Are you being fed misleading information by your supplement company?

You might be without even knowing it.

Have you looked at the protein content of your protein product lately? Now is the time to reach for your tub and have a look. Do the words “dry basis” appear? If they do you might have good reason to return the product for false advertising. Why? There is a simple reason

When supplement companies buy their whey protein they receive a certificate of analysis to show the nutritional information. It will look something like the mock up below:

Product: Whey Protein 80
Date: 13/10/2005
Batch no: 10010
          
Protein (dry basis) 82%
Protein As is 77%
Average moisture 5%
Fat 6%
Lactose 5%

If you were going to sell a protein powder which protein content figure would you want to use? The dry basis figure of course! But hold on what is the “as is” figure? This is the REAL protein content in the product that is the result of taking the “dry basis” figure and subtracting the moisture content, which on average is 5%. Makes sense when you see the figures doesn’t it.

However, there are some companies that believe it is legitimate to provide you with the “dry basis” numbers and reap the rewards by giving you the higher numbers, rather than true figures.

Here’s a good example of how it works in real life, a 2.2kg Whey Protein product:

Per 100 grams:

Protein 76 (dry basis)
Carbohydrate 10
Fat 4.3

You’d be forgiven for thinking that with a protein content of 76% you would be receiving a good product. Protein content in the 2.2kg category above 75% is quite good, but only if that figure is real. By taking moisture into account at 5% you’re actually left with a REAL protein content of 71% which is really quite average.

You bought the wrong one, were you deceived?
The real controversy comes into play when you the consumer choose a protein product based on its protein content. For example say you were looking at three brands:

Brand A : 75% Protein
Brand B : 73% Protein
Brand C:  76% Protein (dry basis)

You choose Brand C because it states on the label it contains 76% protein. You chose the wrong one, as mentioned above it actually only contains 71% protein. Were you deceived into buying Brand C? Yes you were. Both the other brands contained more protein.

Why is this possible?
How is it possible for companies to get away with this? Simple, very few customers actually realise the difference, and rarely ever complain. The only way to change this situation is to simply boycott such products.  It is your money they are taking so at least make make sure you are getting what you pay for.

What makes Reflex different?
Simple, we test every batch of protein powder we make, including our weight gainers. We test for the actual protein content on an as is basis. You are guaranteed to get exactly what is on the label. See our protein testing section for more information