Regular consumers of protein powder will have noticed an uptick in price over the last several years, something we highlighted in September, comparing Optimum Nutrition’s current regular retail price of Gold Standard 100% Whey versus that of ten years ago. When prices shoot up on essential supplements like this, you definitely need to be on alert when it comes to who you can trust, as not all companies are as honest as the next, which we saw back in the amino spiking era.
The industry veteran and Vice President of Marketing for the reputable Core Nutritionals, Scott Welch, has put out a message that is well worth paying attention to and learning from in light of the steep increase in price of protein powder that doesn’t appear to be getting better anytime soon.
“Not all protein powders are created equal — especially right now. With protein raw material prices spiking to record highs, some manufacturers try to cut costs by blending old, soon-to-be-expiring protein into fresh batches! This helps the final product pass microbial testing, but it also means the powder in your protein tub might not be as fresh as the label suggests. Blending like this can still meet testing requirements, but it highlights how differently brands approach ingredient freshness, raw material standards, and quality control.”
Basically, make sure you’re buying your protein powder from a trusted company, and since testing wouldn’t necessarily reveal a technique, as Scott Welch explains, it does come down to trusting a brand and its morals. Sometimes, if the price is too good to be true, it may well be; it’s about who you can trust, with the likes of Core Nutritionals, where Welch is the Vice President of Marketing, being one of the names in our experience that you can indeed rely on.
