RXBARs are the registered name from the Kellogg Co. for this high performing USA brand of high protein bars. The brand prides itself on being very upfront about their ingredients and are quite explicit – as they say no B.S!
At the moment, these bars are riding high in what is a highly competitive environment when it comes to food bar products. The marketing and advertising is very straightforward and relies heavily on ensuring the message about the products being simple continues in the same vein.
The brand always figures very highly in global market research reports on food bars. They always appear first, in front of trusted brands like Slimfast, General Mills and PowerBar so they must be doing something right. The brand is certainly working well in the USA and Canada.
Kelloggs bought the RXBAR brand in late 2017 as part of a $600 million dollar purchase of Chicago Bar Co., LLC. The brand has generally operated as a stand alone since then continuing the name as far as we can see going forward. In 2017, the whole RXBAR brand reached $200 million sales in Kellogg’s first year of ownership. They use the brand to bolster other products in the RX range such as the nut butters.
Unfortunately for the UK, production of their bars ceased in the country in 2020 which was 2 years after they were launched. It clearly didn’t happen there.
The bars are pitched as “ideal as a breakfast bar for people on-the-go, for pre- and post-workout fuel, or simply as a convenient and healthy snack mid day.”
Product Offerings And Ingredients
In 2019 you could find at least 20 different flavours. That always suggests a couple of aspects of their product development – a desire to present different flavours to suit all tastes and a rapid turnover of products so that these flavours fit with current trends. If they don’t work then just bin them and nobody will honestly notice – that’s how it usually works.
The most popular bar flavour when we last looked in October 2017 was their Chocolate Sea Salt. It still is into 2021. This continues as the number 1 bar in the Amazon selling lists for ‘high protein bars’. The business believe it is ideal for all those chocoholics an brownie lovers. Clearly the flavour and texture for that matter is right. It makes sense to mix the sweetness and distinctiveness of the chocolate flavour with a slight bite of saltiness.
In May 2021 we noticed the following flavours: Banana Chocolate Walnut, Blueberry, Chocolate Chip, Coconut Chocolate, Maple Sea Salt, Mint Chocolate, Mixed Berry, Peanut Butter, Peanut Butter & Berries, Peanut Butter Chocolate, Vanilla Almond and finally Chocolate Hazelnut.
There is plenty to get your teeth into. One flavour is Pumpkin which sometimes makes a seasonal return. Often viewed by officianados who love these bars that this flavour had to come back.
Claims On RXBAR
RXBAR pride themselves on their claims:-
No added sugar, no gluten, no soy, no dairy, no GMO, no B.S. !
You also notice a very simple ingredient list which is very boldly placed on front-of-label and as clear as day.
Generally, a 52g bar will contain but 9 ingredients or even less which is not bad given that a number of their competitors often add subsidiary additions for functionality.
Just focusing on their leading flavour, Chocolate Sea Salt, the ingredient list is “Dates, Dried Egg Whites, Cashews, Almonds, Chocolate, Cocoa, Natural Flavors, Sea Salt.”
You can see that it follows their product development brief.
Generally a bar has 12g of egg white protein which is the main source of protein. It would also be known as egg albumen. The dates which for most bars is the leading ingredient provide not only sweetness but also help bind all the other ingredients together. It’s a classic functional ploy and if I was designing a bar for protein would certainly seriously consider this as a leading option. Dates also offer some natural sweetness and they also give 4 or 5 grams of fiber (fibre).
An energy value of between 200-210 calories.
At the moment you can purchase a box of 12 or 24 in most flavours for wholesale purposes and from various affiliated online retailers.
Layers: A Layered Protein Bar®
The latest innovation in their range are nutrient-dense bars with a rather chewy texture. They boast over 14 grams of protein, a range of ingredients but all being sweetened with those classics of honey and dates. Chocolate always works well and is evident in both products now on retail.
We tasted the peanut butter chocolate version which had the distinctive peanut taste that you would expect. The added sugar was but 4 grams in this serving. The US version of Good Housekeeping placed these two products in fifth place when they reviewed high protein bars back in mid-2020.
Nutrition Facts (1 bar, Peanut Butter Chocolate): 250 cal, 14g total fat, 180mg sodium, 20g carb, 3g fiber, 13g total sugar, 4g added sugar, 15g protein
Variety Packs
Each Variety Pack contains 12 RXBAR protein bars; 2 Peanut Butter, 2 Coconut Chocolate, 2 Blueberry, 2 Chocolate Sea Salt, 1 Maple Sea Salt, 1 Coffee Chocolate, 1 Mint Chocolate and 1 Apple Cinnamon.
Please note this page contains links to our affiliate marketing partner. Please read our affiliate disclosure.
We will we updating this article at various times to reflect the changes taking place with the brand.
Version 1.
While every care has been taken to ensure this information is correct, grocery products with the affiliate marketing partners are regularly being improved and nutritional content may change. We would therefore always recommend that you do not rely solely on this information and check products’ labels.
The images prepared by the affiliates are prepared for illustration and information purposes only. On occasion, the packaging may differ from that shown.
Nutritional and Guideline Daily Amounts (GDAs) information are based on the typical composition of the product. Guideline daily amounts are those for a typical adult (men and women).
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