Per4m Protein Bar Premium - Chocolate Caramel Protein Bar

What is the Per4m Protein Bar?

It is a 62 g protein bar coated in milk chocolate, supplying 20 g of protein for 200 kcal. The flavours listed, from Dubai Chocolate to Baklava by way of Salted Caramel and Cookie Dough.

It is built in three layers: a protein blend at 37%, a caramel-flavoured layer at 10% and a milk chocolate coating at 15%. Sugar is replaced by maltitol, a polyol, and by oligofructose; vegetable glycerol acts as a humectant and gives the bar its softness.

One point about the composition needs raising straight away, because it changes how you read the label: the protein blend combines milk proteins, soya isolate crispies and hydrolysed bovine collagen. We come back to it below. The full range sits in our Per4m aisle, and the category as a whole in protein bars.

What does a 62 g bar contain?

* Column calculated from the values declared for one bar. Three lines are missing from the data supplied, and they are not trivial ones: sugars, polyols and saturates. Yet maltitol appears twice in the ingredients list, as the main sweetener of both the bar and the coating. We will not publish a figure we do not have: read the label on the bar you receive, particularly if your digestion reacts to polyols.

What is solid, on the other hand, really is solid. Twenty grams of protein for 200 kcal means that 40% of the bar's energy comes from protein — double the 20% threshold that allows the “high protein” claim. It is one of the best ratios in the aisle, and it can be checked. The 5.1 g of fibre, that is 8.2 g per 100 g, also clear the “high fibre” threshold, set at 6 g per 100 g. And the 120 mg of calcium at 15% of the NRV allow the “source of calcium” claim, which is rare on a bar.

Now for the nuance that matters, and that the aisle never mentions. Hydrolysed bovine collagen is part of the protein blend. Collagen is an incomplete protein: its essential amino acid profile is very poor, in tryptophan especially. It counts in full towards the 20 g declared for labelling purposes, without bringing the same value as a milk protein. Since the manufacturer does not publish the split between the three sources, we cannot say what share of the total it represents. It is worth knowing before you compare this bar with another.

The applicable wording remains the only authorised one: protein contributes to a growth in and the maintenance of muscle mass. For calcium, at 15% of the NRV: calcium contributes to normal muscle function and is needed for the maintenance of normal bones.

How does this bar fit into the day?

Serving: 1 bar of 62 g. Liquid: 250 ml of water, as the bar is dense. Timing: after training, as a snack between two meals, or as a dessert. Frequency: one bar a day. Duration: none, it is a food.

Two hundred kilocalories is a proper snack and not a trivial nibble. For comparison, it is the energy equivalent of a large banana with a yoghurt — but with 20 g of protein instead of 5. That is exactly what makes the product worthwhile: the ratio, not the idea that it is “light”, which it is not.

The most relevant use is the one where nothing else is possible: a trip, a day with no break, a session followed by two hours of travel. That is where a bar beats a shake, because it needs no water, no shaker and no fridge. At home, a bowl of fromage blanc will do the same job for less.

On timing, let us keep it plain: there is no thirty-minute window to hit after training. The day's protein total matters more than the slot. Eat it when you are genuinely short of protein.

Store it dry, at room temperature and away from direct light. As the coating is milk chocolate, it melts in a car in summer — the only real drawback of the format in our part of the world.

Who is this bar for, and who is it not for?

It suits those who need a portable protein snack, and those looking for a treat that counts towards their totals rather than an ordinary chocolate bar. The flavours, squarely in dessert territory, are a genuine argument: boredom is the leading cause of people giving up in this aisle.

It contains MILK and SOYA, and may contain GLUTEN. The manufacturer declares it unsuitable for people allergic to NUTS and PEANUTS. It is aimed at adults; pregnant and breastfeeding women should seek advice before consuming it, as with any supplement.

It does not suit vegetarians: hydrolysed bovine collagen is of animal origin, which the name “protein bar” gives no hint of. It is a point we flag as a matter of course over the counter. It suits you less well if you tolerate polyols poorly: maltitol is the main sweetener, and its content is not declared. Excessive consumption of polyols may produce laxative effects; one bar is generally well tolerated, two or three much less so.

What you should not expect from it: this is not a weight-loss product. Two hundred kilocalories added to an already complete day remain 200 kcal added. A protein bar is only worthwhile if it replaces something — an afternoon snack, a pastry, a ruined meal. Stacked on top of everything else, it does nothing more than what its label says.

Per4m Protein Bar or Grenade Carb Killa?

These are the two bars most often compared over the counter, and we sell both.

The Grenade range is built on a bar that is lighter in weight, around 60 g, with a protein profile that is often entirely dairy and a crunchier texture. It is the better choice if you want to avoid collagen in the protein blend, or if you prefer a bar that crunches to one that is soft.

The Per4m wins on three measurable points: 40% of its energy supplied by protein, 5.1 g of fibre and 15% of the NRV in calcium, which few bars can show. It also offers flavours you will not find elsewhere. Its triple-layer texture — coating, caramel centre, crispies — really does come close to confectionery, which is an argument if the bar has to stand in for a dessert.

If your need is simply to add protein at the lowest cost, neither is the right choice: a shake from the protein aisle costs two to three times less for the same intake. You buy a bar for its convenience and its taste, not for its price-to-protein ratio. The other snack formats can be compared in our protein snacks and protein cookies aisles.

Frequently asked questions

Does all 20 g of protein come from milk?

No. The protein blend combines milk proteins, soya isolate and hydrolysed bovine collagen. Collagen is an incomplete protein, very poor in essential amino acids, but it counts in full towards the declared total. The manufacturer does not publish the split between the three sources.

How much sugar is in one bar?

The manufacturer does not declare that line in the labelling data available to us, any more than the polyol line, even though maltitol is the main sweetener. We will not publish an unverified figure: refer to the label on the bar you receive.

Is the bar suitable for vegetarians?

No. The hydrolysed bovine collagen in the protein blend is of animal origin. It is a piece of information that often comes as a surprise, since the name “protein bar” suggests a dairy or plant-based product only.

Can it cause digestive upset?

Maltitol is a polyol, and excessive consumption of polyols may produce laxative effects. One bar a day is generally well tolerated; two or three much less so, all the more since 5.1 g of fibre and oligofructose come with it. If you are sensitive, start with half a bar.

Is 200 kcal a lot for a snack?

It is a proper snack, the energy equivalent of a large banana with a yoghurt — but with 20 g of protein instead of 5. It is not a trivial nibble: it makes sense if it replaces something, less so if it is added to an already complete day.

Which flavour should you choose?

Chocolate Brownie and Cookie Dough are the safe bets, in a classic register. Dubai Chocolate and Baklava are the most marketed, enjoyable now and then but wearing after a few bars. Salted Caramel and Chocolate Peanut Butter are the sweetest on the palate. Note that flavour availability varies with deliveries.

Should you eat it right after training?

No. The thirty-minute window is an outdated notion: it is the protein total over twenty-four hours that counts. Eat the bar at the moment when you have no other decent option — that is where, and only where, it beats a real meal or a shake.

Where to buy the Per4m Protein Bar?

The available flavours can be ordered from this page, and we ship throughout France and Europe. The assortment moves with deliveries: it is an aisle worth checking regularly.

At the Vendargues shop, about ten minutes from Montpellier, this is the aisle where people buy singles before committing to a whole box, and that is the right instinct: a bar you do not like stays in the cupboard, whatever its nutritional values. The rest of the snacks can be compared in our sports nutrition section, and dedicated collagen sources in their own aisle.