The next review on EPIC Bites will be on a 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag of their bison bacon chia flavored bites. This bag was purchased at a Whole Foods store in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
The EPIC Bites jerky brand name was created by Taylor Collins and Katie Forrest. This brand is distributed by Epic Provisions, located in Austin, Texas. Both Taylor and Katie are physically active, and were looking for foods to satisfy their needs. Then they started eating a paleo diet. Shortly afterwards, they set out to create the world’s first 100% grass fed meat, fruit, and nut bar. In January 2016, the very large company General Mills acquired Epic Provisions.
Ingredient Review
Ingredients: Garlic, Uncured Bacon – No Nitrites or Nitrates Added (Pork, Water, Sea Salt, Vinegar, Celery Powder), Golden Raisins, Chia Seeds.
It is believed that the bison at least have partial free range access to graze on grass, and roam about. It is also believed that the bison were ethically raised, meaning not administered growth hormones or additional antibiotics. The bacon used has a great ingredient list, as far as bacon goes.
These bites qualify to have a chopped and formed texture, or something similar. In theory, it may sound good to combine bison, bacon, raisins, and chia seeds together. However, our belief is that it’s an unnatural, processed, and denatured product, where each of the items in its natural form would be healthier.
The only liquid used here is water and vinegar in the bacon. Healthy golden raisins are used, which are dried white grapes, and loaded with vitamins and minerals. Chia seeds are routinely included in top 10 healthiest food lists.
The sugar level is a tad high at 4 grams of sugar per 28 grams of jerky. However, that is negated because it would mainly be sugar from the raisins. The salt level is respectable at 290mg of salt per 28 grams of jerky.
This jerky does qualify to have no sodium nitrite, or any other similar unhealthy preservatives. Instead, the main preservative used is sea salt, which is minimally processed, and high on minerals. With further kudos, there is also no MSG added.
Alright (6/10) – Ingredient Rating
Taste Review
Written by guest jerky reviewer Stéphane Leclerc
This 2.5 ounce/71 gram bag cost $6.99, which works out to $2.80 an ounce. That rates as an expensive price. These bites are recommended to people who enjoy a very soft and tender texture, but not so much from a health perspective, and even less from a taste perspective.
Bag Review
This resealable plastic bag has everything printed directly on the bag, both on the front and back. There are no labels affixed to this bag. The front depicts a fairly high resolution picture of a bison.
Slogans printed on this bag are “A Truly Different Animal” and “Feed others as you wish to be fed”. Some facts printed on this bag are “Made With 100% Natural Bison”, “Minimally Processed”, “No Artificial Ingredients”, “Handcrafted”, “Gluten Free”, “Soy Free”, “No Antibiotics Added”, “Bison Used”, “No Antibiotics Added”, “Made in USA”, and “9g of Protein per serving”.
All bag categories are covered with this bag. On the back, there is a great blurb printed about these bites and flavor. As a growing industry trend, their Twitter, Facebook and Instagram handles are provided.
Leave a Comment