Review of 'Nature Valley' Crunchy Fruit (Cranberry and Strawberry)

Nature Valley -- Crunchy Fruit (Cranberry and Strawberry)
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Summary: I really enjoyed the bits of chewy, dried fruit. The bar is fresh and crunchy and there are actually little bits that have a burnt flavour that works quite well...somehow! I was disappointed that I didn't really get a strong strawberry flavour. But despite the yummy factor, these bars don't compare to the generally more healthy (and expensive) Kashi bars. On the whole, the Kashi bars are significantly more nutritious. Nature Valley bars have less fiber, more sugar, and less protein. And, because it may also contain GMOs, I wouldn't recommend these bars.

Where to buy: Freshco, Wal-mart

Ingredients: whole grain rolled oats, sugar and/or golden sugar, high monounsaturated canola oil, cranberries, honey, strawberry juice concentrate, salt, soy lecithin, refined sunflower oil, yellow corn flour, soy flour, baking soda, natural flavour.

This product is not vegan, because of the honey.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 2 bars
Calories: 180
Fat: 6g
     Saturated: .5g
     Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 135mg
Carbohydrate: 27g
     Fibre: 2g
     Sugars: 11g
Protein: 3g
Calcium: 2%
Iron: 6% 

So, I'm not too thrilled at the sugar content, but I do like that it's relatively low in sodium and the calories are not too high. My disappointment is mostly in the low fiber and protein content. For 180 cals, I'd expect some more. Kashi crunchy bars have double the fibre and protein.

Other 'Crunchy Bars' flavours:

• Peanut Butter (vegan)
• Roasted Almond (vegan)
• Cinnamon (vegan)
• Crunchy Oats 'n Honey
• Apple Crisp (vegan)
• Maple Brown Sugar (vegan)
• Pecan Crunch (vegan)
• Oats 'n Dark Chocolate
• Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter (vegan)

Brand:

• I couldn't find much information about the brand and its ingredients (e.g. GMO status) on the official website (that really peeves me...)
• So, Nature Valley bars *may* have GMOs
• I did find a lawsuit filed against the brand for not being as Natural as it claims to be "Natural" Nature Valley Products Have Unnatural Ingredients, Says Lawsuit"
• Involved in the Preserve the Parks Project