Review: Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar

The Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar is made with granola, peanuts, pretzels and a bottom coating of Hershey's chocolate. I found them in the snack aisle in boxes of six bars. In addition to the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar with Pretzels, there was also a variety from Reese's that were on display with the Hershey's granola bars. They both looked very appealing, but I could only commit to one of them. Chocolate wins every time!

What are they about?
First off, I really didn't get the idea that this was intended as a health bar of any sort. I don't think that's what they were going for here. I haven't seen any advertising for it yet, but nowhere on the box did I see anything alluding to the idea of advertising the snack as an energy bar or health bar. I simply saw it as a lower calorie sweet snack and a somewhat better alternative to a heavier candy bar. To me, the 140 calorie, 1.2oz Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar is something that could satisfy the sweet tooth or ward off hunger without adding a lot of additional fat and calories.

Nutrition Facts
The Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar has 45 fat calories, 5 total grams of fat, 1.5 grams saturated fat and 0grams of transfat. The sodium level is at 240 mg. There is 1gram dietary fiber, 8grams of sugar, 2% iron, and 3grams of protein.

Packaging
These bars can be purchased separately in a larger size for vending, or in a multi-pack of six bars. I paid a little over $3.00 for them at the drug store, but I'm sure the price will get lower.

Taste
My first guess was that the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar would taste similar to the Hershey's Take 5 pretzel candy bar. Admittedly, I haven't had one of Hershey's Take 5 pretzel candy bars in years, so I can't swear that the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar doesn't taste anything like them, but I can attest that they do have a sweet and salty flavor.

I thought the flavor was relatively mild, milder than the Nature Valley Sweet and Salty Granola bars whose flavor definitely reflects the salt aspect in a pleasant way.

All in all, I'd just say that the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar is just 'okay'. The Hershey's chocolate part was nice, but if you're really craving chocolate, that wouldn't be enough to help with it. Likewise, if you were really seeking a salty flavor, the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar wouldn't be much help there either.

Would I Buy Again?
I would purchase the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar again. As I said earlier, I thought it was a very good substitute for a heavier snack if you're wanting to just ward off your hunger for an hour or so, and you don't want to commit to a candy bar or anything heavier. I would definitely keep one on hand in my purse or my desk drawer to tide me over until mealtime. It is definitely suitable for that purpose.

I wouldn't recommend it as a meal replacement like some of those health bars are intended, but by eating the Hershey's Sweet & Salty Granola Bar rather than a protein bar or other expensive health bar, you'd be saving calories and money and also enjoying a better flavor.