Video Transcript: Protein Powder & Hummus Lawsuits

Our class action practice group looks at about four or five food labeling cases a month. People call with a variety of different questions and concerns about food products that they’re buying. Currently we’re developing two case types that are really interesting.

1. One is protein powder spiking. We’ve gotten reports that protein powder companies have been adding nitrogen as fillers to their protein powders, and thereby cheating the test results. So if you thought you were buying a protein powder that had 30 grams of protein, in reality, it may only have 20, 21, or 22 grams. So the concern there, of course, is that you’re overpaying for a protein that you’re not getting. Another example is advertising the powder as having in casein as opposed to whey protein. And for the triathletes or bodybuilders out there, they understand that those two proteins react very different in the human body. They both have their uses, but they’re different. And if you think you’re buying one when you’re given the other, it’s going to frustrate your workouts.
2. The other food labeling case that we’re looking at involves to tahini. Most people are familiar with hummus. Tahini is a main ingredient of hummus. And the importers of tahini have been advertising their tahini as containing 100% sesame seed, when in fact we’ve discovered that in some instances it’s not 100%. In some instances, there’s filler, such as a vegetable oil. And so this really affects the pricing of the tahini, and so the competitors that are in fact using 100% sesame seed to make their tahini are at a disadvantage, and consumers who think they’re buying 100% sesame seed tahini are overpaying.

If you have discovered any food labeling irregularities, or believe that you’re purchasing a product that is in fact not comprised of the ingredients on the label, we’d love to hear from you.