The first portable energy bar. In 1983, Canadian distance runner was leading a marathon when he developed stomach problems and lost the race. So he and his wife-to-be, nutrition student Jennifer Biddulph, began cooking up energy foods in their Berkeley, California, kitchen, looking for a mix of carbs and protein without a lot of hard-to-digest fat. In 1986, they settled on a concoction that included oat bran, milk proteins, and fructose syrup, and released two flavors, Chocolate and Malt-Nut.
Rubbery and full of multisyllabic ingredients, PowerBars tasted a bit like cardboard but undeniably started a revolution. By the time in 2000, grocery shelves were stacked with alternatives like and . Spurred by competition, , since bought by , has added dried fruits and nuts to some of its bars, consigning its original taffy-like creation to the dustbin of history.