Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'N Honey Granola Bars

Nature Valley
Contains seed oils
16 Poor
$12.56 · 60 bars · 44.7 oz
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Summary

Nature Valley Crunchy Oats 'N Honey scores 16/100. America's #1 granola bar hides behind a 'nature' brand name while delivering canola/sunflower seed oils, sugar as the second ingredient, brown sugar syrup, soy lecithin, and vague natural flavor. Only 2g protein per bar with 12g sugar. The green packaging and mountain imagery is textbook health-washing — this is a cookie marketed as a health food.

At a glance

Beneficial ingredients 2
Harmful ingredients 4
Owned by General Mills
Category Snack Bars

Contaminants 1

Source: Anresco Laboratories

Glyphosate
Detected
High

Detected at a high level — at or above health-based exposure limits. Regular exposure at this level is a genuine health concern. Glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen by IARC.

EWG 2019 oat-based snack bar testing and Food Democracy Now / The Detox Project (Anresco Laboratories, FDA-registered, LC-MS/MS) confirmed positive for glyphosate.

Key ingredients 10

Whole Grain Oats
Good

Whole grain oats provide fiber, beta-glucan, and complex carbohydrates for sustained energy. The primary ingredient and the only genuinely healthy component.

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Honey
Good

Natural sweetener with trace enzymes and antioxidants. However, it's the fifth ingredient — far less than the sugar and brown sugar syrup that precede it.

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Sugar
Bad

Refined sugar is the second ingredient by weight — meaning this bar contains more sugar than any other ingredient except oats. 12g sugar per serving for a 42g bar is 29% sugar by weight.

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Canola and/or Sunflower Oil
Very Bad

Refined seed oils high in pro-inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. Industrially processed with chemical solvents. The 'and/or' label means the manufacturer uses whichever is cheapest.

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Brown Sugar Syrup
Bad

A second processed sweetener stacked on top of refined sugar. Two sugar sources in a granola bar is a hallmark of ultra-processing.

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Soy Lecithin
Bad

Highly processed emulsifier extracted from soybeans using chemical solvents. Typically derived from GMO soybeans.

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Rice Flour
Neutral

Refined grain flour used as a filler and texture agent. Minimal nutritional value.

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Salt
Neutral

Standard flavor enhancer.

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Baking Soda
Neutral

Leavening agent. Functional and benign.

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Natural Flavor
Neutral

Ambiguous flavoring compound. Vague but common.

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Processing

Group 4 · Ultra-processed

Ultra-Processed Foods

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