For today's analysis, let's meet the Kashi Dark Mocha Almond bar, aka my favorite Kashi bar out of them all. I'm not a big granola bar fan- usually too sweet, too chewy, too mushy, too crumbly, too much of a substitute for a meal...but this one here's a winner for me! According to the box, this is why:

• Dark chocolate greets espresso for a tasty pick-me-up.
• 7 Whole Grains: Our unique combination- for hearty, natural goodness you can see and taste.
• Naturally Sweetened: Rich, dark chocolate chips and wildflower honey for a touch of natural sweetness.
• 4g Fiber: A tasty way to get the fiber you need.
• 6g Protein: From whole roaster almonds and crispy soy grahams.
  These factoids artfully flank a picture of the bar on the back of the box, a golden granola bar studded with chocolate chips and almonds.What stood out to me first as I tried to analyze the box and its language was that these factoids were selected by the box designers to convey the traits of a granola bar that were considered desirable.
  
  • Here's my personal list of what's desirable:
  • -no dried blueberries
  • -not mushy
  • -not too sweet
  • -not too hard/stale/crunchy
  • -not too chewy
  • -enough to fill me up for a while (~2.5 hours)
  • -whole grains
  • -protein
  I would usually eat my bar after a workout for some quick carbs, or when I'm in a rush and need some energy. I believe Kashi appeals to people like me, who consider themselves/actually are active, young, nutritionally conscious.I also get the feel that Kashi  is presenting themselves as an accessible brand, appropriate for young people, working moms, active seniors, etc, providing good, quality food in a non-snobbish way!
  Here's the list of traits Kashi believes is desirable, per my analysis of the box:
  

  • -tasty
  • -hearty, natural goodness from whole grains
  • -naturally sweetened
  • -a way to get daily fiber
  • -protein source
  Confirmed: From the side panel of the box: "At Kashi, our mission is to change healthy eating from effort to enjoyment. For over 25 years, we've been dedicated to making tasty, natural foods with positive nutrition and great taste. We leave out the artificial ingredients and leave in the good-for-you goodness, so you can snack with satisfaction and feel great about it!"This statement is mirrored in the adjectives on the back of the box. Let's analyse them:
  CLAIM 1: Substantial
  "hearty, natural goodness you can see and taste"
  The use of the word hearty describes the feeling of fullness/contentment after consuming the bar, as well as referring to the chunky nature of the added ingredients such as chocolate chips, almonds and to the substantial texture of the granola. Usually, you would hear the word "hearty" to describe a soup or stew. The idea is that the soup or stew is nourishing because it has plenty of nutrients, which are normally found in the chunks of veggies or meat added. You wouldn't usually call a broth "hearty," though I think the Vietnamese pho soups can be considered an exception. OED says: "8. Of food or drink: Yielding good nourishment; strengthening, invigorating." and also "9. Of a meal or portion of food or drink: Satisfying to the appetite; abundant, ample, full." Though neither of these definitions specify that "hearty" usually applies to a soup, stew, or generally, some type of big, comfort style meal as comes to my mind, I believe that if you asked a lot of people to match the word "hearty" to a food, they would mostly ascribe it to soups, stews, and meat/potatoes style entrees (possible experiment?!)
  But anyways, the OED supports the use of the word "hearty" here, to mean that Kashi believes this bar will yield good nourishment and give you strength as well as satisfy you.
  CLAIM 2: Healthful
  "natural goodness you can see and taste," "whole roasted almonds," "fiber you need," "protein."
  The use of the phrase "you can see and taste" implies that being able to see and taste the food in some analytical way is positive. In a world filled with preservatives, additives, colorings, where the food comes from "someplace else" or is manufactured behind closed walls in factories far off, the ability to recognize your food is definitely marketable! I believe the fact that Kashi emphasizes the "see and taste" aspect is due to how many people value natural/green/organic/farmer's market style foods...that you know where it comes from, you can trust it because of course, you must trust your own eyes! The use of this phrase very clearly reflects a current attitude trend towards food and health-consciousness.
  
  The use of the word "whole" to describe the almonds also reflects this trend. "Whole roasted almonds" is natural, feels unadulterated except for a heating process, because "whole" refers to the shape and state of the almond (ie not crushed or broken) and also "whole" also sounds like "wholesome." You're not getting more than you bargain for in terms of additives, chemicals, etc, but not less either, in terms of a sub par almond. "Whole" here can have meanings similar to "bank and bank" as we discussed in class.
  
