Millville Strawberry Bars offer a convenient and tasty snack option for those on the go. These soft-baked cereal bars combine wholesome oats with a sweet strawberry filling, providing a quick energy boost without artificial colors or flavors.
Each Millville Strawberry Fruit & Grain Bar contains 130 calories, making it a moderate calorie choice for a snack or light breakfast. The bars come individually wrapped in boxes of eight, allowing for easy portioning and transport. Their compact size makes them ideal for lunchboxes, office drawers, or gym bags.
While these bars offer some nutritional benefits, it’s important to consider their overall composition. They contain real fruit and whole grains, but also include added sugars. As part of a balanced diet, Millville Strawberry Bars can be enjoyed in moderation as a quick and convenient snack option.
Millville Company Overview
Millville is a private label brand owned by ALDI, a global discount supermarket chain. The company produces a variety of affordable grocery items, including cereal bars and granola products.
Millville focuses on offering value-priced alternatives to popular name-brand foods. Their product line includes breakfast cereals, snack bars, and other pantry staples.
The brand’s cereal bars come in several flavors, with strawberry being a popular option. These bars are designed to provide a convenient, on-the-go breakfast or snack choice for consumers.
Millville’s granola products are part of their broader breakfast and snack food offerings. These items cater to health-conscious shoppers looking for wholesome options at competitive prices.
Quality control is a priority for Millville, as they aim to maintain consumer trust in their products. The company strives to use simple, recognizable ingredients in many of their food items.
Millville products are exclusively sold at ALDI stores, making them widely accessible across the retailer’s extensive network of locations. This distribution strategy helps keep costs down for consumers.
Strawberry Bars Overview
Millville Strawberry Bars are a popular breakfast and snack option. These fruit and grain cereal bars feature a strawberry filling encased in a soft, baked outer layer.
The bars contain real strawberry puree concentrate, providing a natural fruit flavor. Each bar weighs approximately 37 grams and offers a convenient, portable snack.
Key Ingredients:
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn syrup
- Strawberry puree concentrate
- Sugar
- Modified corn starch
Nutritional highlights per bar:
- Calories: 130-140
- Fat: Low fat
- Carbohydrates: Primary macronutrient
These bars are designed to provide a quick energy boost. The combination of grains and fruit aims to offer a balance of sustained energy and natural sweetness.
Millville Strawberry Bars can be part of a varied diet. They offer a convenient option for busy mornings or as an on-the-go snack. However, consumers should note the presence of added sugars in the ingredients list.
Nutritional Profile
Millville Strawberry Bars offer a mix of macronutrients and micronutrients in a convenient snack format. These cereal bars provide energy primarily from carbohydrates, with small amounts of fat and protein.
Macronutrients
One Millville Strawberry Bar contains 130 calories. The macronutrient breakdown is 76% carbohydrates, 21% fat, and 3% protein. Each bar weighs approximately 37 grams.
Total carbohydrates make up the largest portion of the bar’s nutritional content. Sugars contribute significantly to the carbohydrate count. The bars contain a small amount of dietary fiber.
Fat content is moderate, with some saturated fat present. Trans fat content is not specified in the available information.
Protein content is relatively low compared to the other macronutrients.
Vitamins and Minerals
Millville Strawberry Bars contain several important vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A is present in notable amounts, providing 25% of the Daily Value per bar.
The bars also contain calcium and iron, though specific amounts are not provided in the search results.
Sodium is present, but the exact quantity is not specified. Potassium content is not mentioned in the available information.
Other micronutrients like vitamin C, vitamin D, niacin, riboflavin, folic acid, and zinc may be present, but their quantities are not specified in the search results.
Ingredient Analysis
Millville strawberry bars contain a mix of grains, sweeteners, and additives to create their texture and flavor. The ingredients can be categorized into several key groups that contribute to the bars’ nutritional profile and taste.
Core Ingredients
The base of Millville strawberry bars consists of whole grains and wheat products. Whole grain rolled oats provide fiber and nutrients. Enriched wheat flour and whole wheat flour add structure and additional nutrients. These grains form the primary substance of the bars, contributing to their chewy texture and providing some nutritional value.
Malted barley flour may be included to enhance flavor and texture. Steel cut oats or old fashioned oats could be used to vary the texture and increase the whole grain content. The combination of these grains gives the bars their characteristic dense, chewy consistency.
Sweeteners
Several sweeteners are used to give the bars their sweet taste. High fructose corn syrup and corn syrup are likely the primary sweeteners due to their low cost and ability to keep the bars moist. Regular sugar may also be added for additional sweetness.
Honey might be included in small amounts for flavor. Maltodextrin, a carbohydrate derived from corn, can act as both a sweetener and a thickener. These sweeteners contribute significantly to the calorie content of the bars.
Additives and Preservatives
Various additives help maintain the bars’ texture and shelf life. Sodium alginate, derived from seaweed, acts as a stabilizer. Modified corn starch thickens the filling and improves texture. Methylcellulose may be used as a binding agent.
Preservatives like TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) help prevent rancidity in fats. Sorbitan monostearate acts as an emulsifier. Potassium bicarbonate might be included as a leavening agent or pH regulator.
