Nature Valley granola bars are a classic, convenient snack providing a quick boost of energy during hikes, on the way to work, or as part of a school lunch. If you’re new to veganism, you may be wondering if these popular granola bars fit into a vegan diet.
Are any Nature Valley bars vegan? To answer this question, let’s take a closer look at the different varieties of Nature Valley bars and their ingredients.
Introduction to Nature Valley
Nature Valley is a popular granola and snack bar brand owned by General Mills. They’re best known for their crunchy granola bars rich in whole grain oats.
Are Nature Valley bars vegan?
Unfortunately, Nature Valley doesn’t offer any vegan-friendly bars. None are vegan certified and the word “vegan” isn’t used in any of their marketing materials.
To confirm this, I contacted customer service on 4/10/24 and received the following response:
“If you are looking for vegan products, we label all vegan products clearly as vegan. If a product is not labeled as vegan, then it likely contains an ingredient or has been processed in a manner that would not allow it to be called vegan, like sugar processed with bone char.”
Many bars are clearly non-vegan, containing dairy ingredients like whey and milk. Many also contain honey. Other bars seem like they might be vegan at first glance, but unfortunately contain sugar and natural flavors.
Most sugar in the United States is processed with animal bone char to remove impurities. Exceptions include organic and raw sugar, neither of which are used in Nature Valley products.
“Natural flavors” is a vague term. These flavors are derived from natural sources which may be animal-based unless otherwise specified. Unfortunately, all products without natural flavors still contain non-organic sugar, which Nature Valley indicates is not vegan-friendly.
In case you’d like to take a closer look for yourself, I’ve included a list of Non-Vegan Nature Valley Bars and their problematic ingredients below:
- Crunchy Granola Bars:
- Roasted Almond (sugar, natural flavors)
- Pecan (sugar, natural flavors)
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate (sugar, natural flavors)
- Peanut Butter (sugar)
- Oats ‘N Dark Chocolate (sugar, natural flavors)
- Maple Brown Sugar (sugar, natural flavors)
- Cinnamon (sugar)
- Apple Crisp (sugar, natural flavors)
- Oats ‘N Honey (honey)
- Fruit & Nut Bars
- Trail Mix (sugar, natural flavors)
- Dark Chocolate Cherry (sugar, natural flavors)
- Dark Chocolate & Nut (sugar, natural flavors)
- Cranberry Pomegranate (sugar, natural flavors)
- Savory Nut Crunch Bars
- Everything Bagel (sugar, natural flavors)
- Smoky BBQ (sugar, natural flavors)
- White Cheddar (cheddar cheese, whey)
- Protein Bars
- Berry Blend Protein Smoothie (whey protein isolate, yogurt powder, nonfat milk)
- Salted Caramel Nut (whey protein concentrate, nonfat milk)
- Peanut, Almond, & Dark Chocolate (whey protein concentrate)
- Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate (whey protein concentrate)
- Blueberry Nut (whey protein concentrate, nonfat milk, honey)
- Sweet & Salty
- Salted Caramel Chocolate (whey)
- Roasted Mixed Nut (whey, honey)
- Peanut (whey, honey)
- Dark Chocolate, Peanut, & Almond (whey, milk, honey)
- Chocolate Pretzel (nonfat milk)
- Cashew (whey, honey)
- Almond (whey, honey)
The oils used in Nature Valley bars, while vegan and heart-healthy, would also make them inappropriate for people following a Whole Food Plant-Based No Oil Diet.
Vegan Nature Valley alternatives
Fortunately, other brands offer bars appropriate for 100% plant-based diets. A few examples include:
- KIND Breakfast Protein bars
- Larabar
- Bobo’s Oat Bars (their Protein Bars are not vegan)
- Made Good Mornings Soft Baked Bars
Summary
To recap, Nature Valley has confirmed that none of its bars are vegan-friendly. Some contain ingredients that are clearly non-vegan, such as milk, whey protein, cheese, and honey, while others contain sugar filtered through animal bone char.
While this is disappointing, there are other vegan snack bars available at major grocery stores and online. And if all else fails, you can always try making your own granola bars at home!
The scientific information in this article was accurate at the time of publishing but may change over time as new research becomes available.
