Protein Bars Without Artificial Sweeteners: How to Read the Label
To find a protein bar without artificial sweeteners, skip the front of the package and read the ingredient list on the back. The FDA approves six high-intensity sweeteners as food additives: sucralose, acesulfame potassium (ace-K), aspartame, saccharin, neotame and advantame. If none of the six is on the list, the bar has no artificial sweetener, whatever the front says. Federal rules require every ingredient to be named, in order by weight, so the answer is always printed on the wrapper (21 CFR 101.4).
A thirty-second label check
- Skip the front. Words like "simple" and "natural" do not tell you which sweetener is inside.
- Read the full ingredient list, to the very last word. Sweeteners used in tiny amounts are often the last few items.
- Scan for the six: sucralose, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, saccharin, neotame, advantame.
- Then decide on the plant-derived ones (stevia, monk fruit) and the sugar alcohols (the "-ol" words, like erythritol and maltitol), based on your own taste.
- Check the allergen line while you are there. It sits right under the ingredients and takes two seconds.
Stevia, monk fruit and sugar alcohols
Stevia and monk fruit come from plants, and the FDA treats them differently from the six above. Sugar alcohols are not artificial sweeteners either; the FDA permits them as sugar substitutes. Some people still prefer to avoid all of these, which is why step 4 is your call.
How we did it
Both First Thing wrappers say it plainly: No Artificial Sweeteners. Both bars are sweetened with dates, fruit and monk fruit, and neither lists any of the six. You can run the same check on the full ingredient list for Strawberry Parfait and Banana Nut, or see both on the protein bars page.