Abbott unveils dark chocolate ZonePerfect nutrition bar

COLUMBUS, Ohio Abbott Laboratories last month showcased a new ZonePerfect nutrition bar touting the benefits of dark chocolate, a first for the nutrition bar set, at the ECRM Vitamin, Diet & Sports Nutrition conference in Destin, Fla. According to the company, the dark chocolate candy category continues to grow—reaching $530 million on growth of 140 percent in the past five years, the company stated, citing data from the Nielsen Group. And the dark chocolate addition to the nutrition bar set will increase reach by 8 percent, Abbott added, citing GfK Custom Research.

“You’ve got to do something to break the sea of sameness,” noted Darrell Ayers, Abbott director of health living and sales, on the pending ZonePerfect product launch that’s scheduled to be in stores by March 10. The bars will be available in three flavors—double dark chocolate, dark chocolate almond and dark chocolate strawberry.