We are passionate about educating consumers that there is no FDA standard of identity for dark chocolate. Without a standard of identity, companies can call a product dark chocolate on the front of a package without using real dark chocolate ingredients! This means consumers are being confused and misled that they are eating healthy snacks coated in dark chocolate, while actually consuming unhealthy chocolate flavored palm oil (saturated fat)!

NuGo is the only company to make REAL Dark Chocolate coated protein bars for many lifestyles. By law, if vegetable fat coatings are used, the ingredients list must state “chocolaty” or “chocolate flavored coating and vegetable oil.” That is the only way you would know it is not REAL Dark Chocolate. Sometimes the listing will illegally state dark chocolate coating.

We were thrilled to see a recent WebMD article mention that there isn’t a standard of identity for dark chocolate.

“The FDA has established very strict guidelines or Standards of Identity (SOI) that specifies what ingredients constitute the various forms of chocolate. However, for “dark chocolate,” there really isn’t a SOI for the term “dark” but there is for semi-sweet (bittersweet) and sweet chocolate, which are often referred to as dark chocolate. The difference between all of them is the amount of chocolate liquor, sugar, cocoa butter, and milk content.”

We have seen major news articles about confusing nutritional claims, but those articles did not include Dark Chocolate Deception. Consumers deserve to know what’s in their snacks!

NuGo is the only company to make REAL Dark Chocolate coated protein bars for many lifestyles. REAL Dark Chocolate is what you will find coating NuGo Dark, NuGO Organic, NuGO FREE, and NuGO Slim protein bars. Unlike other protein bar manufacturers, NuGo never uses waxy vegetable fats (palm oil) in place of REAL, antioxidant-rich dark chocolate.

REAL Dark Chocolate, an antioxidant-rich superfood, has many health benefits and tastes delicious because it is made only from cocoa beans (cocoa butter and non-fat cocoa solids). REAL Dark Chocolate homogenously melts at 89 – 93 degrees, below body temperature, exploding the dark chocolate flavor as it melts in your mouth. Fake chocolate coated snacks substitute vegetable fat, usually palm oil, for cocoa butter, which raises the melting temperature above body temperature, thus the chocolate doesn’t melt in your mouth creating a waxy texture and an overly sweet taste.

The FDA has not set a standard of identity for dark chocolate, allowing the consumer to be misled that they are eating dark chocolate while consuming fake chocolate flavored palm oil (saturated fat). Without a standard of identity, companies can call a product dark chocolate on the front of a package without using REAL Dark Chocolate ingredients!

Read the Truth About REAL Dark Chocolate to learn about the health benefits of eating REAL Dark Chocolate, how fake dark chocolate affects cholesterol, and why other companies coat their bars in fake chocolate. View our special dietary needs chart to see which bars fit your lifestyle. Order boxes of NuGo bars and sample packs online, buy NuGo bars at stores in the US and Canada, or pick up Nutrition To Go (NuGo) at an airport.

Look at this impressive gift we received from a big NuGo fan. She ate many NuGo bars and used the wrappers to make a fantastic change purse! She is a huge fan of NuGo Family Chocolate and NuGo Dark bars. She wrote in a lovely note, “I am addicted and must eat one as soon as I get up each day.” We are amazed by her creativity and love how much she adores NuGo!

As most of us know, it’s a healthy choice to start the day off with a big bowl of oatmeal. But I can’t be the only one more than a little bit bored by simple oatmeal, right? I’ve tried every type of topping and mix-in, from peanut butter to bananas to brown sugar to maple syrup. And while they definitely amp my oats up a bit, I still don’t wake up in the morning excited to eat.

But the other day, I got the bright idea that changed it all. I decided to chop up a NuGo bar and mix it into my morning oats. Best idea ever.

I opted for the NuGo Dark: Mocha Chocolate bar to add a REAL dark chocolate kick to my oatmeal. I simply chopped the bar up and mixed it in to the cooked oats. The chocolate melted perfectly and the brown rice gave the ideal crunch.

Now, not only am I getting the nutrition of oats, but I’m also getting extra protein and the health benefits of dark chocolate. First thing in the morning! And really, when you start your morning off with dark chocolate, you know it’s going to be a good day. Finally, an incredibly good reason to get out of bed in the morning.

How have you been eating NuGo bars lately? Share with us and we could post about it here!

We love this video we spotted on YouTube, featuring Michael Baker eating a NuGo bar in a very unique way. While on his long bike ride (from Ohio to Niagara Falls to Connecticut!) he created a video of himself enjoying his second NuGo bar of the day. He says he’s going to put a little extra “spice” on his NuGo bar… In the form of peanut butter, which he slathers all over the top of the bar. What a fabulous idea- though we’re pretty sure Michael should try to get his hands on our new NuGo Dark Peanut Butter Cup bars. Something tells us he’d love them.

Thanks for showing us how you enjoy your NuGo bars, Michael. We hope they continue to sustain you on your long journey!

We’d love to see how YOU enjoy NuGo bars, too. Feel free to make your own YouTube video… And we might feature it here on the NuGo blog!