Energy-Bar Companies Battle It Out in Court

A high-powered battle is underway between the marketers of two energy bars. In a suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, PowerBar Inc. is charging rival Balance Bar Co. with false advertising and unfair competition. In the suit, PowerBar asserts that ads for Balance Bar falsely claim that the snacks “provide access to stored body fat” and “improve workout performance and recovery.” In February, Balance Bar agreed to modify its advertising, as recommended by the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau. The NAD said that the Balance Bar Co. lacked sufficient testing to substantiate claims that the “zone” diet, on which the bar is nutritionally based, is effective. The action resulted from a complaint filed with the NAD by PowerBar and Mars Inc., maker of the VO2Max bar. A Balance Bar representative couldn’t be reached for comment on the suit.