ABBOTT PARK, Ill., Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- As snacks and smaller meals continue to be a big part of daily diets, people continue to look for snacks that are nutritious – made with wholesome, real food ingredients – but also have rich, complex flavors. With this in mind, Abbott is introducing Curate – a new brand that takes a culinary approach to snacking by creating unique flavor combinations that taste like they were handcrafted by a chef. 

"Even with countless nutritious snack options in store, people told us they still weren't quite satisfied and were often looking to make their own snacks using ingredients from their kitchen," Dustin Finkel, General Manager, Nutritious Snacks, Abbott, said. "We saw this as an opportunity to create a snack brand that tastes handcrafted, with rich textures and flavors you would expect from a chef and blends of ingredients you can find in nearly every grocery or natural food store."

Every Curate snack starts with hand-selected, real food ingredients like Mission figs, Marcona almonds, balsamic vinegar, quinoa, chia seeds and elderberry.  Each bar brings these flavors together in unique ways to create unexpected, yet brilliant flavor combinations.

Curate is launching with six flavor recipes. These snack bars are a good source of plant-based fiber, contain protein and are made without artificial preservatives, flavors or colors. These non-GMO, gluten-free bars include:

• Dark & Tempting: Balsamic vinegar, fig and hazelnut come together in a sweet and savory blend rounded out with orange citrus zest.
• Harmonious Blend: Marcona almond and apricot are the stars of this bar with refreshing hints of lemon, vinegar, quinoa and honey.
• Irresistible: Chocolate, strawberries and pistachio stand out in this arrangement of toasted oats, quinoa and almond butter.
• Indulgent: Dark chocolate and hazelnuts are blended with chia seeds and almonds, and finished with sweet vanilla.
• Salted Decadence: Dark chocolate and almonds are combined with hemp seeds and quinoa, while the California sea salt enhances these flavors.
• Sweet & Tart Berry Bliss: Wild blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cranberries mixed with almonds, chia seeds and quinoa are topped off with a sprinkle of flax seeds.

In addition to the six flavors in the current line-up, Curate will introduce Curate Kids bars this spring, with other new snacks coming later this year.

"I often hear from people that they would love to make their own snack bars, but they simply don't have the time," said culinary nutritionist Katie Cavuto, MS, RD.  "Curate bars are a great alternative to a homemade snack and they contain plant-based fats and are a good source of fiber. Plus, each bar comes in under 200 calories and boasts around the same amount of protein as one medium-sized egg.  The unique sweet and savory flavor composition paired with the bar's impressive nutrient profile creates a satisfying snack and helps to minimize less nutritious, impulse snack choices."  

Curate snack bars are available nationwide at major grocery, mass merchandise and natural food stores.

Visit www.curatesnacks.com to learn more.  Connect with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/curatesnacks, on Twitter @CurateSnacks, or on Instagram @CurateSnacks.

Curate is a new snack brand that takes a culinary approach to create snacks with unexpected, yet brilliant flavor combinations that taste handcrafted by a chef. Curate is introducing a line of six snack bars made with hand-selected, real-food ingredients you would find in nearly every grocery or natural food store – like Mission figs, Marcona almonds, balsamic vinegar, quinoa and chia seeds.

About Curate:

Curate is a new snack brand that takes a culinary approach to nutritious snacking. We bring together real food ingredients to create unexpected, yet brilliant flavor combinations that taste handcrafted by a chef. Passion for food and health is what we're about. Curation – finding and purposefully bringing together seemingly disparate elements – is what we do best.  For more on Curate, visit www.curatesnacks.com or follow Curate on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Abbott:

At Abbott (NYSE: ABT), we're committed to helping you live your best possible life through the power of health. For more than 125 years, we've brought new products and technologies to the world -- in nutrition, diagnostics, medical devices and branded generic pharmaceuticals -- that create more possibilities for more people at all stages of life. Today, 74,000 of us are working to help people live not just longer, but better, in the more than 150 countries we serve.

Connect with us at www.abbott.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Abbott and on Twitter @AbbottNews and @AbbottGlobal.

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