Start with the calories in the whole bar you expect to eat, then check its weight, sugars, saturates and any nutrients or allergens that matter to you. In the products compared here, Tesco lists Graze Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts at 122 kcal per 30g bar and nākd. lists Cocoa Orange at 138 kcal per 35g bar; the larger fruit-and-nut and protein bars have different portions and trade-offs, so compare per 100g as well as per bar.
If you are stocking the cupboard for the week, check the calories and weight of each individual bar. Tesco lists its 30g Graze Sticky Toffee Oat Boost at 122 kcal, while TREK lists its 50g Original Oat bar at 219 kcal; those are different-sized portions.
If those nutrients matter for a particular snack, read their per-bar amounts alongside calories. Nature Valley lists 10.2g protein and 4.4g fibre in its 40g Protein Peanut & Chocolate bar; TREK lists 10g protein in its 50g Original Oat bar.
Check the current pack for each flavour rather than treating fruit-and-nut, oat and protein bars as interchangeable. A gluten-free or vegan description does not answer every allergen question.
For a weekly shop, compare the portion you are likely to eat before using per-100g figures to compare bars of different sizes.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Portion and calories | Check kcal for one whole bar, its weight and whether the labelled serving is one bar. Use kcal per 100g to compare different sizes. | I want to know what the snack I actually eat contributes, not just compare numbers from differently sized bars. |
| Sugars and saturates | Read “of which sugars” and saturates per bar and per 100g. Check the ingredients alongside claims on the front of the pack. | A “no added sugar” or fruit-based description alone will not tell me the total sugars in a bar. |
| Protein and fibre | Compare grams per bar alongside its weight and calories. Nature Valley lists 10.2g protein and 4.4g fibre for its 40g Protein Peanut & Chocolate bar; TREK lists 10g protein for its 50g Original Oat bar. | For some snacks, I may give protein or fibre more attention than the lowest per-bar calorie figure. |
| Dietary suitability | Read the current ingredients, highlighted allergens and “may contain” wording for the exact flavour. Check dietary claims separately. | If I need to avoid an ingredient, a vegan or gluten-free label cannot replace the full allergen check. |
A smaller bar can have fewer calories per item partly because the portion is smaller; that figure does not describe its other nutrients.
Check kcal per bar first, then compare per 100g and the sugars, saturates, fibre or protein relevant to your choice.
nākd. lists 15g total sugars in a 35g Cocoa Orange bar despite its no-added-sugar description.
Read the total-sugars line per bar and per 100g rather than relying on the front-of-pack wording.
A multipack count does not tell you the size of one snack. The bars discussed here include 30g, 35g, 40g and 50g portions.
Check the weight of one bar and how many you plan to use during the week; use per-100g values for a separate comparison of differently sized bars.
Bars described as gluten-free or vegan can still contain, or carry “may contain” statements for, other allergens.
Read the ingredients and allergen statement on the current pack of the exact flavour before buying it for someone with an allergy.
These examples show why the exact bar and serving size matter more than a brand name alone.
Tesco lists Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts as a 4 × 30g pack, with 122 kcal and 4.7g fibre per boost.
Nature Valley lists 196 kcal, 10.2g protein and 4.4g fibre per 40g Protein Peanut & Chocolate bar.
Alpen’s product-availability information lists Alpen Light Chocolate & Orange among bar products no longer being made.
Eat Natural lists 194 kcal, 14.3g sugars and 7.4g saturates per 40g Cashew & Blueberry bar.
nākd. lists 138 kcal and 15g total sugars per 35g Cocoa Orange bar, which it describes as having no added sugar.
TREK lists 219 kcal, 10g protein and 2g fibre per 50g Original Oat bar.
These multipacks and protein bars offer different individual-bar sizes and flavours for a weekly shop. Check the nutrition and allergen information for the exact product before choosing.
Image unavailableA four-pack of individually sized oat bars for planning snacks across the week. Check the Cherry Bakewell nutrition panel rather than applying figures from another Graze flavour.
Image unavailableAnother four-pack with 30g bars if you are comparing oat-bar flavours for the week. Use this flavour’s own label for calories, ingredients and allergens.
Image unavailableThis six-pack has smaller individual bars than the 30g oat-bar packs above. Compare both the whole-bar and per-100g nutrition values when deciding whether its portion suits your plans.
Image unavailableA protein-bar multipack to consider if you want a 50g bar rather than a smaller cereal-bar portion. Check its per-bar calories and protein on the Double Chocolate pack.
Image unavailableThis twelve-pack also contains 50g protein bars, in Golden Caramel flavour. Read this variant’s own nutrition and allergen panel rather than assuming it matches Double Chocolate.
Compare kcal for the complete bar you intend to eat, then check kcal per 100g when sizes differ. Tesco lists Graze Sticky Toffee Oat Boosts at 122 kcal per 30g boost, while nākd. lists Cocoa Orange at 138 kcal per 35g bar; those figures describe their stated portions, not every product from either brand.
No: nākd. describes Cocoa Orange as having no added sugar but lists 15g total sugars per 35g bar. Read the total-sugars and energy lines alongside the claim.
Use both: per-bar figures describe the labelled portion, while per-100g figures help compare products of different weights. The NHS notes that nutrition information is given per 100g and may also be shown per portion; check whether that portion matches what you will eat.
Yes. Nature Valley says its gluten-free Protein Peanut & Chocolate bar contains peanuts, soya and milk and may contain tree nuts. Check the current pack of the exact bar for its full allergen statement.
Do not assume an older listing identifies a current bar: Alpen’s product-availability information names Alpen Light Chocolate & Orange among products no longer being made. Check any product you find against its current pack and nutrition panel.