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Coles Cub Bars | Chewsday Review

Another day, another bar! But with so many different snack bar options in the supermarket isle – how do Coles’ latest offering, ‘Cub Bars’, stack up? Let’s see in today’s Chewsday Review.

Ingredients

Apple Paste (28%) [Apple Puree, Apple Juice], Raisins (24%) [Raisins (99%), Sunflower Oil], Oats (24%)[Oat Bran, Oatmeal, Oats], Yoghurt Coating (10%)[Sugar, Palm Fat**, Milk Solids, Emulsifier (322), Acidity Regulator (330)], Rice Flour, Sunflower Oil, Apple Fibre.
First three ingredients = apple paste, raisins and oats. Off to a reasonable start! The only thing we don’t know is whether 100% apple juice has been used to make the paste.
The yoghurt coating contains both sugar and palm fat, which isn’t ideal. However, as this only accounts for 10% of each 15g bar (1.5g of yoghurt coating per bar, for those following along at home!) it isn’t something to worry too much about. Palm fat is a source of saturated fat, however these bars contain less than 1g of saturated fat per serve.
Milk solids mean this bar is not dairy-free. Speaking of allergens, this bar is not gluten free due to the presence of oats. Whilst oats technically do not contain gluten, they contain a protein called avenin which is similar to gluten and therefore may produce a reaction in those who cannot tolerate gluten. Oats also tend to be processed in factories that also process other gluten-containing grains, meaning the potential for cross-contamination is high!

Positives

Negatives

The sugar content of these is pretty high, with 38.6g of sugar per 100g. This will definitely concern some people, but please remember it is a fruit based product meaning it’s naturally going to contain some sugar. Each 15g bar contains 5.4g of sugar or just over a teaspoon. This is higher than we would typically like to see in a snack product, but it technically isn’t added sugar. The bar still provides some helpful nutrients, it’s just not something to offer every day.
Less than 1g of fibre per serve – ideally we would like to see at least 3g of fibre per serve of a snack product! Considering this is a fruit and oat-based product, this is incredibly low.

Marketing

Alternatives