I received three boxes of Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Nutter Butter Chewy Granola Bars in the mail for review purposes. I did not receive any other compensation or consideration unless Nabisco is so stunned by my review that they offer me a posh job writing ad copy. Hey, it could happen.

I’ve never written a product review before but I figure there are two important things: 1) Do the kids like it and would they ask me to buy it, and 2) Does mom think buying it when the kids ask is a wise choice? Of course, there is also the manufacturers record on environmental issues, their political and charitable donations, and all stuff that to consider.

1) Do the kids like it?

It would seem so. Two of the three boxes are already gone. The only reason the third box isn’t gone is that I hid it so I could get some photos of the product for my review. My eight year old daughter would have preferred to review the Oreo and the Chocolate Chip variety that were pictured on the back of the box but she did like the Nutter Butter variety. My four year old son probably ate more of these than my daughter did, but he didn’t have any words of wisdom for this review. He did leave crumbs in my new keyboard. I hope they don’t draw ants.

My kids are not of the variety that will eat anything they are given, although I’ve heard such kids exist. Mine are more likely to suggest that I mail the rejected food to the starving children who would kill to have whatever food they have deemed inedible.

2) Does Mom like it?

Well, I’m a slacker mom. If the kids will eat it and it doesn’t have a skull and crossbones on the label, then I will buy it. I don’t sweat the small stuff like calories, sugar, fat, artificial colorings, or preservatives. Because of this, I might have been the wrong mom to ask. Or the right mom, depending on how you wanted this to turn out.

The fact that these granola bars only have 100 calories each is wasted on me. I don’t care. Maybe you do. I wouldn’t even have known if it weren’t splashed in large purple letters across the top of the box. I hear childhood obesity is a real problem these days though, so I’m sure this a good thing for many moms. Which brings us to…

3) Things good moms will care about:

• There are six bars in a box. Each bar is .98 ounces. Yes, that is less than one ounce.
• Each bar contains exactly 100 calories. This may explain the odd .98 ounce weight.
• Each bar contains 1.5 grams of total fat of which 1 gram is saturated fat. I can’t figure out what kind of fat the other half a gram is. The rest all say 0. Maybe someone at Nabisco is bad at math.
• No cholesterol. I think cholesterol is a bad thing so it’s good that it isn’t there.
• Each bar contains 120 mg of sodium. I think that is salt.
• Each bar contains 21 grams of carbohydrates. I think that is a good deal less that a plate of spaghetti, but what do I know. These carbohydrates are broken down into 2 grams of dietary fiber and 6 grams of sugar. That’s only 8 grams. Again, someone must be bad at math.
• Each bar contains 2 grams of protein. I don’t know if this is good or bad. I know these are much easier to get a kid to eat than beans are.
• There is no vitamin A, no vitamin C, and no calcium. I find this is not unusual for granola bars. After all, they aren’t fruit.
• There is 2% of the Daily Value of iron. Again, I find this is not unusual for granola bars. They aren’t spinach.
• Nabisco is owned by Kraft Foods. According to opensecrets.org, Kraft Foods Global Inc. PAC contributions for the 2008 cycle so far break down as 58% to Democrats and 42% to Republicans. In case you care.

4) Conclusion

I will buy these. I probably won’t buy them for breakfast food since they are too small for my kids’ big appetites but I will buy them for quick and easy snacks. It would be great to keep a box of these in the car to cut down on trips to fast food joints. You know how it is; every time you get in the car and drive a few blocks, “Mom, I’m hungry. Can we go through a drive-thru?” It’s nice to have snacks in the car at all times.

You better buy them too so I can get that job at Nabisco doing math.