Nutritional Growth Solutions releases children’s health snacks
Israeli-founded Nutritional Growth Solutions has launched its Healthy Height Snack Bar targeting support for growth development in children, reports Neill Barston.
The new, patented, science-based snack-bar line, which is being unveiled int he US and Canada, contains growth-boosting nutrients including vitamins, minerals, protein, and amino acids.
The Healthy Height Snack Bar series is offered in two flavours specifically designed to appeal to kids’ palates, Cookies & Cream and Strawberry Cupcake.
“Our snack bars have a sweet taste kids love, yet are low in sugar, while high in the protein, vitamins, and minerals kids need,” says Liron Fendell, CEO and Managing Director of NGS.
“My children enjoy eating them daily as preferred snacks. As a busy mom, the bars are especially beneficial as an on-the-go snack instead of the typical kid snacks loaded with sugar and artificial colours.”
As the company noted, bar launches for children tracked by Innova Market Insights in the US show a compound annual growth rate of +11.3% (CAGR, 2016-2020).
According to Innova, in response to parents interest, kids cereal bars are increasingly focusing on making gluten-free, protein, and whole-grain claims, representing 50%, 24%, and 24%, respectively, of new product launches. “GMO-free” and “no additives or preservatives” claims are prevalent on cereal bars for kids, globally. Parents increasingly seek products that support specific aspects of children’s health, including protein for growth, calcium for strong bones, plus vitamins and probiotics for immunity.
The new Healthy Height bars are formulated with the same nutritional profile as the NGS patented shake range that is clinically proven to help increase growth development in children aged 3 to 9 years. It has been shown to help children grow in height and weight with 1-2 servings per day over a six-month period.1 Each bar is a single serving. (The bars are intended for use as supplemental snacks, and should not be considered as meal replacements.)
Two top medical professionals in pediatric endocrinology, gastroenterology, and nutrition were behind the research and development of the Healthy Height formulation: Moshe Phillip, MD, Professor and Director of the Institute for Endocrinology at the Schneider Children’s Medical Centre of Israel, and Raanan Shamir, MD, professor and Director of the Institute of Gastroenterology, Nutrition, and Liver Diseases at Schneider.
Shamir also has served as the president of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (ESPGHAN).
A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study published in the Journal of Pediatrics showed that children who included Healthy Height in their diet for a one-year period added 13.8% to 34% to their annual growth in height.2
Healthy Height contains only the highest quality ingredients, including 12g whey protein per serving, and no corn syrup or additives. It is gluten-free, soy-free, non-GMO, and includes 350mg of the vital amino acid arginine per serving. It also is low in sugar and sodium.
During the development stage, NGS invited kids 3-9 years old to taste samples of the bars in different flavours and textures, while providing feedback based on a set of predetermined criteria. The input received was extremely valuable and helped the R&D team finalise the great-tasting bars.
The Healthy Height line is manufactured in a solar-powered facility, using a unique custom extruding process. Formulating and producing flavourful snack bars that meet the specific nutritional parameters of its existing patented shake mix was challenging.
