I was recently sent a rather generous box of goodies in the form of these Fairtrade Geobars by Traidcraft to review.
They are the UK’s first ever Fairtrade gluten-free bars, offering allergy suffers a delicious snack, which also makes a difference to the lives of farmers around the globe.
The range I was sent consisted of Cocoa & Beetroot, Carrot & Stem Ginger and two Trail bars, Cocoa Crunch and Banana & Walnut.
These are the Fruity range, Carrot & Stem Ginger and Cocoa & Beetroot cut in to bite size chunks.
Nutritional Information (Carrot & Stem Ginger) 33g. Ingredients: Dates 38% Raisins 30% (Raisins, Sunflower Oil), Gluten-Free Oats, Cashew Nuts 7%, Dried Apricot 5%, Stem Ginger 5% (Ginger, Sugar), Ground Ginger 0.3%
Per 100g: 338kcal, Fat 4g (1g Sat), Carbs 73g (54g of which sugars), Fibre 4g, Protein 5g, Salt 0.1g
I loved the Carrot & Stem Ginger bar especially as the ginger flavour really came through. It felt like I was eating carrot cake (which is never a bad thing.) However it was a tad on the sweet side once I had finished a whole bar.
Nutritional Information (Cocoa & Beetroot)33g. Ingredients: Dates 35%, Raisins 30% (Raisins, Sunflower Oil), Gluten-Free Oats, Cashew Nuts 10%, Cocoa Powder 5%, Dried Beetroot 5%, Flavouring
Per 100g: 340kcal, Fat 5g (sat 1g), Carbs 69g (51g of which sugars), Fibre 5g, Protein 7g, Salt 0.g
The Cocoa & Beetroot bar really hit the spot for me. Amazing firm texture, smooth flavour which is important and cocoa can sometimes be overpowering.
Trail Bar
Ingredients: Dates, Raisins (Raisins, Sunflower Oil), Gluten-Free Oats (15%), Soya Crispies (Soy Protein, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Cocoa Powder (4%), Flavouring
Per 45g Bar
151kcal, Fat 1g (0.3g Sat), Carbs 29g (of which sugars 26g, Fibre 2g, Protein 7g, Salt 0.7g
Unfortunately this was my least favourite of the bars I tried (I didn’t get to try the banana walnut due to my naughty toddler spotting it and wolfing it down! Oops!) I found the texture too thick and I wasn’t overly keen on the richness of the cocoa.
Pros: Gluten-Free which will suit coeliacs and those with an intolerance to Gluten. The ingredients on the whole are good and the added oats help to release energy slowly so will keep you fuller for longer when compared to regular snacks. The Fruity bars taste great especially if you have a sweet tooth.
The bars are Fairtrade which is fantastic and something I am an advocate of. And these bars are reasonably priced. Retailing at £2.40 for a pack of 3 Fruity bars and the Trail bars are available in boxes of 20 x 45g bars, with bars retailing at 99p.
Cons: Sadly as tasty at the Carrot & Stem Ginger bar was the overall flavour was too sweet and I wasn’t keen on the fact that it had added sugar, when their was so much natural sugars already. The sugar content of these bars were too high for me to consider them a ‘healthy’ snack, even though it was mainly natural sugars from fruit when you compare the macros to similar fruity bars and trail bars.
The bars are available from 195 of the larger Tesco stores and online at Traidcraftshop