Carbohydrates and Sugars:
The most common problem among the products was finding undeclared amounts of carbohydrates. In fact, a full one-half (15) of the nutrition bars exceeded their claimed levels of carbohydrates, often by large amounts. One product, which described itself as a low carbohydrate diet bar, claimed only 2 grams of carbohydrates, but was found to actually contain 22 grams. A clue as to why this discrepancy existed was a statement written in small type on the product's label indicating that it contained glycerin but that the manufacturer was not counting glycerin as a carbohydrate (contrary to the FDA's position that glycerin be considered a carbohydrate). Glycerin is commonly used in nutrition bars because it adds a sweet taste and moist texture. Many (14) of the products that exceeded their claimed levels of carbohydrates listed glycerin as an ingredient and it is possible that they, too, did not count it as a carbohydrate. The FDA has been sending warning letters to manufacturers about this deceptive practice, informing them that it is in violation of the law. Warning letters have also been sent to manufacturers indicating that the term "Low Carb" is not an FDA-authorized term and should not be used — unlike the terms "Low in Saturated Fat" or "Low Sodium" which carry specific legal definitions.

The results indicate that none of the nutrition bars were particularly low in carbohydrates. Among the bars that passed, carbohydrates contributed approximately 40% to 70% of calories.

Sugars are also counted as carbohydrates and must be shown separately on labeling. Eight products exceeded their sugar claims (6 of these also exceeded their total carbohydrate claims). On average, these products exceeded their claims by 8 grams (2 tsp) of sugar. The average sugar content in bars that passed was about 10 grams per bar.

Sodium:
Sodium (from salt and other sodium-containing ingredients) can elevate blood pressure and is of particular concern to people whose blood pressure is already elevated. Seven products were found to contain more sodium than declared on the label. In fact, four were found to contain 2 to 3 times the claimed amount of sodium, one of which claimed 125 mg of sodium per bar but actually contained 285 mg of sodium. Products that passed had sodium levels ranging from 50 mg to 240 mg per serving. As a reference, "Low Sodium" products must have no more than 140 mg of sodium per serving. A daily intake of more than 2,400 mg of sodium may put even a healthy person at a risk for developing hypertension.

Fat and Saturated Fat:
Two products exceeded their claimed amounts of fat, respectively, by three grams and one and one-half grams. Four products had higher than claimed amounts of "saturated" fat (associated with an increased risk for heart disease). One bar, for example, claimed one gram of saturated fat but had nearly three times that amount. As a reference, a product claiming to be "Low in Saturated Fat" must have less than one gram of saturated fat per serving. Among the products that passed, two had only 0.5 gram of saturated fat per serving, while most others that passed had about 3 grams per serving.

Calories:
All of the products except two were found to have listed their total calories accurately. However, actual calorie counts often far exceeded the calories one would expect from calculating calories based on the labeled amounts of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats listed in the Nutrition Facts or Supplement Facts panels on the products (see ConsumerTips™ for how to calculate calories). In other words, although truthful about the total number of calories, many products "hid" the components that provided the calories — particularly carbohydrates, as described earlier.

Cholesterol:
All of the products were within an acceptable range of their cholesterol claims. Most products had less than 5 mg of cholesterol per serving and only a few claimed as much as 10 mg. These are relatively low amounts of cholesterol (the USDA recommends staying under 300 mg of cholesterol per day).