmer’s Pick Almond & Blueberry 4 515 12.5 9.5 1.5 18 9.2 Uncle Tobys Farmer’s Pick Fig & Apricot 4 450 13.4 9.2 1.3 20.7 10.8 Uncle Tobys Forest Fruits Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 490 15.0 6.8 2.1 17.1 11.4 Uncle Tobys White Choc Chip & Raspberry Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 520 14.7 6.7 4.4 18.8 10.6 Uncle Tobys White Choc Chip Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 520 15.0 6.9 4.6 17 10.8 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt & Apricot Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 491 14.7 7.1 4.4 16.7 10.7 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt & Honeycomb Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 516 15.3 7.3 4.7 15.5 10.9 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt & Raspberry Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 513 14.7 7.1 4.3 18.3 10.5 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt & Strawberry Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 510 14.7 7.1 4.3 18.4 10.5 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt Mango & Passionfruit Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 4 510 14.7 7.2 4.3 17.9 10.5 Carman’s Classic Fruit and Nut Muesli Bar 3.5 768 18.0 9.1 2.5 17.3 6.8 Carman’s Deluxe Gluten Free Muesli Bars 3.5 638 na 9.9 2.5 19 5.1 Freedom Foods Cocoa Crunch Bar 3.5 396 na 4.7 3.8 20.1 9.1 Freedom Foods Nut Free Muesli Bar 3.5 552 na 6.3 3.2 20.5 8.6 Hillcrest (Aldi) Secret Harvest Fruity Muesli Bars 3.5 774 18.5 7.9 3.4 21.3 7.2 Thankyou Sea Salt & Caramel Nut Bar 3.5 812 na 12.8 3.9 13.5 10.3 Carman’s Dark Choc Blueberry Superfood Bars 3 623 9.5 7.1 5.4 23.6 8.5 Carman’s Dark Choc Cranberry & Almond Bars 3 623 9.5 6.7 5.3 25.6 7.7 Carman’s Greek Style Yoghurt Fruit & Nut Bars 3 623 9.5 8.6 4.9 22.6 7.5 Coles Muesli Bars Fruit & Nut 3 765 17.6 9.5 1.9 31.3 6.8 Hillcrest (Aldi) Secret Harvest Apricot & Almond 3 846 18.9 9.2 4.8 18.4 9.7 Nice & Natural Superfruits Muesli Bar Cranberry & Blueberry 3 456 na 6.9 2.8 29.5 5 Nice & Natural Superfruits Muesli Bar Raspberry & Pomegranate 3 480 na 6.7 2.8 28.9 5.3 Nice & Natural Supergrains Muesli Bar with Apple, Cinnamon, Spelt & Sunflower Seeds 3 486 6.3 6.3 1.3 25.4 5.1 Thankyou Nut & Chia Bar with Qunioa & Almonds 3 914 na 13.5 4 19.7 6.4 Uncle Tobys Crunchy Choc Chip Wholegrain Lunchbox Bars 3 370 9.8 8.3 5.7 19.5 10.2 Woolworths Select Muesli Bar Chewy Choc Chip 3 489 12.0 7.0 5 23 7 Woolworths Select Muesli Bar Choc Honeycomb 3 504 12.0 7.0 5 17 5 Woolworths Select Muesli Bar Yoghurt Apricot 3 495 11.7 6.0 5 21 6 Woolworths Select Muesli Bar Yoghurt Strawberry 3 501 11.7 6.0 5 22 5 Hillcrest (Aldi) Crunchy Granola Bars Oats & Honey 2.5 777 20.2 10.0 2 31 5 Hillcrest (Aldi) Crunchy Granola Bars Oats & Peanut Butter 2.5 802 18.1 11.0 2 26 5 Nature Valley Crunchy Apple Crisp 2.5 788 22.3 8.1 1.7 28.9 6.1 Nature Valley Crunchy Dark Chocolate 2.5 818 21.4 8.3 3.4 21.8 7.1 Nature Valley Crunchy Maple Crunch 2.5 807 23.5 8.9 1.9 27.8 4.7 Nature Valley Crunchy Oats and Honey 2.5 799 23.5 8.0 1.7 27.8 5 Nature Valley Crunchy Roasted Almond 2.5 833 21.8 9.1 2 24.8 4.6 Nature Valley Popcorn Peanut & Sunflower Seed 2.5 384 na 8.9 8.6 22.5 14 Thankyou Cranberry and Coconut Bar with Cashews & Dark Chocolate 2 756 na 5.5 8.6 28.2 5.2 Woolworths Homebrand Strawberry Yoghurt Muesli Bars 2 432 11.5 5.2 7.2 19.1 4.6 Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Choc Squiggle Muesli Bar 1.5 524 9.9 5.8 7.6 22.8 ns Nature Valley Sweet and Nutty Peanut 1.5 618 3.6 12.3 7.6 28.9 3.4 Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Honeycomb & Nut Muesli Bars 1 558 6.8 5.8 11.4 33.8 ns Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Muesli Bars Apricot & Yoghurt 1 564 5.9 5.6 10.2 31.3 ns Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Muesli Bars Strawberry & Yoghurt 1 570 9.3 6.0 11.7 28.1 ns Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Muesli Bars Tropical & Yoghurt 1 577 9.6 6.2 11.7 28.3 ns

