Hemp Yeah! Hemp seed bars review

One of the newish brands that I discovered at the Grocery Outlet is Canada-based Hemp Yeah! (aka, Manitoba Harvest). I’ve bought Hemp Yeah! bars and hemp milk at the Grocery Outlet and have liked all of the products I’ve tried so far – I’ll cover the hemp milk in another review. The hemp bars that I’m currently eating are Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt but I’ve also tried the Coconut Cashew Dark Chocolate variety.

I like that hemp seeds are the first ingredient (followed by sunflower seeds, dark chocolate, and pea protein crisps) and that they are therefore rich in the minerals and omega-3 fats that we love hemp for. Each 45 g bar provides 6 g of omega-3 & 6 fatty acids, 10 g of protein, 3 g of fiber, and fairly high percentages of our recommended intake of several minerals (Mg, Mn, Zn, Fe) and B-vitamins. There’s only 7 grams of sugars per bar, which is pretty impressive considering how tasty they are – the chocolate coating is really good; often not the case for energy bars.

They weren’t as ridiculously cheap as some items at the Grocery Outlet – it cost $12 for a box of 12 bars, compared to a normal price of between $20 and $27 – but I think they’re worth it.

Hemp Yeah! Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt bars – ingredients

Shelled hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, fair trade dark chocolate (sugar, chocolate liquor, cocoa butter, sunflower lecithin, vanilla extract), pea protein crisps (pea protein, tapioca starch), tapioca syrup, agave syrup, toasted coconut, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sea salt, coconut oil, cocoa powder, almond extract, natural flavor.

Ethical rating for Hemp Yeah! bars

In the context of clothing, I’ve looked at sustainability of hemp over on the Green Stars Project, concluding that it’s one of the most sustainable textiles that you can buy. Agricultural inputs for growing hemp are generally low, and the same can be said for sunflower seeds, another high-yield crop. Chocolate, the third ingredient is fair trade certified. Here’s a summary of how I feel about the social and environmental impact of Hemp Yeah! Hemp seed bars, which I’m scoring 4.5 Green Stars:

• Hemp seed, the main ingredient, is a sustainable crop that we should be using more of, for food, clothing, and other needs. Hemp crops often require little or no use of pesticide or herbicide, can be grown on marginal land, and actually add carbon to the soil, leaving the land in better condition.
• Sunflower seeds are another high-yield, low-input crop, but are often treated with neonics (pesticides that harm bees) so I’d prefer if these bars were made with organic sunflower seeds.
• Chocolate, the third ingredient, is fair trade certified.
• Pea protein, the fourth ingredient, is generally one of the most sustainable high-protein crops, especially when grown in rain-rich Canada.
• The company (Manitoba Harvest) is a certified B-corporation, with a decent score of 92.5.
• One of Manitoba Harvest’s co-founders, Martin Moravcik, advocated for the legalization of industrial hemp, which became reality in 1998, the same year that the company was founded. This is a fairly big deal, as the prohibition of hemp was a major misstep by governments.
• Manitoba Harvest is certified carbon neutral.
• The bars are vegan, as are most of the products made by Manitoba Harvest (except for a couple that contain honey).

Summary scores (out of 5) for Hemp Yeah! Dark Chocolate Almond Sea Salt bars:

• 4.5 gold stars for quality and value.
• 4.5 green stars for social and environmental impact

If you have a different opinion, please share your rating! Until next time, stay safe : )