Selling a healthier lifestyle — one bar at a time

Another category that represents strong growth opportunity within the OTC aisles is meal replacement bars. For the 52 weeks ended Jan. 24, sales of intrinsic health value bars totaled $2.3 billion, up 7.5% across total U.S. multi-outlets, according to IRI.

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But the category leaders in this space are about more than just creating an incremental sales lift or swapping dollar shares. These companies are about embodying a lifestyle choice, one that represents healthier snacking, and also leading a healthier life that incorporates a focus on making the world a better place.



That’s what the best-selling nutrition bar, Clif Bar, and two fast up-and-coming companies, Kind Nuts and Spices and Quest Bar, all have in common — a vision that attracts loyal, aspirational millennials to their respective brands.



And the companies are just as likely to tout an initiative that has nothing to do with their latest flavor innovations and everything to do with activism and philanthropy.



For example, last fall Clif Bar launched a joint effort with the National Young Farmers Coalition to support pending federal legislation that would remove one of the key obstacles preventing young farmers from starting to farm — student loan debt. And Kind in January established its philanthropic arm, the Kind Foundation, which established an inaugural philanthropic program called KIND People that aims to celebrate and support individuals who embody kindness.