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Nut bars Product HSR* Energy Wholegrains Protein Sat. fat Sugars Fibre (kJ/bar) (g/bar) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) (g/100g) Carman’s Nut Bar Almond, Hazelnut & Vanilla 4.5 737 na 16.4 3.2 14.5 8.3 Go Natural Almond Cashew Peanuts & Seeds 4.5 840 na 16.8 4.8 10 7.4 Go Natural Fruit & Nut Delight 4.5 769 na 12.1 3.2 24 10.8 Go Natural Nut Delight Almond Cashew 4.5 945 na 16.8 4.8 10 7.4 Go Natural Nut Delight Almond Cranberry & Pepita 4.5 955 na 14.2 3.9 17.9 8.4 Go Natural Nut Delight Original Chopped 4.5 868 na 15.3 4.3 13.5 7.8 Go Natural Nut Delight Walnut Dates Cashew & Chia Seeds 4 885 na 10.2 3.9 22.3 8.4 Uncle Tobys Roasted Nut Bar 4 844 na 16.0 3.9 18 7.7 Carman’s Nut Bar Almond, Cashew & Cranberry 3.5 714 na 14.2 3.5 22.9 8.5 Carman’s Nut Bar Dark Choc Espresso 3.5 641 na 17.3 6.3 17.2 9.8 Go Natural Fruit & Nut Delight Dark Choc Ripple 3.5 680 na 11.3 5.4 26.8 9.9 Woolworths Select Nut Bar Nut & Fruit 3.5 760 na 12.5 3.4 28.2 9.5 247 Salted Caramel, Banana and Quinoa 3 657 0.1 8.0 10 9.3 13.5 Be Natural Deluxe Nut Bars Cranberries Almonds & Peanuts 3 780 na 12.6 2.2 28 6.2 Be Natural Deluxe Nut Bars Nut Delight 3 892 na 20.0 4.3 20.2 7.1 Go Natural Nut Delight Honey Almond Apricot with Yoghurt Ripple 3 575 na 6.4 3 27.3 5.4 Uncle Tobys Choc Nut Bar 3 868 na 16.5 6 20.5 8.5 Uncle Tobys Yoghurt & Apricot Nut Bar 3 816 na 15.4 5.6 24.3 8.5 Woolworths Select Nut Bar Macadamia & Cranberry 3 824 na 7.4 4.1 31.4 7.8 Coles Nut Bars Nut Delight 2.5 746 na 15.9 5.6 23.6 6.2 Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Original Peanut 2.5 660 na 17.3 3.8 19.9 ns Tasti Mega Nuts Bar Double Choc 2.5 888 na 14.7 8 22.1 5.2 Weight Watchers Nut Deluxe 2.5 632 6.8 9.3 5.4 20.7 6.2 Carman’s Nut Bar Greek Style Yoghurt & Blueberry 2 662 na 12.3 9 25.4 3.1 Coles Nut Bars Fruit & Nut 2 749 na 14.4 7.2 27.8 5.1 Go Natural Nut Delight Almond Apricot & Coconut 2 758 na 7.5 15 32.7 9.7 Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Apricot 2 640 na 13.9 5.2 25.9 ns Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Chocolate 2 660 na 14.7 5.4 26.8 ns Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Mixed Berry 2 640 na 14.2 5.3 26.7 ns Tasti Nut Bar Choc Apricot Coconut & Cashew 2 774 na 14.1 10.4 21.6 5.7 Tasti Nut Bar Yoghurt Fruit and Nut 2 714 na 12.5 6.8 29.7 4.6 Wallaby Yoghurt Cranberry Fruit & Nut 2 867 na 11.0 5.2 35 2.9 Weight Watchers Macadamia & Cranberry 2 636 na 7.6 5.3 28.5 4 Go Natural Macadamia Divine 1.5 1101 na 4.5 12.4 38.1 6.7 Go Natural Macadamia Dream 1.5 1114 na 4.9 13.1 39.1 5.7 Go Natural Nut Delight Yoghurt Fruit Nuts 1.5 979 na 10.0 9.1 41.3 6.1 Go Natural Nut Delight Yoghurt, Almond, Apricot 1.5 770 na 6.9 16.7 35.9 5.9 Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Chocolate Almond 1.5 610 na 13.0 6.5 27.3 ns Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Trail Mix 1.5 650 na 13.3 7.4 30.3 ns Nice & Natural Roasted Nut Bar Yoghurt 1.5 660 na 14.6 7.5 26.2 ns Tasti Mega Nuts Bar Peanut Butter 1.5 904 na 14.9 7.6 20.6 3.4 Woolworths Select Nut Bar Choc & Nut 1.5 848 na 12.0 11.7 31.3 5.1 Coles Nut Bars Choc Coated Nut 1 816 na 11.5 16.6 30.4 4.4

