Carman’s Multigrain Muesli Bars Cookies & Cream | Chewsday Review
- Whole grain oats 24%, glucose, white choc compound (sugar, vegetable oil, milk solids, emulsifier [soy lecithin], salt, natural flavour), cookie pieces 7% (tapioca flour, chickpea flour, sugar, rice bran oil, cocoa butter, cocoa powder, raising agent [sodium bicarbonate], salt), rice crisps (rice, sugar, golden syrup, salt, emulsifier [471]), wheat flakes (wheat, salt, bran flakes (wheat, wheat bran, brown rice, sugar, malt extract, salt, antioxidant [mixed tocopherols]), rice flakes (rice flour, invert syrup, salt, emulsifier [sunflower lecithin]), golden syrup, linseeds, sunflower oil, natural flavours, humectant (glycerin), cream powder 0.3% (milk).
- Glucose, sugar, golden syrup, malt extract and invert syrup are all forms of added sugar
- Only 24% oats – this is pretty low for an oat-based muesli bar!
- Allergens: Gluten, wheat, milk, soy.
- May contain: Barley, rye, peanut, tree nuts, sesame, lupin.
- Although there is added salt in these bars, the sodium content is low at 123mg per 100g, but this is to be expected for a sweet snack.
- There are some visible oats in these bars, which is something I look out for when choosing muesli bars. In saying this, I am still disappointed with the low oat content overall. Carman’s Aussie Oat Bars contain nearly double the amount of oats!
- The total fat content exceeds our guidelines (11.6g per 100g). This is from a combination of oils, cocoa butter, and seeds. Of the total fat, saturated fat contributes 4.8g per 100g, coming mostly from the vegetable oil and cocoa butter.
- At 20.8g per 100g, the sugar in these muesli bars exceeds our criteria. There are minimal naturally occurring sugars in the bars, so most of this is added sugar. This is nearly double the amount of sugar in the Carman’s Aussie Oat Choc Brownie Bars, which contain 11.3g per 100g.
- These muesli bars are low in dietary fibre, at just 1.4g per serving. Increasing the amount of oats, brown rice, and seeds in the bars would help to increase the fibre content. In comparison, all Carman’s Aussie Oat Bar flavours meet our guidelines for dietary fibre, ranging from 3.4g – 4.6g per serving.
- ‘Lunchbox friendly’. I guess they are highlighting the fact that there are no nuts in the ingredients list.
- ‘Made with multigrain’. True, but I would like to see more grains.
- ‘No artificial colours or flavours’. True.
- Overall, the high saturated fat and sugar content, as well as the low dietary fibre, means that these wouldn’t be in my top choices for muesli bars.
- If you’re after a muesli bar that meets all of our criteria, all flavours of the Carman’s Aussie Oat Bars are a great option.
- Looking for more on choosing muesli bars? My Toddler and Family Mealtimes memberships include a comprehensive product selection guide for muesli bars, as well as over 15 other categories. I’ll show you what I like and why – come join me!
The composition of food products changes regularly. The nutritional values of the products in this Chewsday Review were correct at the time of publishing.
