The Suburban Mumbai district’s additional consumer dispute redressal commission has found Big Muscles Nutrition Private Limited, a supplementary protein powder provider company, guilty of failing to abide by its promised ingredients in its product. The commission thus directed the company to refund the entire lab testing charges that the fitness enthusiast had incurred to test the contents of the product, Rs 36,409, along with six percent interest from June 2023. The commission has also directed the company to pay Rs one lakh to the complainant for his mental agony and an additional amount of Rs 10,000 for his litigation charges.
Rahul Shekhawat, a resident of Hiranandani Gardens, Powai, who has been religiously working out for the past 16 years, purchased a protein powder called ‘Big Muscles” from Amazon.com last year. The cost of 1 kg of powder was Rs 1,599. However, he was not satisfied with the reviews about the product, so he decided to get the product checked in the laboratory.
“As per the advertisement, it is claimed that ‘100% performance whey protein powder contains 24 grams of high-quality protein with no added sugar,” read the complaint copy.
Rahul, in his complaint, also mentioned that he had addressed an email to the company with his doubts about the product, to which the company, in its reply, mentioned that the product is completely safe to consume and has the same nutritional value as it claims. The company had also provided a link to the lab report, which showed the protein test done on behalf of them on the said product to authenticate its claim.
The conclusion from the laboratory reports was surprising, as they suggested that the protein powder was not only spiked with unknown amino acids to increase the protein content but also high in sugar and carbs, which is in fact entirely contrary to what Big Muscle Nutrition originally envisaged for the product.
“The consumption of such spiked protein powders is far from a healthy body and mind. Studies show that consumption of such a protein spiked powder can lead to short-term side effects like headaches, acne, bloating, nausea, and even diarrhea. Apart from these, prolonged consumption of amino-spiked whey protein can lead to some long-term side effects, like heart issues and liver damage. There have been deaths reported all over India recently that are known to be caused by the consumption of low-quality health supplements and nutraceutical products,” reads the copy.
It further adds, “FSSAI is condemning the unfair trade practices of such food/health supplement manufacturing companies in India. Although there are no reports, evidence, or documents submitted by the complainant in this regard, the disparity in the contents of the product as brought on record through the lab testing of the said product is definitely a cause for concern, and such adverse effects can not be ruled out altogether. The attempt at spiking the protein content with the aid of unknown amino acids is hence condemnable, and cannot be accepted.”
The commission, after going through the reports, maintained, “The attempt to spike the protein content with the aid of an unknown amino acid, is condemnable, and can not be accepted. Hence, the commission is of the concerned opinion that making false claims about the content of the product sold to the customer, which can adversely affect the health of the customer, is definitely a deficiency in service, and despite the knowledge that protein-spiking is misleading to consumers, the company continues to advertise, distribute, label, manufacture, market, and sell the product in a misleading and deceptive manner, which amounts to unfair trade practice.”
Below are the laboratory results.
Total Content of Spiking Agents:
Alanine: 8.3343 grams
Aspartic Acid: 1.3689 grams
Glycine: 1.7589 grams
Lysine: 0.8385 grams
Tyrosine: 2.7378 grams
Total Spiking Agents:15.0384 grams
Non-Spiked Protein Content:
Non-Spiked Protein Content: 08.22 grams
Spiked Protein Content:
Spiked Protein Content: 15.03 grams
