Company: B.O.S.S. Food Co.

Website: bossfoodco.com

Introduced: January 2019

Distribution: National

Suggested Retail Price: $2.99-$3.99

Product Snapshot: B.O.S.S. Food Co. has reformulated three of its superfood bars to gain additional nutritional benefits from newer clinically-researched functional ingredients with significant increases in vegan protein, up to three times more prebiotic fiber and no added sugar. The bars are being introduced at Expo West, Booth N2241.

The reformulated bars contain between seven and 10 grams of complete protein, an increase of up to six additional grams from fermented shiitake vegetable protein containing all 20 amino acids, said Andrea Spirov, B.O.S.S. founder and CEO. The vegan protein is derived from brown rice and pea protein fermented with shiitake mushrooms. The non-GMO, paleo and grain-free B.O.S.S. bars also have only 3- to 7-grams of sugar, all naturally occurring from fruit. The Move and Smile bars previously had 2 grams of added sugars.

The new bars also now contain medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil. MCTs are beneficial fats that provide quick energy, feelings of satiety, assist athletic performance by decreasing lactate buildup, are linked to brain health and have fewer calories than other fats. MCTs also have been associated with optimizing beneficial gut bacteria and work with newly added prebiotic tapioca fiber in the reformulated bars to feed beneficial gut bacteria, Spirov said. The bars now have from 6 to 9 grams of fiber, an increase of up to 6 grams. All three are free from caffeine, other stimulants and performance enhancing drugs.

The three reformulated bars include the Move Fit Energy bar with functional ingredients selected for sports nutrition, workout fuel, post-workout recovery and energy without stimulants. It now contains an ancient peat and apple extract clinically shown to build ATP, the body’s own energy-boosting compound. The Think Brainpower bar for cognitive performance, attention and concentration has a newly added spearmint extract clinically shown to help with multitasking and concentration. The Smile Upbeat Focus bar has raw cacao for mood lift and provides five-hour focus without caffeine jitters or an energy crash with an added galanga extract clinically shown to enhance mental alertness and focus.

Pre-orders will be taken at Expo West, and the reformulated bars will be available in the second quarter.

“We only use nutrient-dense superfood ingredients, and with the new fermented shiitake vegetable protein, our customers get a high-quality, complete vegan protein with a neutral taste that doesn’t overwhelm those flavorful ingredients,” Spirov said. “Our label is very clean, and we are serious about good nutrition as a path to better health. We plan to continue evaluating newer, clinically studied ingredients like the vegan protein, particularly those that are environmentally sustainable.”

All of the plant-based B.O.S.S. energy bars combine ingredients that research indicates have similar beneficial nutritional properties. The line also includes Restore, which promotes detoxification and immune support, and Dazzle to promote beautiful hair, skin and nails. The bars are free from major allergens including soy, dairy, grains, peanuts and sugar alcohols. Ingredients include nutrient-dense superfoods like blueberries, walnuts, almonds, hemp seeds, aronia berries, maqui berries, noni fruit, rooibos tea and raw cacao powder.

Suggested retail price for the 1.7-ounce bars is $2.99 to $3.99, and they ship 12 to a case and 144 to a master case. More information about B.O.S.S. is available by calling 800-344-8584 and at bossfoodco.com.