General Mills Explores Peas in Search of the Next Superfood

Deep inside the General Mills research lab in Golden Valley, Minn., food technician Faith Perry is busy mixing up the newest Lärabar energy bar. Tins arranged along one wall contain every conceivable ingredient you could squeeze into a snack, from rolled oats to marshmallows. But the one that will earn this latest Lärabar a new moniker on its label—ALT, for alternative protein—is thousands of years old: peas. Perry adds an undisclosed measure of yellow pea powder to a mound of nuts, dates, and brown rice syrup to complete a recipe that took the company’s food scientists two years to concoct.

“We went through a lot of prototypes,” says Perry as she flattens the mixture into a metal pan. Since proteins bind together and get harder, affecting a product’s texture and shelf life, she says, “it was challenging to keep it simple. We used peas because they’re nonallergenic and have a low impact on flavor.”