Prepared Foods showcases new nutrition and energy bar products making a debut in 2020.

The makers of RXBAR, Insurgent Brands, Chicago, introduced a new bar line called TIG. Officials say the bar offerings are “a new way to satisfy your favorite junk food cravings—like pizza, buffalo wings and BBQ chips—without any of the guilt.”

“Snack cravings aren’t just for the sweet tooth. We’ve all experienced that instant craving for something different, savory or bold, without the guilt feeling that comes afterwards,” said Victor Lee, CMO, RXBAR. “TIG makes it possible for snack bars to provide the same indulgent flavors people crave while maintaining better-for-you ingredients.”

Lee says TIG bars are feature premium, plant-based core ingredients including puffed chickpeas, roasted green lentils and crispy wild and brown rice. The bars also are gluten-free, non-GMO and nut-free. The savory snack bar is available in four flavors: BBQ, Buffalo, Pizza and Chili Lime.

Each bar contains 140 calories, 7g of fiber and 1g-2g of total sugar (varies by flavor), making for a better-for-you snack option that only tastes like an indulgence. TIG can be purchased online nationwide at tigsnacks.com. They also rolled out for sale via Amazon.
Insurgent Brands is part of Kellogg Company, Battle Creek, Mich.

ONE Brands LLC, Charlotte, N.C., used last fall’s Natural Products Expo East to introduced ONE PLANT, a new line of plant-based bars. The bars deliver 12 grams of protein, the brand’s signature ONE gram of sugar, and they debuted in two flavors of Chocolate Peanut Butter and Banana Nut Bread.

Capitalizing on the positive feedback for ONE’s core roster of protein bars, officials said the brand aims to provide the same superior taste, texture and only 1g of sugar that the brand is known for—to the plant-based category. These elements, paired with the bar’s macro-nutrients, position the new offering as a snack delivering functional benefits for vegan and non-vegan consumers alike.

“The industry has been experiencing a significant demand for plant-based alternatives from consumers,” said Peter Burns, CEO of ONE Brands. “We have been listening to consumers who are disappointed with the taste and nutritional profile in this space. We believe it is important to listen to this feedback and transform the plant-based bar set with delicious flavor and unparalleled texture.”

ONE PLANT was initially available on ONE Brands’ website as well as select stores nationwide (including Walmart, GNC and Vitamin Shoppe) starting in October. The bars carry a suggested retail price of $2.99 each. ONE Brands is part of The Hershey Company.

ONE Brands’ larger product roster of 15 core flavors is available at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and gyms across the country, as well as Walmart, Target and other top regional grocers.

Lorissa’s Kitchen, Minong, Wis., addressed two of the category’s strongest trends: nutrition bars and meat protein bars. New Lorissa’s Kitchen Whole-Made Medley Bars feature dried fruit, nuts and seeds, egg whites and 100% grass-fed beef or all-natural chicken. Using familiar flavors with a twist, the bars come in six varieties: Blueberry Fusion, Pineapple Teriyaki, Apple Cinnamon, Cranberry Orange, Chipotle Apricot and Sweet Barbecue.

“Lorissa’s Kitchen is the meat snacks brand reaching new consumers, specifically moms, and we have made the commitment to designing our entire innovation pipeline around better meeting her and her family’s needs,” said Tracy Fleischhacker Quigley, director of marketing at Lorissa’s Kitchen. “With the top performing specialty/gourmet SKUs in steak strips and sticks, we’ve proven this brand can bring new female consumers to the category and we’re excited about the opportunity to bring incremental growth to the bar category.”

With 10g of protein, and certified gluten free, dairy free, and made with no high-fructose syrup or preservatives, officials say Lorissa’s Kitchen Whole-Made Medley Bars fill a “white space” in the category by delivering nutritional benefits using familiar ingredients.

They are sold individually and in four-count multi-packs.

Fourpoints Bar, Denver, said it recently introduced hemp protein—and swapped out whey protein—to designate to its energy bar line as vegan.

“Over the last few years we’ve received a lot of requests for us to do a version of our bars with a vegan protein source,” said Co-Founder Kevin Webber.  “Hemp seed is nature’s complete superfood, and that’s why it’s always been in our bars; it’s loaded with healthy omega fatty acids, high in fiber, and one of the few plant based proteins that offers the full-spectrum of amino acids.”

Sourced from local Colorado hemp farms, hemp protein powder is made by grinding pressed hemp seeds into a fine powder.  At roughly 250 calories, each 2.5oz bar is rich in heart healthy fats, high in fiber, and offers more than 8g of plant-based hemp protein.

Webber also announced last October that Fourpoints teamed up with The California Prune Industry to highlight their star ingredient.

“The energy bar category is crowded and full of the same old date based and syrup-based bars,” he said. “You have to have a one-of-a-kind product to stand out, and for us, that means a one-of-a-kind ingredient: California Prunes.“

The Humming Hemp Group, Richland, Wash, introduced hummingbar, a line of five hemp protein bars that are flavor-forward, plant-powered, clean-label, and protein-rich.

“Hemp has been misrepresented and ignored for too long,” says Founder and CEO Hilary Kelsay. “In truth, hemp and, specifically, hemp seeds, are a sustainable and healthy protein food source. In an era of higher food demand and scarcer supply, hemp holds the promise of a better, healthier world. Hemp hearts are a nutrition powerhouse that are easy to grow, do not contain THC or CBD, and can form the foundation of delicious and healthy food.”
Varieties include Almond & Chocolate, Honey & Cinnamon, Lavender Pistachio & Blueberry, Pumpkin Seed & Spice, and Seed & Date. Each bar is certified raw/clean, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo and Non-GMO.

Bars contain soft and chewy American-grown hemp hearts and are sweetened with raw USA honey, says Kelsay. She says each bar is packed with 11g -12g of raw, easily digested, complete plant-based protein with 20 amino acids—including the nine essential amino acids the human body requires from food. They also contain a balance of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, and are rich in gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 that is highly anti-inflammatory. Additionally hemp hearts include B vitamins, copper, zinc, iron, magnesium and manganese.

Rooted in the belief that hemp is a superfood that supersedes all others, the company launched its hemp food line in early 2018, consisting of Raw Hemp Hearts (plain), Cold Pressed Extra Virgin Hemp Seed Oil, Raw Hemp Protein Powder, and 1oz snack-sized flavored Raw Hemp Hearts.

New hummingbars are available in 1,700 Kroger stores nationwide as well as the Humming Hemp website at www.thehumminggroup.com.