The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of Crunching (Weetabix Alpen Cereal Bars)

Name: cmh4135

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Product:	Weetabix Alpen Cereal Bars
Date:	23/11/05 (387 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Compact snack that is not too bad for you!

Disadvantages: Lots of crumbs, and questionable as a breakfast replacement

Need to eat on the go? Can’t stop for breakfast? The UK market in cereal bars seems to have grown out of all proportion as manufacturers make us think that eating on the go is the way forward and encourage us to spend more and more on pre-packed processed foods that are a “convenience”.

If you detect a hint of cynicism in my voice you are not mistaken. I am a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and should not be compromised. I am also of the opinion that our seemingly hectic lifestyles are not just self-perpetuated, but are actually encouraged by marketing teams anxious to convince us that we need new products to cope.

Sometimes, however, I will have reason to consider cereal bars. Rarely will I eat one at breakfast time but I often have such things in my travel bag (a bag I keep at work for those impromptu business meetings abroad) or in my desk at work as a mid-morning snack.

Alpen launched their own version of the cereal bar in 2002 and it was heavily advertised throughout the London Underground network as well as on TV. Knowing that I used to quite like Alpen cereal I decided to give them a go.

The bars are available in four different flavours, Apple and Blackberry with Yoghurt, Fruit and Nut, Fruit and Nut with Chocolate and Strawberry with Yoghurt. I bought packs of the last two flavours. Each pack contained 6 bars (individually wrapped) and cost just under £2 (I believe) although the bars can also be bought individually.

Each bar weighs in at 29g (so not huge) and looks pretty much like any other cereal bar. The base of the cereal bar is coated in chocolate (in the case of the Fruit and Nut with Chocolate variety) and with yoghurt (in the case of the Strawberry variety). There is a good mix of fruits, nuts and cereal in each bar and the flavour and texture is varied enough to keep life interesting (unlike Jordans’ cereal bars which taste like stuck together sawdust!).

There is no real smell to these products, possibly a slightly sweet nutty smell but nothing that would lure you or put you off.

The bar is definitely a “crunchy” bar as opposed to a “chewy” bar and, if I had one major complaint, it would be that the bar does have a tendency to crumb and you will finish eating one of these needing to have a good brush down! The bar is quite dry, despite the addition of the chocolate or yoghurt layer.

The Strawberry bar had a good number of “strawberry pieces” in it and these added a lightness to the flavour. The Chocolate variety was heavier in consistency and flavour (not unlike a Cadbury Brunch Bar). The bars are fairly sweet but not too sweet in my opinion. I was impressed with the overall flavours and the bar came across as a good quality product, although, in my opinion, not a good substitute for breakfast!

Since these bars are being sold as breakfast substitutes, I do feel that the nutritional information is important. The available protein, fibre, fat and carbohydrates vary across the range. Interestingly, the most calorific bar is NOT the chocolate variety, but the strawberry. The least is the fruit and nut bar. The chocolate variety does seem to be the loser overall though with the least amount of fibre and the most amount of fat. There are added vitamins but not at levels that are really going to make a difference.

All of the bars are suitable for vegetarians but not for vegans and clearly, none are suitable for nut allergy sufferers. They contain both soya and gluten.

All in all I would buy these again as a snack. They are firm enough that they will travel fairly well and would be quite suitable for inclusion in an older child’s lunchbox. I would not give them to younger children as the nut pieces are quite big and as the product is fairly dry there is a fairly high risk of choking. As a breakfast substitute I doubt their worth (in the same way in which I doubt the worth of Nutrigrain bars or Frosties bars).

Summary: Not a bad snack - NOT BREAKFAST