Oat and Honey Granola Bars - Store Brand or Name Brand?

Product #7 - Oat and Honey Crunchy Granola Bars:

Today I am reviewing and comparing Oat and Honey Granola Bars. The Nature Valley brand and the comparable product from Target and Wal-Mart's store brands. All three come in 6 - 1.5 oz/2 bar packs. While the ingredients are similar in all three, there are differences which I believe affect the taste. In my opinion, the Nature Valley brand is the most "natural" and has the most "whole" ingredients. Target would be next in line in this category with Wal-Mart in third place. On a taste level, I would rate them in the same order: Nature Valley, Target then Wal-Mart. I would definitely buy the Target Market Pantry brand as it does compare well and is close to the Nature Valley brand. I would take a pass at the Wal-Mart Great Value Brand however. The taste is too dissimilar and the ingredients are not as "natural" as the other two brands. There is not a huge difference in price but neither is there in taste with the Target brand so I would choose the Target brand unless the Nature Valley happens to be on sale which it often is.

The Cost Comparison - Nature Valley, Target's Market Pantry and Wal-Mart's Great Value Oats 'N Honey Granola Bars (as of 2/12/11 at Wal-Mart and 2/18/11 at Target):

Nature Valley: 2.50 at Wal-Mart and 2.69 at Target
Target's Market Pantry: 2.44
Wal-Mart's Great Value: 2.00

You would save .25 while shopping at Target and switching to the Market Pantry brand. This is a decent savings and in my opinion worth the switch though the savings is not as dramatic as it is with other products. Though the Great Value brand is a much larger savings, I would not recommend the switch as the taste is too different.