Zing Plant Based Protein Bar - Coconut Cashew Crisp (12 Count) | Vegan, Gluten Free, Non-GMO Snack with 10g Protein & 5g Fiber | Made with Cashew Butter & Coconut Flakes | Perfect for Post-Workout Recovery, Healthy On-the-Go Snacking & Weight Management

Along with the new packaging, comes along a new flavor. These were the best tasting protein bars that I actually craved having. It was such a treat to walk into a Whole Foods and grab one of these expensive bars. Thought I’d save some money buying them in bulk through Amazon. I got them here a few times, until they changed their packaging. I read the reviews about the change of ingredients, so I found a seller who was advertising the old packaging. Then to my surprise I received the updated version on the bars. And just like what the other reviews said about the new taste, it was disappointing. Time to move on and find another protein bar. You’ve been warned…[DISCLAIMER: I have no medical expertise whatsoever. Some of my conclusions may be wrong, so I encourage you to look up this information from other sources and make your own assessment]I hesitated a lot about writing this review. On one hand, something made me seriously ill, and I feel a strong obligation to warn others. On the other hand, I don't want to be unfair to the company that made this product. While I do have my suspicions, I can't definitively say that their product made me sick.In the end I decided that I'm just going to share some established facts about tapioca, an ingredient in this protein bar. There's something interesting about tapioca that I think everyone should know before they make it a part of their diet.Tapioca comes from a plant called Cassava, which normally contains Cyanide, a dangerous poison. My understanding is that Cassava always has Cyanide in it, the questions is how much. In any case, Cassava is unsafe to eat until it goes through a cleaning process, and even then, it's not guaranteed that all the Cyanide has been removed.If you ingest a very small amount of Cyanide, depending on how small, and depending on your individual body, your system may be able to get rid of it. However, if you ingest a large amount from a plant that wasn't properly cleaned, you can get seriously sick: "vertigo, vomiting, and collapse. In some cases, death may result within one or two hours."Another way you can get seriously harmed is through long exposure; ingesting small amounts over an extended period of time. "Chronic, low-level cyanide exposure is associated with the development of goiter (enlarged thyroid gland) and with tropical ataxic neuropathy, a nerve-damaging disorder." There's more horrible stuff, but I'll stop here.I didn't know any of this until recently when I got sick and needed to investigate the cause. For over a year now, I have been regularly eating protein bars that contain Tapioca. The product I bought and consumed most frequently was the Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Zing bar. I have also been consuming similar protein bars from another brand called "ALOHA," which also contain Tapioca.About a month ago, I ate half an ALOHA bar from a new box (and a new batch) that I had just opened. A few hours later I got extremely sick. I have a mild food allergy, and the symptoms I had were similar to my allergic reaction, but much more severe, and this sickness was worse than anything I've experienced before.The next day, when I started feeling well enough, I went back and checked the label on the ALOHA bar to see if it contains my allergen food, but it wasn't in the ingredient list. Of course, the protein bar was not the only thing I ate prior to getting sick, so it was difficult for me to pin-point the cause. I decided not to eat any ALOHA bars until I know more, but I continued to eat the Zing bars almost daily. The Zing bars never made sick at that point, and I have been buying them for over a year.A few weeks later I started noticing bizarre and extremely alarming symptoms. Things like vertigo, vomiting, and headaches are too vague, but the new symptoms were unusual, so the search quickly lead to Cyanide. My new symptoms were a close match to symptoms of long-term Cyanide exposure.To be clear, I make no claims that this product, or any other product I mentioned, contains toxins or had anything to do with my sickness. I still don't know for sure, and I'm keeping records and samples of both products until I know more.What I'm sure about is that I'm staying away from Tapioca, and any other type of food made from the Cassava. While it appears that a lot of people consume it regularly, and that in some countries it's a fundamental food source which they can't go without, it's also clear that Cyanide poisoning is a familiar condition. Everywhere Cassava is mentioned, there's always a warning attached about adequate cleaning and processing. For Tapioca specifically, I saw conflicting statements, some claiming that Tapioca is safe because it's a highly processed form of Cassava, while others give a general that includes Tapioca.I have no doubt that the companies who make these bars want to provide a good and safe product to their customers. What I worry about is unintentional contamination. This is a dangerous plant by nature, and it's not far-fetched to think that they might receive a bad batch from their supplier. Do they test the ingredients they use every single time to ensure that they are safe? How much leftover Cyanide is considered safe and acceptable? Maybe the average person can tolerate a certain amount, but how do you know you're an average person?The formula of the Zing Whey Protein Bar/Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter/ Real Dark Chocolate has changed with the addition of allulose. This sugar substitute causes GI issues which I cannot tolerate I was hoping to order the Zing Whey Protein Bar/ Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter with only Agave sweetener which is what I have used for several years. Would love to know if that is still available.This product is one of the better tasting and edible protein bars I have had. I have tried many. Definitely a new favorite: chocolate mint, chocolate hazel nut. Have not had other flavors yet.The product quality received through Amazon was deficient. I gave it five stars not to hurt the product. The ones from Amazon were hard (perhaps out of date or damaged) for most all bars in the boxes. The chocolate coating had melted and re-hardened. Two stars.The ones ordered directly from Zing were perfect: fresh texture, not too soft, not too hard, chocolate coating fresh. Wonderful. Zing shipped quickly (< 3 days) and inside an insulated bag with a cold pack. Impressive. Five stars for sure.Love these! But the price is insaneThe first rule of nutrition/snack/energy bars when it comes to adding chocolate; put the chocolate INSIDE the bar.Clif, RX Bar, Larabar, Powerbar (the energy bar type, not the protein type), Raw Revolution all put chocolate inside their products, not on the outside where it will melt and make a mess.The Zing Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Bar chocolate coating was melted and messy upon delivery (from Amazon), and of course since it was a 90 degree August day. So I put the bars in the refrigerator, but that made the bars impossible to bite into!The melted coating sticks to the wrapper so when the bar is opened, it's either a gooey mess, or if the bar has cooled since it its initial exposure to heat bits of chocolate fall off onto your hands, onto your clothes, onto the floor... you get the idea. Either way it's a bloody mess.So this Zing bar has a very narrow temperature range of usability - I'd say 50˚F to 70˚F is it. You can't put one of these Zing bars in your pocket or cycling jersey without creating a real mess when it's opened, and you can't keep them cold without breaking your teeth on them.Otherwise, the Zing Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter bar tastes decent. It has a chewy consistency, not as sticky as a Tootsie Roll but about as stiff. I recommend small bites. It's not too sweet and the peanut flavor is modest. The chocolate could be better - it isn't all that rich. It didn't "wow" me.One of these bars keeps me satiated for a couple of hours and for me has a glycemic index low enough that my insulin doesn't spike. But keep in mind these bars do have sugar.Zing makes a big deal about the fact their products are created By professional nutritionists... yeah well those professional nutritionists might want to learn a thing or two about the melting point of chocolate.I am backing off because of the sugar content. I did not realize this when I first ordered and regret getting hooked. I turned my brother on to these when we were on a difficult hike. He’s now ordering.Good product