For a picnic lunch, compare protein per individual bar rather than relying on the word “protein” on the wrapper. The nutrition panels for Nature Valley Salted Caramel Nut, TREK Smooth Lemon and Nakd Peanut Butter list 10.4g, 9.5g and 7.6g respectively, but their portions differ; sugars, ingredients and the exact pack’s allergen information also matter, particularly when sharing food.
If a bar will be one part of lunch, the protein figure for the bar you will actually eat is more useful than a claim on the front of the pack. The Nature Valley, TREK and Nakd examples above contain different amounts of protein in differently sized bars.
Choose by the suitability statement for the exact flavour, not the brand name. Tesco Groceries lists its TREK Smooth Lemon Protein Flapjack as vegan and gluten-free, and its Nakd Peanut Butter Protein bar as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
Check every pack before serving it. The examples include products containing peanuts and other allergens, while precautionary “may contain” information also differs by product. A dietary label such as vegan or gluten-free does not answer every allergy question.
Start with the portion you plan to pack, then read its nutrition and ingredients information together. A larger bar, a protein claim or a no-added-sugar label cannot answer all three questions on its own.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Protein per bar | Compare declared grams for one bar and note its weight. Nature Valley UK lists 10.4g per 40g Salted Caramel Nut bar; Tesco Groceries lists 9.5g per 50g TREK Smooth Lemon flapjack and 7.6g per 45g Nakd Peanut Butter bar. | I want to know what the portion in my picnic bag contributes, rather than compare pack-front wording. |
| Sugars and energy | Read “of which sugars” and energy for the individual serving. Tesco Groceries lists 13g sugars per bar for both its 50g TREK Smooth Lemon and 45g Nakd Peanut Butter examples; no added sugar does not mean sugar-free. | If the bar is going alongside lunch, I want to judge its sugars and portion in the context of everything else I am packing. |
| Fibre and ingredients | Check fibre per bar alongside protein, then read the ingredients to see what the particular recipe contains. Keep figures tied to the stated flavour and portion size. | I may prefer a fruit-and-nut bar or an oat flapjack, but I still want to compare their actual labels. |
| Dietary suitability | Check the exact pack’s vegan, gluten-free or dairy-free statement where relevant, plus its ingredients and precautionary allergen information. The Food Standards Agency says allergens present in UK prepacked food must be emphasised in the ingredients list. | When I share bars, everyone needs to be able to check the wrapper against their own dietary requirements. |
| Picnic packing | Check the wrapper’s condition, best-before information and storage instructions. Plan the bar as one part of the food packed for lunch. | I need something practical to carry without treating one snack bar as the whole lunch. The NHS Eatwell Guide considers dietary balance over a day or week, not necessarily every meal. |
The named Nature Valley, TREK and Nakd examples list 10.4g, 9.5g and 7.6g protein per bar respectively, and the bars weigh 40g, 50g and 45g.
Compare the per-bar protein figure first, then check the other nutrition information and ingredients for the flavour you intend to buy.
Tesco Groceries lists the no-added-sugar Nakd Peanut Butter Protein bar as containing 13g sugars per 45g bar.
Use the “of which sugars” figure for the portion you will eat when comparing it with another bar.
Ingredients and precautionary allergen statements vary between products and flavours. A vegan or gluten-free statement does not establish suitability for someone avoiding peanuts, nuts, soy or milk.
Keep the individual wrappers available and check their current allergen information before sharing bars.
Snack bars vary beyond their protein figures. In a November 2025 analysis of 458 snack bars from 10 UK retailers, Action on Salt & Sugar found that 37% of the analysed bars were high in sugars and 55% were high in saturated fat under UK front-of-pack thresholds. Those figures describe the analysed snack bars overall, not every protein bar.
Read the chosen bar’s own label and pack other suitable lunch foods alongside it. The NHS Eatwell Guide frames dietary balance across a day or week.
These ranges offer different bar formats; check the exact product rather than carrying a flavour’s nutrition or dietary claims across an entire brand.
Its Protein Salted Caramel Nut bar is a 40g nut-based example with 10.4g protein per bar, according to Nature Valley UK.
TREK offers Protein Flapjacks and a separate High Protein bar line; its own range information describes different protein amounts for those formats.
The Peanut Butter Protein bar is a 45g fruit-and-nut style option listed by Tesco Groceries as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.
Its protein fruit-and-nut range includes recipes built around ingredients such as almonds, peanuts and seeds, according to Eat Natural UK.
Graze offers several snack formats, including oat flapjacks, and describes plant protein or fibre among the benefits of its wider range.
These Joybuy listings include nut-based protein bars, oat flapjacks and a chocolate protein bar that could be packed as part of a picnic lunch. Check each flavour’s current label for the nutrition and dietary details that matter to your group.
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A portioned nut-based bar for a picnic lunch. Joybuy lists 10.4g protein per 40g serving and identifies almonds, milk, peanuts and soy as allergens; check the individual pack before sharing.
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An oat-flapjack format if you prefer it to a nut-based bar. Compare the Cocoa Oat flavour’s own per-bar nutrition, ingredients and dietary statements before packing it for others.
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A salted-caramel flapjack option in 50g portions. Check this flavour’s protein, sugars and allergen statement rather than applying figures from another TREK flapjack.
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A peanut-and-chocolate cereal-bar format with 40g bars. Read this variant’s nutrition panel and allergen statement separately from those of Salted Caramel Nut.
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A double-chocolate protein-bar format in 50g portions. If packing for a group, check this product’s per-bar nutrition, sweeteners and full allergen information on its current pack.
Compare protein in the nutrition table for each individual bar. Nature Valley UK lists 10.4g per 40g Salted Caramel Nut bar, while Tesco Groceries lists 9.5g per 50g TREK Smooth Lemon flapjack and 7.6g per 45g Nakd Peanut Butter bar. Note the different portion sizes rather than assuming the product names describe equivalent servings.
No: the claims describe different things. Tesco Groceries lists the no-added-sugar Nakd Peanut Butter Protein bar as containing 13g sugars per 45g bar. Check “of which sugars” for the serving you intend to eat.
Check the exact wrapper’s ingredients and precautionary allergen information before serving. Food Standards Agency guidance says allergens present in UK prepacked food must be emphasised in the ingredients list; the named Nature Valley and Nakd examples contain peanuts, and allergen statements differ across the products.
A protein figure alone does not describe the rest of a lunch. Pack other suitable foods if needed; the NHS Eatwell Guide considers dietary balance across a day or week rather than requiring every meal to have the same composition.
Follow that bar’s storage instructions, keep its wrapper intact and check its best-before information before packing. Retaining the wrapper also lets others read the ingredients and allergens before eating.