Why the numbers are all over the place
"Snack bar" covers very different foods:
- Cereal and granola bars are mostly oats and binders like syrup; protein is usually modest.
- Nut-and-seed bars get protein from the nuts and seeds themselves, along with fat and fibre.
- Gym-style protein bars add concentrated protein (whey, soy or pea, for example) to push the number up, which can change the texture and the ingredient list.
None of these is automatically better. It depends on what you want the bar to do.
How to read the label
- Per portion vs per pack. Check the serving size. Some packs print a big front-of-pack number for the whole pack even though the nutrition panel treats it as two servings.
- Per 100g. This is the fairest way to compare bars of different sizes.
- The ingredient list. Ingredients run from most to least by weight. If syrup or sugar is first, the protein number is doing a lot of marketing work.
- Sugar and fibre alongside protein. Together they show if you're holding a snack made from food or a sweet with a protein label.
What "source of protein" means in South Africa
Protein claims on food in South Africa are regulated. Under the labelling regulations (R146), a product must contain at least 5g of protein per 100g, and at least 2.5g of protein per 418kJ of energy, to make a "source of protein" claim. The protein also has to meet an amino acid quality requirement, so quantity alone isn't enough (FACTS via B2B Central, 2023).
Two practical takeaways:
- The energy test matters. Nut-and-seed bars are energy-dense, so a bar can have a decent-looking protein number per 100g and still fall short on protein per kilojoule.
- Quality counts. Plant proteins often come up short on certain amino acids, which is why formulators combine sources.
This is why we don't print a final protein number until our recipe is tested. Our Original bar has a protein target of around 11g, and the figure on the pack will be whatever the lab confirms.
So how much protein do you actually need?
A widely cited reference point is the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 0.8g of protein per kilogram of body weight per day (Harvard Health Publishing). Harvard notes the RDA is the amount needed to meet basic nutritional requirements. That makes it closer to a minimum than a target, and needs vary with age, activity, pregnancy and health.
For a 70kg adult, 0.8g/kg works out at roughly 56g a day. Seen that way, a snack with around 10g of protein is a useful contribution to the day, not a make-or-break number. Meals still do most of the work; South Africa's food-based dietary guidelines point to beans, lentils and soya; milk, maas and yoghurt; and fish, chicken, lean meat and eggs (FAO summary).
When the number matters (and when it doesn't)
| Situation | Does the protein number matter much? |
|---|---|
| A snack between meetings when lunch was light | Yes. A bar with real protein is a proper snack rather than a sweet |
| Straight after training with a meal an hour away | Somewhat, but the next meal matters more |
| A treat with coffee | Not really. Enjoy it for what it is |
| Replacing meals | Don't. A snack bar isn't a meal |
What we're making
GetProtein Original is a chunky nut-and-seed bar in a black-and-white wrap, being developed with a co-packer in KwaZulu-Natal. It's designed as a proper snack: protein and fibre from real nuts and seeds, bound with honey and dates. So it isn't sugar-free, and we won't pretend it is. The protein target is around 11g per bar; the final number goes on the label after testing.
For offices, we're building monthly team boxes delivered anywhere in South Africa. For everyone else, join the waitlist and we'll email you when Original is ready.