Originally published January 22 2014
One World Whey protein sales halted: Serious label error discovered, investigation under way
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) IMPORTANT UPDATE APRIL 18, 2014: Based on a product investigation, Natural News has now been informed that sales of the current production lot of One World Whey Protein will be halted by its manufacturer, Synergistic Nutrition.
What we now know for certain is that the label of the product is incorrect. Consumers have been seriously misled about the composition of this product. The claimed 21 grams of protein on the label is not accurate, for starters. Synergistic Nutrition has confirmed that the actual grams of protein is only 5.
When I initially received a tip about this very point, I did not believe it because of the pristine reputation of the Synergistic Nutrition company and its founder. But I immediately began to investigate because this is a product we have carried in our store, and I always want to get to the bottom of these issues when questions are raised. So I initiated an investigation which brings us to this startling discovery.
Here's the official statement from Synergistic Nutrition regarding this label and composition error, which replaces their temporary website note we had quoted earlier:
Sales of One World Whey have been temporarily suspended. It has just come to our attention that there is a discrepancy between what the label says and what has been found from laboratory analysis. The analysis shows that One World Whey's most recent batch with lot numbers CH4692, VA4692, ST4692 and NA4692 has more carbohydrate content and less protein than what the label indicates.
The product is still beneficial and most people continue to take it, as they enjoy the flavor and health benefits. However in the interest of giving you only the highest and best products with accurate information on the containers and literature, we are temporarily suspending sales. The next batch of One World Whey will have third party analysis, performed to verify all ingredients. We will update you as to when the next batch of One World Whey will be available.
The question on everyone's mind right now is along the lines of: "If it's only 5 grams of protein, then what are the other 16 grams?" (We are investigating this issue, including the question of dextrose.)
The answer, according to the updated label on the Synergistic Nutrition website, is that the other 17-18 grams are made of something that qualifies as a dietary sugar on nutrition facts labels. The updated label, in fact, now reads 5 grams of protein and 17 or 18 grams of "sugars" in the carbohydrate category.
This brings up all sorts of questions in my mind which I am actively pursuing with Synergistic Nutrition. In the mean time, NATURAL NEWS HAS HALTED ALL SALES OF ONE WORLD WHEY PRODUCTS and is notifying customers of this issue. Our investigation into the composition of this product continues and we will bring you more information as it is confirmed.
Based on what we have learned so far, we are extremely disappointed that Synergistic Nutrition was shipping a product to all sorts of retailers (Amazon.com, Raw Food World, Natural News, etc.) which we now know to be very different in composition from what was described on the label. Had this been intentional -- and all signs currently point to it NOT being intentional -- it would have been a case of outright product fraud. I do not believe customers are going to be happy about spending $150 for five pounds of "protein" which is mostly not protein.
Although myself and thousands of customers have always enjoyed the product's unique properties (it is processed using some interesting vibrational technologies which may help enhance its efficacy), there is simply no excuse for a product to be shipped with such glaring errors on its label. The product's amazing taste is also now much easier to explain: the composition is more made of dietary sugars than dietary protein. I believe it is now a reasonable question to ask whether this can rightly be called a protein supplement at all.
On the good news side, the Synergistic Nutrition company has been extremely cooperative in answering my questions and helping us all get to the bottom of this. So far, it appears they have been misled by their product formulator. The owner of Synergistic Nutrition has been very active in owning up to this serious oversight, halting sales of the current production lots, honoring requested refunds and taking responsibility to set things right for the future. I have spoken with Stephen Heuer personally and he is 100% dedicated to setting things right, no matter what it takes.
This is not as common as you might suspect. In many investigations where I have notified companies of problems with their products, they have gone into states of extreme denial and refused to alter their labels. For example, when I identified high levels of lead and cadmium in rice protein products, some companies denied that was a problem and claimed heavy metals were good for you! So I am optimistic that Synergistic Nutrition will get to the bottom of this, correct their product composition and labels, make amends with their customers and have a bright future with their products.
My own heavy metals testing of the One World Whey product, by the way, remains fully accurate. Our lab tests products for heavy metals, and One World Whey tested extremely clean. Unfortunately, it now appears that what we were testing was substantially different from the way it was described and labeled by its manufacturer. Under FDA regulations, product manufacturers are fully responsible for the composition of their products and the accurate labeling of their products.
Our investigation is ongoing, and more updates will be posted here on Natural News. In the mean time, we have halted all sales of One World Whey products and are in the process of notifying our own customers of all these details. (UPDATE: We have completed all requested refunds to customers.]
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