Prepared Foods profiles new functional foods, drinks and supplements.

General Mills, Minneapolis, greeted on-the-go summer snacking with eight product introductions, including six new bars. 

Celebrating the company’s cereal brands are new Cereal Treat Bars in both Trix and Cocoa Puff varieties. They come in six-packs with a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $3.69. General Mills bolstered another breakfast brand, Nature Valley, with new Soft-Baked Blueberry Muffin Bars. Each bar has real blueberries, 8g of whole grain per serving and no high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavors or artificial colors. 

General Mills expanded its new :ratio Keto Friendly line with new Chocolate Chunk and Chocolate Brownie soft bakes; and :ratio Keto Friendly Coconut Almond & Vanilla Almond Crunchy Bars. All products deliver just 2g net carb and 1g sugar per serving.

On the savory side are new EPIC Chicken BBQ Seasoned Bars. The keto and paleo-friendly bars are made with chicken raised without antibiotics and are a Whole30 approved snack. Each bar has 3g carbs and 11g protein and carries a MSRP of $2.99.

Etera Foods, Beverly Hills, Calif., says The After Bar represents a “new category” of post-workout muscle recovery bars with ingredients to boost both the body and the mind. 

The After Bar is available in three superfood-based flavors: Dark Chocolate Cherry Matcha, Antioxidant Berry Fusion, and Original Harvest Trail. The bars contain whole inclusions and ingredients such as ceremonial-grade matcha, anti-inflammatory turmeric, Polynesian noni, and dragon fruit. All flavors are 100% vegan, soy-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO. 

Etera also partnered with PureForm Global, Los Angeles, for the bars to feature PureForm CBD, which is extracted from citrus terpenes rather than hemp. Each After Bar contains 20mg of PureForm CBD.

"The After Bar is in a unique position by way of our partnership with PureForm Global," said Etera CEO and Founder Blake Godlove. "By utilizing their citrus-derived CBD, we can offer consumers a completely risk-free form of CBD that has all of the amazing recovery benefits, without the possibility of a THC inclusion." 

Officials say each flavor also contains a blend of omega-rich Sacha Inchi protein and pea protein to deliver 14g of protein. Paired with natural carbohydrates from the fruit as well as healthy fats from nuts, The After Bar also contains a balanced macronutrient ratio for recovery. The After Bar is available on The After Bar website to buy a sampler pack of six bars at $24.99.

Lenny & Larry's LLC, Los Angeles, introduced its first nutrition bar, The Complete Cookie-fied Bar, made with plant-based protein and only 6g of sugar. 

Officials say the product is a soft, chewy bar topped with crunchy cookie pieces. Each of two new varieties features 12g of plant-based protein, 5g prebiotic fiber, and 6g sugar. The bars also are gluten free and Non-GMO Project Verified. Varieties include Chocolate Almond Sea Salt and Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip. The company says a third variety, Cookies & Crème, will debut this fall.

"As the originators of the protein cookie, we see many things with cookie eyes, and we saw the bar category needed something more unique," said Lenny & Larry's CEO, Jolie Weber. "Lenny & Larry's fans love our cookies for their delicious flavor and more nutritious profile, so now we're bringing them a cookie in a bar. Just as important, it's on-trend with consumer desires for plant-based protein and lower sugar."

The bars rolled out nationwide with more immediate availability at 7-Eleven stores, Lennylarry.com and Amazon. The suggested retail price on single bars is $1.99.

After debuting last April with a four-item line of Undressed snack bars, Undressed Snacks, Chicago, returns this August with four more varieties and a packaging refresh.

 Speaking to editors at an Almond Board of California press conference, CEO Anne Klassman said she and her vegetarian family looked for convenient, “green-forward” savory snacks but couldn’t find them. That led to Klassman’s entrepreneurial passion to convert the best of a salad experience—into a snack bar.

 Each Undressed Salad Bar bar features protein from the equivalent of nine to 12 toasted, skin-on almonds. Other vegetable plant-based ingredients contribute a considerable amount of fiber and nutrients, and each bar is equivalent to more than a serving of vegetables.

Undressed’s 1.4oz (40g) bars debuted in four varieties: Honey Mustard, Sesame Ginger, Cilantro Lime and Chipotle Cranberry. Now joining the line are Miso Ginger, Berry Balsamic, Spicy Southwest, and Garden Ranch flavors. Klassman says the new Undressed flavors will include a sleeker packaging design with simplified messaging. 

 “In spite of being a part of an overflowing market category, Undressed Salad Bars are uniquely positioned to stand apart with our savory and greens-forward flavors,” she says. “Undressed bars are shelf-stable but we play well in the produce section as a perfect grab and go snack for seekers of savory snacks! 

 Undressed bars are available at Whole Foods in select cities and nationwide at independent retailers. They’re also available through Amazon.com and at the company’s website. A box of 12 bars sells for $34.95.

That’s it Nutrition, Los Angeles, introduced a That’s It Keto Kick coffee energy bar. Officials say it contains only six ingredients, no added sugar or sugar alcohols, and caffeine sourced from real, single-origin coffee beans (95mg of caffeine from Fair Trade, single-origin Ethiopian coffee beans). 

“Keto Kick is more than a line extension; it’s a true innovation not only for That’s it., but for the Keto and energy bar categories as well,” said That’s it. Founder & CEO Dr. Lior Lewensztain. “The timing couldn’t be better. As we begin transitioning back to ‘normal’, we expect to see an increase in demand for on-the-go snacking and coffee products, while the COVID-induced focus on overall wellness will be here to stay – perfectly positioning Keto Kick for the post-pandemic world.”

 Keto Kick is available in two flavors: Chocolate and Vanilla. Its all-natural ingredients include organic dates, FiberSMART® Organic Soluble Tapioca Fiber Powder, organic garbanzo beans, organic Ethiopian single-origin Arabica coffee beans, sea salt, and organic cacao or organic vanilla. Each 20g bar is certified USDA Organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, kosher, and free from the top 12 allergens. It contains 45 calories, five net carbs and 8g of fiber. 

Keto Kick is available now at www.thatsitfruit.com and www.amazon.com