Start with the particular ingredient or allergen you need to avoid, then compare protein per bar: a gluten-free or vegan claim does not settle every other allergen question. TREK Original Oat is labelled gluten-free and provides 10g protein per 50g bar; TREK Choc Peanut Butter provides 15g per 55g bar but may contain cereals containing gluten. Check the current pack for the exact variant before choosing.
The relevant free-from claim depends on what you personally need to avoid; the protein figure alone cannot answer that question.
Look for an explicit gluten-free claim on the exact bar. Then check whether oats or other listed ingredients and precautionary allergen statements matter to you. The Food Standards Agency notes that oats must still be emphasised as an allergen in a gluten-free oat product.
Compare the declared protein per bar alongside the vegan claim. TREK lists 10g per 50g Original Oat bar and 15g per 55g Choc Peanut Butter bar, while nākd. lists 7.8g per 45g Caramel bar. Their ingredient and precautionary allergen statements differ, so vegan status is not the final check.
Check the exact flavour and pack rather than relying on a broad free-from description. The manufacturer examples here list ingredients or possible presence of allergens including peanuts, tree nuts, soya, milk, oats and cereals containing gluten; which statements apply varies by bar.
Narrow the choice by the ingredient you need to avoid, then compare the nutrition declaration for the portion you will actually eat.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Free-from claim | Find the explicit claim on the exact variant; check the ingredients separately for other allergens. The Food Standards Agency says a UK gluten-free claim means no more than 20 mg/kg gluten in the food as sold, but gluten-free oats must still be identified as oats. | I need a bar that addresses my specific restriction, not one that merely carries a different free-from claim. |
| Protein per bar | Read the per-bar figure and serving size, rather than comparing front-of-pack wording. TREK declares 15g per 55g Choc Peanut Butter bar and 10g per 50g Original Oat bar; nākd. declares 7.8g per 45g Caramel bar. | A single bar needs to make a useful contribution to my eating plan, provided its ingredients are suitable for me. |
| Possible allergen presence | Read both the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ statement on the current pack. The Food Standards Agency describes precautionary allergen labelling as information about possible unintended presence through cross-contact. | Even when the listed ingredients look suitable, I need to know whether the pack warns about an allergen I avoid. |
| Whole-bar nutrition | Check energy, sugars and protein for one bar, as well as any per 100g figures. Keep the stated portion size alongside each number when comparing different products. | I want to see how the entire snack fits into my wider food choices, rather than choosing on protein alone. |
Gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan describe different product characteristics. For example, nākd. Caramel is labelled gluten-free and dairy-free but lists peanuts and almonds as ingredients.
Identify the ingredient you need to avoid, then read the exact pack’s ingredients and precautionary allergen statement.
A per 100g figure and a per-bar figure answer different questions. The bars described here also come in different serving sizes, so a large protein figure by itself gives an incomplete picture of one snack.
Compare protein, energy and sugars for the whole bar you intend to eat, keeping each product’s stated serving size in view.
TREK labels Original Oat gluten-free, whereas its Choc Peanut Butter bar says it may contain cereals containing gluten. A range name does not establish the allergen statement for another flavour.
Check the current label for the precise product and flavour, including any ‘may contain’ wording.
These examples show why brand names are only a starting point: protein declarations and allergen statements belong to individual products.
TREK lists both Protein Flapjacks and chocolate-coated protein bars, with different protein amounts and allergen statements.
Nature Valley labels its Protein Peanut & Chocolate bar gluten-free and declares around 10g protein per 40g bar.
nākd. describes its Caramel protein bar as vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free, with 7.8g protein per 45g bar.
Eat Natural describes its Maple Syrup, Pecan & Peanut Protein Bar as vegan and gluten-free, with 7.3g protein per 40g bar.
Alpen has a Protein Bar product listing, but a brand or range name is not a substitute for the precise bar’s label.
These Nature Valley protein bars and TREK flapjacks are options to examine if you are shopping for a protein snack with a particular free-from requirement. Check each pack’s own declaration before treating a flavour as suitable.
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For a gluten-free shortlist, Nature Valley labels this Peanut & Chocolate bar gluten-free and declares around 10g protein per 40g bar. It lists peanut, soya and milk ingredients and says it may contain other tree nuts; check the current pack.
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If you are comparing free-from claims across Nature Valley flavours, check this Salted Caramel Nut variant’s own label rather than applying the Peanut & Chocolate bar’s declaration to it. The listed format is four 40g bars; read the current pack for protein per bar and allergens.
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This eight-bar format is relevant if you prefer individual 40g portions. Check this pack’s gluten-free declaration, protein per bar and allergen statements rather than assuming that details from a different pack format are unchanged.
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For an oat-flapjack format, this pack contains three 50g portions. If you need a gluten-free or vegan bar, check the Salted Caramel variant’s own claims and full allergen statement; TREK’s declarations for other flavours do not establish this one’s status.
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The Cocoa Oat flapjack comes in a sixteen-bar, 50g-per-bar format. Because oats and other allergens may matter independently of a gluten-free claim, check this precise variant’s ingredients, precautionary statement and protein declaration on the current pack.
No. The Food Standards Agency says oats must still be emphasised as an allergen when they are present in a gluten-free or very-low-gluten food. If you avoid oats, check the current ingredients and any relevant precautionary statement rather than relying on the gluten-free claim.
No. A vegan claim is not an all-allergen claim: TREK describes Original Oat as vegan but says it may contain milk, while nākd. Caramel lists peanuts and almonds. Check the exact product’s ingredients and ‘may contain’ wording for the allergens relevant to you.
It is precautionary allergen information about possible unintended presence through cross-contact. The Food Standards Agency says such labelling is intended to communicate an unavoidable residual cross-contamination risk. If the named allergen matters to you, do not treat a suitable-looking ingredients list as cancelling that statement.
There is no single per-bar figure that answers every shopper’s needs. Manufacturer declarations for the examples here include 7.3g per 40g Eat Natural Maple Syrup, Pecan & Peanut bar, 10g per 50g TREK Original Oat bar and 15g per 55g TREK Choc Peanut Butter bar. Compare the stated portion with your own eating plan, after checking allergen suitability.
Ingredients and nutrition information can change when a food is reformulated, as Tesco’s grocery product guidance cautions. Read the current pack for the precise flavour and format, especially when an allergen or free-from claim determines your choice.