Facts Up Front and Blackberry Crumble Bars

Today I want to share with you

a program called Facts Up Front! This initiative, which launched in 2011, helps keep us, as consumers, informed so we can make healthful decisions when purchasing products in the grocery store. Are you like me and when buying products at the store you always read the labels? Especially items that are new or something you haven’t tried? That’s how Facts Up Front helps! The Facts Up Front label displays key information from the
Nutrition Facts Panel on the front of the package so it’s easier to find and quicker for you when shopping and making decisions.

http://www.factsupfront.org/

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of the Facts Up Front program.

· Many products today feature the Facts Up Front label including brands you and I use often. Today more than 50 manufacturers, retailers, and wholesalers have Facts Up Front labels printed on them. In fact, two of the main ingredients in my recipe below, Blackberry Crumble Bars, have the Facts Up Front label. I chose to make that recipe to show you how basic products and ingredients we use in our recipes every day feature the Facts Up Front label and how easy to find they are. Facts Up Front really does make it easier to know all the nutrition facts on the foods I am buying for my family.

·
To learn
which of America’s leading manufacturers and retailers are participating in Facts Up Front, visit http://factsupfront.org/Partners.

FactsUpFront.org is a resource for consumers to learn more about the label, how to read it, and how to build a healthful diet. This website has many different tools for consumers to use such as a Nutrition Calculator, Interactive Label, Nutrition Quiz, Shopping and Meal Planning Tips, Infographic, Recipes, and Videos. View one of their videos, Simple Tips for Building a Better Diet, below.

I thought this picture, from the Facts Up Front Facebook page, was very interesting. It shows we are more likely to look at labels on food packaging than menus.

Facts Up Front is a voluntary
initiative led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, which represents the
nation’s leading food and beverage companies, and the Food Marketing Institute,
which represents more than 1,500 food wholesalers and retailers. The Facts Up Front label can be seen on both of these products, which I use in my recipe below.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 (10oz) jar blackberry jam
1 6oz container blackberries

Directions:

Heat oven to 350°F.
Grease 13×9-inch glass baking dish with butter or cooking spray.
In
large bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.
Work
in butter pieces with fingers until mixture looks like coarse meal.
Stir
in almonds.
Press half of the mixture in bottom of baking dish.
Top
with fruit spread and blackberries.
Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over
top; pat down lightly.
Bake 35 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool on cooling rack then cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Recipe from www.bettycrocker.com

Two of my main ingredients: blackberry jam and oats both are part of Facts Up Front !

Fresh blackberries are a favorite fruit to snack on and bake with in our house.

In
large bowl, mix flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder and salt.

Work
in butter pieces with fingers until mixture looks like coarse meal.

Stir in sliced almonds.

Press half of the mixture in bottom of baking dish.

Top with fruit spread.

TIP: I have found that heating the jam for a few seconds

makes it easier to spread.

Sprinkle with plump, juicy blackberries. Yum!

Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over
top; pat down lightly.

Bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees until golden and bubbly.

Hot out of the oven! Let cool completely before slicing into bars. Or if you can’t wait…scoop into a bowl and top with ice cream to eat like a Berry Crumble instead!