Flavors and Enhancers
Natural and artificial flavors are added to enhance the strawberry taste. Citric acid and malic acid provide tartness and act as preservatives. Artificial colors like Red 40 and Blue 2 may be used to give the filling a more appealing strawberry color.
Natural and artificial vanilla flavors could be included to complement the strawberry taste. These flavoring agents are crucial in creating the characteristic taste of the bars without using large amounts of real fruit.
Fats and Oils
A vegetable oil blend is likely used in the bars, with palm kernel oil being a common choice due to its stability and texture-enhancing properties. These oils contribute to the bars’ mouthfeel and help bind the ingredients together.
The fats also play a role in the bars’ shelf stability and prevent them from becoming too dry. While providing necessary functions, these oils also increase the calorie and fat content of the bars.
Dietary Considerations
Millville Strawberry Bars present several dietary factors to consider. These include allergen content, fiber levels, sugar amounts, and potential alternatives for health-conscious consumers.
Allergens
Millville Strawberry Bars contain wheat, milk, and soy ingredients. Wheat gluten and nonfat dry milk are common components. Soy lecithin serves as an emulsifier. These allergens pose risks for individuals with celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, lactose intolerance, or soy allergies.
Consumers with nut allergies should exercise caution. While nuts aren’t primary ingredients, cross-contamination during production is possible. The packaging typically includes allergen warnings for those with specific dietary restrictions.
Dietary Fiber Content
Fiber content in Millville Strawberry Bars is moderate. They contain wheat bran and soluble corn fiber, contributing to the overall dietary fiber amount. A single bar provides approximately 1-2 grams of fiber.
This fiber content supports digestive health and helps maintain feelings of fullness. However, it falls short of daily fiber recommendations for most adults. Incorporating additional high-fiber foods into the diet remains important for optimal health benefits.
Sugar Content
Millville Strawberry Bars contain both natural and added sugars. The strawberry filling contributes natural fruit sugars. Added sugars are used to enhance sweetness and flavor.
A typical bar contains around 11-13 grams of total sugars. This amount represents a significant portion of the recommended daily sugar intake. For individuals monitoring sugar consumption, these bars should be consumed in moderation.
Healthy Alternatives
For those seeking healthier options, several alternatives exist:
- Greek yogurt protein chewy bars: Higher in protein, lower in sugar
- Trail mix: Provides nuts, seeds, and dried fruits without added sugars
- Leather fruit bars: Made from concentrated fruit, offering natural sweetness
Homemade granola bars allow control over ingredients and sugar content. Adding fresh fruits to plain yogurt creates a nutritious snack with less sugar. Whole fruits paired with nuts or seeds offer fiber, healthy fats, and natural sweetness without processed ingredients.
Caloric Content
Millville Strawberry Fruit & Grain Cereal Bars contain 130 calories per bar. This calorie count applies to a single 37-gram serving.
The 130 calories in each bar provide a moderate energy boost. It’s equivalent to about 6.5% of a 2,000-calorie daily diet, which is often used as a general nutrition guideline.
For those tracking macronutrients, the calorie breakdown is:
- 76% from carbohydrates
- 21% from fat
- 3% from protein
Understanding the caloric content helps consumers make informed choices about incorporating these bars into their diet. The 130-calorie serving size can fit into various meal plans or serve as a quick snack.
It’s important to note that calorie needs vary based on factors like age, gender, weight, and activity level. Consulting a healthcare professional or nutritionist can provide personalized guidance on how these bars fit into individual dietary requirements.
Serving Size and Portion Control
Millville Strawberry Bars come in individual wrapped portions for convenient snacking. Each bar weighs approximately 37 grams, which is the standard serving size.
The single-bar serving makes it easy to monitor calorie intake. One bar provides around 130-140 calories, depending on the specific product variant.
Portion control is simplified with these pre-packaged bars. Consumers can easily grab one bar for a quick snack or include it as part of a balanced breakfast or lunch.
For those watching their calorie intake, it’s important to note that eating multiple bars will increase the calorie count proportionally. Sticking to the single-bar serving helps maintain intended nutritional intake.
The 37-gram serving size of Millville Strawberry Bars aligns with many other cereal and granola bar products on the market. This standardization aids in comparing nutritional values across different brands.
Nutritional information on the packaging is typically based on this single-bar serving size. This allows for straightforward interpretation of the nutritional facts when consuming one bar.
Comparative Analysis
Millville Strawberry Bars can be evaluated against other popular snack options to understand their relative nutritional value and appeal.
Similar Snack Options
Cereal bars often compete with potato chips, crackers, and pretzels in the snack aisle. Millville Strawberry Bars typically contain around 130 calories per serving, which is comparable to many cereal bar brands.
Potato chips generally have higher fat content but fewer carbohydrates. A 1-ounce serving of chips averages 150 calories.
Crackers vary widely in nutritional content. Some whole grain options provide fiber and protein, while others are primarily refined carbohydrates. Calorie counts range from 80-150 per serving.
Pretzels are often lower in calories, with about 110 calories per 1-ounce serving. They tend to be low in fat but high in sodium.
Cereal bars like Millville’s often contain added sugars and artificial ingredients. However, they may offer more vitamins and minerals than some alternatives.