From The Summer 2005 Issue of Natural Grocery Buyer

America bellies up to the bar

Shara Rutberg

When world-class marathoner Brian Maxwell bonked at the 21-mile marker during a 1983 race, he stumbled off the course and into food history.

In a quest for an endurance-boosting energy food, Maxwell and his wife, Jennifer, developed the first PowerBar in their Berkeley, Calif., kitchen. In 1986, they began selling these modern, streamlined incarnations of granola bars out of the back of their station wagon at races. In 2000, they sold the company to Nestlé for $3.75 million.

Today, nutrition bars are a $2 billion industry, according to Nutrition Business Journal. In 2004, it was the fastest-growing food category in the United States, according to Grocery Manufacturers of America.

The appeal of bars has reached far beyond the scope of marathoners looking to replace the stolen McDonald’s honey packets they once carried during races or Birkenstock-wearing health-food fanatics who gobbled the original granola bars back in the ’60s. Today, the convenience and nutritional value of bars makes them as popular with Wall Street warriors as weekend warriors, couch spuds as mountain studs. Today’s bars are a far cry from the original wads of foodstuff. They taste better, and they are healthier.

The popularity of energy bars with athletes continues to climb as people become more aware of how closely performance is tied to nutrition, says Vanessa Wagar, a spokeswoman for PowerBar. But the appeal of bars reaches beyond performance.

“Today’s consumers lead extremely busy, on-the-go lifestyles and as a result, seek convenient sources of quality nutrition,” she says. “They look for great-tasting, healthy energy products to power through their busy days, whether it’s a busy afternoon of meetings or shuttling the kids to after-school activities.”

There are natural bars for every type of consumer: Mommy Munchies bars for pregnant women, Cold Fusion frozen protein bars for ice cream nuts. Even the U.S. Army has gotten in the game with the Hooah! Bar. Designed to last in the sweltering desert with a name that stems from a soldier’s response of “H.U.A!” (“Heard. Understood. Acknowledged.”), the bars are marketed to patriotic snackers in red states.

In March, Nature’s Path introduced Optimum ReBound bars, scientifically formulated for post-exercise muscle recovery. The Canadian company, based in Richmond, British Columbia, also recently repackaged its traditional granola bars as “Authentic Organic Granola Bars” with the tag line, “the ’60s never tasted so good.” Across the board, from the more modern bars to the classic creations, “people want authenticity, wholesome nutrition and a tasty experience,” says David Neuman, vice president of sales and marketing at Nature’s Path. “They don’t want some kind of gimmick, like a bar that promises you’ll grow hair. For us, the choice is easy: We prefer organic. It’s good for the world and good for our bodies.”

“Organic is one of the hottest growth areas in the snack bar category. Sales have grown at a triple-digit rate over the last 52 weeks alone, according to ACNielsen,” says Tim Goldsmid, marketing director at Cascadian Farm, a General Mills company that has been making bars with organic ingredients for a little more than a year.

“Naked,” or raw bars are a hot subcategory within the organic energy bar industry. Lara Merriken, chief executive and founder of Denver-based Lärabar, spearheaded the movement toward simplicity in 2003 with bars containing just a few whole food ingredients. Her Cashew Cookie bar has just two: cashews and dates. “Not all nutrition bars need to be highly manufactured bars,” says Merriken, who believes she has created a “mainstay” with her bars, not just a trend. “What we’ve created is real, unprocessed food that is simple and delicious,” she says. “If more companies are doing it, it’s a positive thing; there’s more of an awareness that this type of product is important.”

Companies have created bars to meet the nutritional needs of every member of the family. Clif Bar led the women’s market with Luna Bars. PowerBar recently introduced Triple Threat bars designed for “active guys … seeking a bar that fuels like a PowerBar and tastes like a candy bar.” Nature’s Path EnviroKidz bars are designed for children, as are Clif Bar’s ZBars.

The original PowerBar came in only two flavors: chocolate and malt nut. Today’s bars come in a menu of flavors ranging from cherry pie and chocolate espresso to pumpkin flax and hempseed. Though most bars are sweet, some companies are branching out into different flavor profiles. Lärabar recently introduced a spicy-sweet Chocolate Molé bar with chiles and chocolate. ClifBar’s MojoBars are saltier options featuring ingredients such as organic pretzel bits.

Is savory the wave of the future? Are Lasagna Luna Bars and Pizza PowerBars far off?

Not quite yet, say bar manufacturers. “Nature Valley Granola Bars, another General Mills line, just launched their Sweet and Salty Bar,” says Goldsmid. “Savory bars are something that we will keep on our radar.”

Shara Rutberg is a freelance writer based in Denver. Contact her at sharashara@hotmail.com.