^{* HSR: Health Star Rating}

Cereal bars, muesli bars, oat slices, nut bars and raw bars. Generally speaking these snack bars have a healthy image. Appealing, earth-toned packaging, images of wholegrains, nuts and fruit and claims of “no artificial colours and flavours” are standard. Even the brand names contribute to the health halo (think All Natural Bakery, Be Natural, Go Natural, Nature Valley and Nice & Natural).

So it might come as a surprise to find that many of these bars are so loaded with saturated fat and sugar, they have more in common with products in the confectionery aisle than those in the health food aisle.

2019 taste test: We asked the public to try 11 popular muesli bars. Find out which muesli bars topped our taste test.

Snack bars are always going to be sweet, because the manufacturers rely on sugars of various kinds – but usually ordinary sugar (sucrose), glucose or glucose syrup – to hold them together. They’ll also usually include some fat to make them tastier. This could be a small amount of polyunsaturated vegetable oil (such as canola). But it could equally be palm or increasingly coconut oil, which are both high in saturated fat. 

Whatever their nutritional shortcomings, there’s no lack of choice. We found more than 200 products in the supermarket, and assessed their nutritional value to find the best and worst products.

Best cereal and muesli bars

These two products received the highest health star rating (HSR) in this category (4.5 stars) and also met our criteria for energy and wholegrains per serve.

• Goodness Superfoods Better for U Cereal Bars Wild Berries & Yoghurt
• Uncle Tobys Farmer’s Pick Roasted Macadamia & Almond

By their very nature, gluten-free (GF) bars tend to be grain-free. While they don’t meet our wholegrains criteria, the following bars also have a 4.5-star rating and meet our energy criteria, so are worth considering if you need a gluten-free option (these were GF at time of publish):

• Food For Health Cinnamon, Hazelnut and Chia Bars
• Food For Health Coconut Cacao and Chia Bars
• Food For Health Vanilla Blueberry and Teff Bars
• Freedom Foods Crafted Blends with Superfoods Pepitas, Spinach & Chickpeas
• Well Naturally No Sugar Added Cereal Bar Almond Sesame Seed Linseed
• Well Naturally No Sugar Added Cereal Bar Currant Pepita Seed Sunflower
• Well Naturally No Sugar Added Cereal Bar Peanut Puffed Quinoa Almond

Best nut bars, raw bars and seed bars

Nuts are a good source of protein, healthy (poly- and monounsaturated) fats, fibre, antioxidants and a range of vitamins and minerals. Although they’re nutritious, the high fat content of nuts means they can contribute quite a bit to your kilojoule intake, so it’s good to be mindful of portion sizes.

A number of bars in this category received HSRs of 4.5 or higher, but of these, only six products also met our criteria for energy per serve:

• Emma & Tom’s Chia Bar Cacao
• Emma & Tom’s Chia Bar Cinnamon
• Golden Days Seed Bar with Quinoa Original (GF at time of publish)
• Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Apple Rumble
• Soma Bite Apple & Superseed (GF at time of publish)
• Soma Bite Goji & Chia (GF at time of publish)

Lowest rating snack bars

Seven products managed an HSR of just 1. Of these, only the indulgent Coles Nut Bars Choc Coated Nut is labelled with its 1-star rating.

Fontelle Oven Baked Mini Meal Choc Chip (1 star) is true to its name; a 120g bar provides 2412kJ – as much as a meal, and more than a quarter of the recommended daily energy intake. Not to mention the 8.5 teaspoons of sugar it crams in too.

Coconut and butter feature high up in the ingredients list of Carman’s Oat Slice Belgian Chocolate Brownie, Carman’s Oat Slice Cranberry & Blueberry and Carman’s Oat Slice Golden Oat and Coconut (all 1 star), which may make them tasty but also bring saturated fat to the party. 

Carman’s Oat Slice Cranberry & Blueberry tops the chart, with 21.1% saturated fat. 

The oat slices in our review were higher in saturated fat and contained more kilojoules per serve on average than other bars, so it’s a category best avoided if you’re after a healthier choice.

Kellogg’s LCM’s Split Stix Yoghurty and Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain Bars (both 1 star) are only small (23-24g), but they’re both high in saturated fat, pack a sugar punch and are among the saltiest products reviewed.

