It was only a matter of time before the world’s largest retailer (yes, Wal-Mart) started selling a Clif Bar alternative under their Great Value brand for a lower price. Is it worth saving money with this Clif Bar alternative? In this review I provide a thorough comparison of the products, my personal experience using the products, and my final recommendation.
Comparison of Products
Clif bars are a popular snack for endurance athletes and adventurers. They are shelf stable, energy dense, and conveniently packaged. The Great Value bars are evaluated below as being a direct replacement for Clif Bars.
Varieties
Clif Bars are available in lots of different varieties or flavors. Great Value Energy Bars are currently available in two varieties that correspond to the two most common Clif Bar varieties, Crunchy Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip. If you don’t like either of those options, then I would steer clear of the Great Value Energy Bars.
Cost
If you are concerned about price, buying either brand in larger quantities saves money with a box of 15 bars being the largest commonly found on store shelves. At the time of this writing, a 15 pack of Clif Bars costs $18.32 (~$1.22 per bar) while a 15 pack of Great Value Energy Bars is $12.56 (~$0.84 per bar). As expected, the Great Value Energy Bars are significantly cheaper with a savings of $5.76 on a large box of them.
Nutritional Value
The Great Value Energy Bars appear to mimic exactly the size (68 grams per bar) and calorie count of the Clif Bar varieties. The other nutritional data provided on the labels is also highly similar. The FDA allows for nutrition label data to vary up to 20% from what is listed on the packaging. With this in mind the provided nutritional data is not significantly different.
Ingredients
The ingredients lists are pretty similar with only minor differences in the ingredients lists. The base for all the bars is rolled oats and brown rice syrup. A notable difference is that the Clif brand bars use a lot of organic ingredients. This may be an important consideration to some, but I don’t typically concern myself with organic certifications for ultra processed foods like this. The organic ingredients like oats and rice syrup are also not ones that I would personally buy if I was buying the ingredients individually.
Appearance, Packaging, Taste, Texture
Packaging is similar with the bars individually wrapped in unrecyclable plastic/foil multilayer wrappers and the boxes of coated paper. The Great Value bars are denser, chewier, and a bit stickier. The Great Value bars become much firmer in colder temperatures while the Clif Bars better retain their texture across temperatures. I suspect that most of the textural difference comes down to how they are manufactured. The Clif Bar ingredient list gives a clue with several ingredients listed under “Soy Rice Crisps”. The processing of those ingredients separately into “crisps” could account for the differences. Flavor wise they are very similar with the Great Value bars tasting a bit sweeter. If I had to choose, the Clif Bars would just barely edge out the Great Value bars, but that is just a personal preference.
Performance
The Great Value energy bars have a different texture which varies more with temperature. In very hot conditions they become much softer and stickier while become much denser and chewier in very cold temperatures. It’s not a huge problem but is noticeable. Finally, the Great Value energy bars caused excessive gas and/or bloating when multiple were consumed that is not associated with Clif Bars consumed in the same quantities. This was only noticeable when multiple bars were consumed in a day. I do not normally have any digestive issues or food intolerances and generally consider myself to have a stomach made of steel. If this is an issue for me, then I expect it to also affect at least some other people. It’s not clear what causes this issue. It could be a difference in the ingredients (for example, the Great Value bars include a couple of types of lecithin which aren’t in the Clif Bars) or it could be a difference in how the bars are manufactured. This difference in digestibility is definitely a negative point for the Great Value bars.
Companies
This was previously an easy win for Clif Bar as the company was known for its pro-environmentalism policies and as a good employer. However, Clif was sold to Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods Inc.) in 2022. The Great Value is a store brand for Wal-Mart which you probably already have an opinion on. Since both Clif and Great Value are produced by huge multinational corporations now, it’s no big difference to me.
Final Verdict as a Clif Bar Alternative
I do not recommend the Great Value Energy Bars as a Clif Bar alternative for everyone. The Great Value bars’ best quality are that they are cheaper. Subjectively, I slightly prefer the texture and taste of the Clif products. The issue is that the Great Value bars can cause gas and/or bloating when multiple are consumed that is not associated with Clif Bars consumed in the same quantities under similar conditions. I would suggest anyone that tries them to do their own testing before using in a competitive or otherwise important event. Please leave a comment below to share your own experience.
There is definately a lot too learn about tis subject. I love all of the points you made.