This post has been updated.
General Mills is trying to hold onto its top spot in the snack bar market by making its granola bars easier on consumers’ teeth.
On an analysts’ call to discuss the company’s fourth quarter earnings yesterday, the company unveiled its latest plan to reverse its declining share of the market: more bite-able bars.
“[W]e’re rolling out an improved Nature Valley Crunchy Bar that’s easier to bite,” said Jeffrey L. Harmening, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of U.S. Retail. “That change addresses the top consumer complaint we received on this product.”
Nature Valley is still the world’s most popular snack bar brand, but its piece of the market has been falling, according to data from Euromonitor.
Other top brands like Kellogg’s Special K bars and PepsiCo’s Quaker Chewy bars have also lost market share, while independents like KIND and CLIF bars have grown.
So will a more bite-able granola bar help General Mills? It’s unclear—but they’re “rolling out gluten-free messaging” this summer, too, just to cover all their bases.
General Mills’ did not elaborate on how the bars will change, just that “the bars will now be easier to bite into.”
Update (6:08 p.m. EST): General Mills tells Quartz, “the bars will now be a little less hard.”