The nutrition bar category accounts for 2.2 Billion € retail value in 2019 in Western Europe, and is expected to grow +4% CAGR 2019-2024. (Source: Euromonitor).

Consumers expect a nutritional bar to be a healthy yet indulgent snack, with a good nutritional profile (i.e. higher protein and fiber content, lower sugar content) and clean label. With an increase in vegan launches of 112% between 2015 and 2019 (Innova, 2019), the nutritional bar category is keeping up with the growing demand for plant-based products, with 3 main strategies:

1. Plant-based proteins
2. Clean label
3. Adding greens
    

We are experiencing a “sportification” of our diets, as the lines between sports nutrition, weight management, and mainstream snacking are blurring. Whereas carbohydrates and fats should be consumed within limits, protein is seen as something you can’t get enough of. The everyday consumer pursuing a healthy lifestyle embraces added protein in nutrition bars, whether used as a meal replacer or not. Nevertheless, it should not go at the expense of flavor or texture, as taste remains the key purchase driver.  Chocolate and cocoa are excellent ingredients to mask the protein taste, and to maximize the taste experience.
   
Protein fortification in snack bars is key. However, consumers increasingly prefer plant-based proteins over animal-based proteins, due to ethical and environmental concerns. Soy and pea protein are the most commonly used plant-based proteins in protein bars, due to neutral flavor and attractive textural properties.

Both mainstream and smaller brands are tapping into this growth opportunity, and we see new product launches containing plant-based protein, for all types of nutrition bars. In terms of positioning, some players actively claim vegan front of pack, whereas some only mention it back of pack. Hereby some market examples:
 

The consumer expects nutrition bars to have a “clean label”, which means using fewer ingredients and making sure that these ingredients are recognizable and have a positive connotation. Nutrition bars are expected to be ‘free from’ ingredients that do not suit the lifestyle of the health-seeker, such as dairy. For that reason, the “dairy-free” and “vegan” claims are very common for nutrition bars. One could argue that the preference for plant-based proteins is part of the overall preference for cleaner plant-based ingredients. 

Let’s have a look at new product launches of both mainstream and smaller brands, crafted from clean, plant-based ingredients. Product positioning ranges from an emphasis on natural ingredients to explicit dairy-free and/or vegan claims. 

Besides placing dairy-free and vegan claims front of pack, snack bar players are increasingly “greening up” their portfolio, by introducing products with green or earthy flavors such as beetroot, hemp or matcha. Thereby they cleverly target the health-seekers that are consciously searching for their daily dose of fruit & veggies per day. Why not eating them on-the-go in the form of a delicious snack bar? Hereby some recent launches that celebrate plant craft!

Learn more about the difference between vegan, dairy-free and non-dairy claims.