We all know that nutrition bars come with promises of performance and energy, but how much are they really worth?
PowerBar nutrition bars—along with the rest of the brand's sporty products—could reportedly sell for hundreds of millions of dollars if Nestle decides to part ways with them. The move would be part of a larger effort by the company to get rid of underperforming business units, and PowerBar emerged early on as potentially being in play.

(Image credit: Flickr user The Master Shake Signal)
But just because Nestle might want to sell PowerBar, don't fool yourself into thinking the brand is a lightweight. According to information Food Dive obtained from the market research publisher Packaged Facts, 12.2% of adults who consume nutrition bars are PowerBar customers. That percentage was high enough in spring of 2013 to earn PowerBar the No. 3 slot in terms of usage rate rankings among U.S. adults.
Who is keeping them down? Have a look below, and you'll see that category innovators at Clif Bar (a company with an interesting story behind it) currently dominates the space at No. 1. Kashi comes in right behind Clif at No. 2, and the top five spots are rounded out by Slim-Fast and Luna.
Here's the rest of the lineup:
Top Nutrition Bar Brands by Usage Rates Among Nutrition Bar Purchasers (U.S. adults)
- CLIF 21.1%
- KASHI 15.8%
- POWERBAR (ORIGINAL) 12.2%
- SLIM-FAST SNACK BARS 9.7%
- LUNA 9.3%
- PURE PROTEIN 8.7%
- ATKINS ADVANTAGE BAR 7.7%
- BALANCE BAR 7.7%
- ZONE PERFECT 5.6%
- GATORADE ENERGY BAR 5.2%
- SNICKERS MARATHON 3.8%
- GLUCERNA 3.6%
- TIGER'S MILK 3.5%
- ADVANTEDGE (EAS) 2.3%
- MYOPLEX (EAS) 1.9%
Source: Packaged Facts, based on Experian Marketing Services, Simmons National Consumer Survey, Spring 2013 survey (adult weight)
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