A nutrition bar for women, manufactured by a small, private food company, is now the top-selling brand in the energy/nutrition bar category in US grocery stores, according to an industry report from market analysts AC Nielsen. Sold under the trade name LUNA and made by US company Clif Bar Inc, the market share in grocery stores for these nutrition bars climbed to 11.6 per cent of energy/nutrition bar sales for the 12-week period ended Oct. 20, 2001, beating Nestle's PowerBar. "This marks the first time since we've studied the energy and nutrition bar category that a brand besides PowerBar holds the top spot in grocery,'' said Gary Erickson, owner and CEO of Clif Bar Inc. "We didn't focus on becoming 'number one,' but it's a testament to the strength of the LUNA brand, which since its introduction in mid-1999 has so quickly become the favourite of women across the country.''
Erickson attributed LUNA's success in part to being the first bar on the market to focus specifically on women's nutritional needs, including soy protein, calcium and folic acid.
Available in 10 flavours, LUNA bars are made with all-natural ingredients. In addition to soy protein, calcium, and folic acid, the bars contain iron, zinc and antioxidants - in total 23 vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.