What's for Breakast:: Picking Through a Breakfast Bar

By Ed Bruske

aka The Slow Cook

Here's something I'd never seen before: This fifth grade girl for some reason was picking the insides out of her breakfast bar and making a mound of it on her tray. When I asked her why, she replied: "I just like the crust."

Kids' eating habits never cease to amaze.

Here's what the breakfast bar looks like on the tray before it's been picked over. (Sorry, Blogger won't let me display this photo horizontally.) This particular breakfast bar--called BeneFIT, made by a company called J&J Snack Foods in Pennsauken, N.J.--first appeared in D.C. schools this year.

For some reason, our lunch ladies have taken to removing the breakfast bars from the original packaging before serving it. Is that so parents can't see the nutrition label?

This is what the package looks like.

Here are the listed ingredients:

"Whole wheat flour, sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), dried apples, vegetable shortening (canola oil, palm fruit oil), oats, eggs, invert syrup, molasses, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, corn starch), whey, natural flavors, inulin, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt."

And here's the nutritional information. As you can see, each bar contains a whopping 48 grams of carbohydrates and sugar is the second ingredient--nearly 23 grams of it. That's almost six teaspoons worth, or 84 calories from added sugar.

The American Heart Association recommends that an adult woman consume no more than 100 calories worth of added sugar per day.

READI-BAKE BeneFIT Breakfast Bars - Apple Cinnamon Manufacturer's Product Code 40403

Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 71 g Servings Per Container: N/A Amt Per Serving 1 bar Calories 289.35 Calories from Fat 79.03 Per Serving % Daily Value* Total Fat 8.78g 13.51% Saturated Fat 2.42g 12.1% Trans Fat 0.19g Cholesterol 17.67mg 5.89% Sodium 251.56mg 10.48% Total Carbohydrate 48.13g 16.04% Dietary Fiber 3.31g 13.24% Sugars 22.59g Protein 4.75g Vitamin A 0.76% Vitamin C 0.58% Calcium 2.55% Iron 9.22% Storage/ Handling: Keep Frozen (0° F or below). Shelf life up to one year when stored properly. When thawed at ambient temperature, shelf life is one week. Preparation Instruction: Thaw and serve.

Ingredients: Whole wheat flour, sugar, enriched flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), dried apples, vegetable shortening (canola oil, palm fruit oil), oats, eggs, invert syrup, molasses, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, corn starch), whey, natural flavors, inulin, xanthan gum, cinnamon, salt. Allergen Information: Contains: Eggs,Milk,Soy Beans,Wheat Kosher Type: OU - DAIRY Child Nutrition Statement: The listed serving size contains 31.88g creditable grains of which 16.59g are whole grains. This provides 2 servings of breads/grains under the Child Nutrition Program. Product Specifications: UPC SCC/GTIN Case Pack 073321404031 10073321404038 1 48 Case Dimensions Case Length Case Width Case Height Case Cube Net Weight (Lbs) Gross Weight (Lbs) 12.6875 7.3125 9.125 0.49 7.5 9 Pallet Dimensions Pallet Tier Pallet High Pallet Count 20 7 140