Young adults have made this sugar-filled product the most successful snack bar in America

CLIF bars are officially the most successful snack bar in America, according to data from Chicago-based research group IRI and compiled by BakeryandSnacks.com’s Kacey Culliney.

The California-made energy bar saw sales of $378 million in 2014, up 13 percent year-over-year.

Although an average CLIF Crunchy Peanut Butter bar is known for having lots of protein, fiber and vitamins, it also has 41 grams of carbs, which includes 21 grams of sugar, which CalorieCount.com rates as “very high.”

In any event, Nature Valley Granola bars actually had a slightly better sales year at $400 million, but that represented a nine percent decline from 2013. “If you look at what [CLIF bars] offer—it hits on health and indulgence too, which is important for snackers,” Culliney said in an email.

Overall, Americans spent $5.7 billion on snack bars last year, with millennials now proving the fastest-growing segment of spenders.

“If we think about the broader bar snacking category and look at demographics, U.S. millennials are extremely important because they’re spending more and more on snacks every year,” Culliney said. “While they don’t make up the biggest snacking consumer group in dollar terms—’boomers’ (aged 51 to 69) do—millennials still spent $8.2 billion on snacks in the 52 weeks ending April 19, 2015, according to IRI data, which was 12 percent more than the previous year.”

Rob covers business, economics and the environment for Fusion. He previously worked at Business Insider. He grew up in Chicago.

 
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