Killer Bar
Product Development | Regulatory Compliance | Labelling | Manufacturing
Developing the deadliest protein bar available on the market
For the Channel 4 documentary Licensed to Kill, KEO Films set out to expose an uncomfortable reality: that products can be engineered to appear healthy, meet regulatory requirements, and still be fundamentally misleading. To prove the point, the project demanded more than commentary or theory. It required a real product that could legally be sold to the public.
90+ ingredients in one bar
200+ legally compliant health claims
Micro & macro nutritional profiling completed
Manufacturer secured
Setting the scene
Ultra-processed foods dominate modern diets, yet current regulations allow products to be marketed as healthy while relying on dense combinations of additives, emulsifiers and loophole-driven claims. Licensed to Kill set out to challenge this system not by arguing against it, but by using it to its fullest extent.
The ambition was deliberately provocative: develop the most ultra-processed protein bar legally available on the market, using only approved ingredients and permissible claims, in order to expose the absurdity of the rules that govern modern food.
The result was a product built to sit comfortably within the law while openly contradicting common sense. It contained over 90 legally approved ingredients, carried prominent health halos and over 200 health claims on the front of pack, and displayed explicit warnings of cancer, stroke and early death on the reverse.
It was a bar the regulations deemed acceptable, while the label told consumers not to eat it.
Our involvement
We translated the documentary’s provocation into a real, functioning product. This meant researching ingredients permitted at maximum legal limits, formulating a high-protein bar capable of physically holding together under extreme specification, and ensuring full compliance across nutritional analysis, claims and labelling.
We developed front- and back-of-pack copy that simultaneously met regulatory requirements and delivered the intended shock message, and supported supplier outreach and production oversight to ensure the bar could be manufactured and sold to the public.
Throughout, technical QA was maintained to ensure the product remained legally compliant while achieving its intended purpose.
The Results
The Killer Bar entered genuine production and was sold to the public as part of the documentary. Its release generated significant media attention, sparked national debate and contributed to growing public awareness around ultra-processed foods, health halos and the regulatory loopholes that underpin them. Protein bar sales saw a noticeable dip following the launch. Joe Wicks and Chris van Tulleken delivered a national wake-up call about how easily ultra-processed products can be framed as healthy. We worked alongside the production team to develop and deliver a fully compliant product that could legally be brought to market, helping translate the documentary’s argument into something tangible.
To watch the Channel 4 documentary Licensed to Kill, click HERE.