August 19/Mississauga, Ont. -- Quaker has debuted its new Harvest Crunch Quinoa Granola Bars in Canada. This is the company's only snack featuring the ancient grain as its star ingredient and Quaker's first quinoa bar widely available at major grocery retailers across Canada.

Created by Quaker Canada's research and development team, the Harvest Crunch Quinoa Bars offer a convenient, wholesome snacking solution for busy Canadians. Made with quinoa, 100% Canadian oats, wheat, brown rice, almonds, sunflower seeds, peanuts and milk chocolate, Harvest Crunch Quinoa Bars boast a harmony of sweet and salty tastes with chewy and crispy textures. Joining the popular Harvest Crunch lineup of granola bars introduced in 2012, the snack is available in Chocolate Nut Medley flavour and contains 9g of whole grains per serving.

"Canadian lifestyles are getting busier and consumers are looking for snacking solutions they can enjoy on the go. At Quaker, we are committed to bringing consumers innovative whole grain snacks that deliver on taste and convenience," said Nancy Rooney, director of marketing for Quaker, PepsiCo Foods Canada. "We are excited to introduce Harvest Crunch Quinoa Bars, the first Quaker granola bar to feature quinoa as its main ingredient, to our family of trusted snacks."

Cultivated for thousands of years, the quinoa grain has been gaining traction in modern kitchens around the world for its versatility, flavor and nutrition profile. The United Nations General Assembly even declared 2013 as the "International Year of Quinoa".

Now available at grocery retailers across the country for a suggested retail price of $3.49 per box, Harvest Crunch Quinoa Bars join the Quaker portfolio of snacks including the popular Chewy, Yogurt, and Fibre & Omega-3 Granola Bars.