   2.a. Of inanimate objects: Free from damage or defect; uninjured, unimpaired, unbroken, untainted, intact.
  

  3a. In good health; free from disease; healthy, ‘well’; (contextually) restored to health, recovered from disease, ‘well again’. arch
  Note that I believe this is important to relate to another entry:
  1. trans. To make whole, heal, cure.

  6. a. Having all its parts or elements; having no part or element wanting; having its complete or entire extent or magnitude; full, perfect.

  So, your almonds are free from defects and have the connotation that they will help make you whole (they are wholesome).
  The mentions of fiber and protein support the claim that Kashi is a bar meant to attract people who are searching for a snack that provides nutrition, reflecting a society as a whole that is analytical of food products and in charge of their own health (individualistic).
  Side question: would the same mention of protein, fiber, health claims, etc. affect a consumer in say, France? China? Possible experiment.

  CLAIM 3:  Luxurious
  "Rich dark chocolate chips and wildflower honey," "crispy soy grahams" "dark chocolate greets espresso"
  Wildflower honey? That sounds so romantic, but is really boxspeak for "we don't really know which flowers the honey came from!" Well of course honey comes from flowers...but the word "wildflower" sounds so...natural, free, flowing. Like Kashi just asked a hive of bees living in an idyllic meadow if they could use the honey gathered from a rainbow of flowers.The National Honey Board says polyfloral honey, or "wildflower honey" is honey derived from "miscellaneous and undefined flower sources." Realistically, this isn't very ideal in terms of tracking ingredients (perhaps someone is allergic to a specific flower) and also means that sweetness is variable dependent on flowers, seasonality, etc. Which means the honey added could possible alter the product, which contrasts with what most consumers want: specificity. But the word sounds oh so nice!
  The use of the words "rich" "dark" soy grahams" and "greets espresso" are on the luxurious track. "Soy grahams" is not really a common word, suggesting that you  by consuming this product, are also uncommon. "Rich and  dark" evoke images of luxurious chocolate, high end chocolate, even though its in the form of chips and is merely mixed into the bar. "Chocolate greets espresso" is a fanciful construction that is meant to capture your attention and ascribe cutesy qualities to the bar, that somehow this bar is kind of like meeting someone in a chic cafe in Paris...chocolate greets espresso, two very French related food ideas.
  
  CLAIM 4: Non Pretentious
  Per previous class discussion: Large pictures on front and back of box, check. Delineation of ingredients and expected outcomes of eating this bar: check. Cutesy swirly fonts, whimsical dot diagrams on the back that makes the bar look like some kind of food that is easily described and broken up into components.
  I contrasted this to a KIND Blueberry Almond Vanilla Var box I had. These bars are more expensive than Kashi bars and feature a white box with a window for viewing bars in clear wrappers.
  White box with minimal advertising, blurbs, and information other than nutrition and a short  list of ingredients: evocative of a modern art museum and the ideas of simplicity and hipness, and if you don't get/like it, you're old fashioned and uncool.
  Logo: bars of basic colors, rectangular. Simple.
  
  
  

  All very modern, concise, and the logo restates the idea that foods you can "see and taste" in Kashi terms and "see and pronounce"  in KIND bar terms...confirming the idea of simple, natural foods being the better choice.
  
  
  
  Interesting. Granola bars are deep.
  Signing off,
  C
  
  Image credits:
  http://www.walmart.com/ip/TLC-Dark-Mocha-Almond-Chewy-Granola-Granola-Bars/13908100
  http://kindsnacks.com/lp/healthy-snacks-2012/?gclid=CLWe0YSG-60CFQVkhwodfWlnMQ
  http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1680&bih=944&tbm=isch&tbnid=xd6ruTEC2uaEgM:&imgrefurl=http://rollingtstores.net/wildflowers-add-joy-help-the-environment/&docid=-kjTtAPrisCh1M&imgurl=http://rollingtstores.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/Wildflowers-flickr-jikamajojas.bmp&w=500&h=375&ei=HUooT-iKM4XTiALyhuCRAQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1380&vpy=459&dur=1947&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=107&ty=113&sig=108530818055652867072&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=185&start=0&ndsp=43&ved=1t:429,r:7,s:0