Honesty in health stars needed

A key benefit of the HSR system is it cuts through the marketing spin and allows you to make healthier choices at a glance.

But the system is currently voluntary, and not all manufacturers are using it. Of the 224 products in our review more than half (55%) didn’t display an HSR. And some companies are only putting HSRs on their healthier offerings. Products that achieved a higher star rating (3 or above) were about five times more likely to show an HSR than products that rated 2.5 or less.

Our findings reflect those from an Obesity Policy Coalition (OPC) review of HSR use on snack bars published earlier this year. 

Jane Martin, OPC executive manager says, “Leading brands such as Kellogg’s and Weight Watchers have not put health star ratings on any of their snack bars, while Carman’s appears to be using the system as a promotional tool by only displaying the stars on its healthiest products. Unless all brands put the stars on all products, it’s very difficult for shoppers to compare at a glance and make an informed choice.

“At a time when 63% of Australian adults and 27% of children are overweight or obese, it’s disappointing that so many food companies are not supporting consumers with the information they need to make healthier choices for themselves and their families,” Martin adds.

Total vs added sugars

Australian Dietary Guidelines recommend we limit our intake of foods containing added sugars. And last year the World Health Organisation (WHO) issued new sugar guidelines recommending that we reduce our daily intake of free sugars – sugars such as glucose and sucrose that are added to foods as well as sugars naturally present in honey, syrups, fruit juices and fruit juice concentrates – to less than 10% of our total energy intake in order to reduce the risk of overweight, obesity and tooth decay. Based on an average energy intake of 8700kJ, that’s a limit of about 52g (13 teaspoons) of free sugars a day. Recently, the Australian Bureau of Statistics reported that one in two Australians usually exceeds the WHO recommendation.

Most of the bars in this review are pretty high in sugars, containing 25% on average, and some as much as 50%. It’s sugar, after all, that helps the bars stick together. But how much of it is the type of sugar you need to limit? Right now it’s almost impossible to tell.

Example 1

• Go Natural Macadamia Dream bars (1.5 stars) contain about 40% sugars, and they’re essentially all added (free) sugars.
• Woolworths Homebrand Oven Baked Fruit Bars Apple & Blueberry (2.5 stars) are 40% sugars as well, but only a portion of the sugars come from their minimal (18%) fruit content, the rest is added by the manufacturer.
• Emma & Tom’s Life Bar Cacao & Orange (4 stars) is also 40% sugars – but that’s all sugar from fruit (and therefore has associated beneficial nutrients such as fibre).

But just based on the sugars total on the nutrition information panel, these products look the same. You can try looking at the ingredients list to get a feel for how much added sugar is in there (ingredients are listed in descending order by weight), but as there are so many different names for added sugar, this might not help. Only the Woolworths bar has its HSR labelled.

Example 2

• Weight Watchers Coconut Delight Indulgent Bar (1.5 stars) is 37% sugars, mostly added sugar (sugar, invert sugar, dextrose and honey according to the ingredients list).
• Naturally Nood Wholefood Bar Cocoa Lamington (3 stars) is also 37% sugars, but the sugars are from whole fruit ingredients.

Not surprisingly the Weight Watchers bar isn’t labelled with its HSR.

CHOICE is currently calling on the Forum on Food Regulation Ministers to itemise added sugars in the nutrition information panel as well as identifying them in the ingredients list.

Faux fruit

Some products contain ‘fruit’ that owes more to chemistry than agriculture, despite what pictures of freshly cut strawberries, plump raspberries or sliced apples on the packaging might have you believe. This is only revealed if you pay close attention to the ingredients list.

• The “strawberry flavoured fruit pieces” in Hillcrest (Aldi) Chewy Muesli Bars Strawberry & Yoghurt are made from “fruit [strawberry puree, fruit puree concentrates (apple, pear, plum)], humectant (422), wheat, gelling agent (440), natural strawberry flavour, acidity regulator (296), natural colour from fruit concentrate (anthocyanin from elderberry)”
• The “raspberry and apple fillings” in Kellogg’s K-Time Twists Raspberry & Apple are made from “sugar, fruit [raspberry juice concentrate (4%), apple (2%), apple powder], fructose, thickeners (1442, 1404, corn starch, 460, 466), humectant (422), brown sugar, food acids (330, 296), natural colour (163), flavours, preservative (221), stabiliser (470)”
• The “apple strawberry pieces” in Woolworths Select Muesli Bar Yoghurt Strawberry consist of “concentrated apple puree, concentrated apple juice, strawberry puree (23%), citrus fibre, concentrated Aronia juice, gelling agent (pectin) and natural flavour”.

Snack bars compared

We compared 224 cereal, muesli, nut, seed and raw bars. We’ve listed them below in order of health star rating (highest to lowest).