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Is your protein powder legit? 🤔 Here's how to check

  • Mar 11
  • 6 min read

In the last several months, nutrition supplement company Holmes Nutrition has come under fire for false claims on their great-tasting protein powder.1 Turns out, the supplement contained only 15% of the protein per serving that it claimed to have (3.4 grams vs. 22 grams per serving), and contained a whopping 525% of the amount of sugar that it claimed to contain.1-2 Its on-pack nutrition facts label was also a mess, spelling "dietary fiber" incorrectly and not including certain FDA-required elements like the amount of added sugars.1-2 While fairly egregious, this case is nowhere near the only case where a nutrition supplement has been marketed with false nutrition or ingredients claims.3-4

Image by macrovector on Freepik.
Image by macrovector on Freepik.

How is a company able to put such a mis-labeled product on the market? There's likely a simple answer for that, and there may not have even been malicious intent on the part of the company: Nutrition supplements, and all FDA-regulated foods, are subject to the FDA's labeling rules, but the FDA does not review and approve labels or products for integrity before a product is put on the market. It is largely up to each company to confirm and back up its claims.5 While it doesn't help in the Holmes Nutrition case, there's also a 20% allowance for variance in nutrition facts labeling, so foods may legally contain 20% higher or 20% lower amounts of nutrients than the label claims.6 For instance, if a product claims to have 30 grams of protein per serving, technically it's legally allowed to contain as little as 24 grams per serving. If a product claims to have 3 grams of saturated fat per serving, it's legally allowed to contain up to 4 grams of saturated fat per serving (considering rounding rules).



Unlike official medications or drugs regulated by the FDA to ensure purity and quality assurance, nutrition supplements like protein powders and vitamins are not checked by the FDA for quality and purity.5 So even though they are often marketed like drugs, they aren't subject to the stringent oversight that the drug industry is. Because of this, nutrition supplements are more likely to be contaminated or not contain quite what the label claims.3,5,7-8


In my Sports Nutrition Basics webinar last month, we briefly discussed nutrition supplements and the need to be discerning when choosing to use nutrition supplements - from protein powder to BCAAs to creatine to multivitamins. This is especially important for professional athletes or active-duty military personnel, for whom accidentally taking in a banned substance could mean the end of a career, or worse.3,9


Fun at the Sports Nutrition Basics webinar last month! Register for the next webinar here.
Fun at the Sports Nutrition Basics webinar last month! Register for the next webinar here.

The Holmes Nutrition protein powder case is perhaps an example of the best case scenario when it comes to a mislabeled supplement. Cases with more serious consequences, such as contamination (whether accidental or on purpose) by substances like steroids and stimulants have occurred.3,7-9  So it's important to check your supplements and ensure you're reaching for a reputable brand, especially if you are a professional athlete, a military member, or someone who is shopping for athletes or service members. Here are some tips to stay safe and avoid scams when shopping for nutrition supplements:


  1. Check the label for a trusted 3rd-party supplement testing company's logo:


There are several well-known testing companies that some supplement manufacturers voluntarily use to prove that their supplement is what it says it is, and nothing more (not contaminated).10-11 Such companies are: NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport / Informed Choice, Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG), and US Pharmacopeia (USP). Because these 3rd-party testing services come at an extra cost, and often a large one at that, I'm not suggesting that companies that don't carry one of these seals are not trustworthy - they're likely not doing anything wrong (at least not on purpose) and simply may not have the budget to invest in third-party testing. However, seeking out brands that DO carry these seals is a smart choice and the safest way to ensure you're getting what the label says you're getting.


Some well-known 3rd-party testing companies' seals are below. You can check your supplement label for one of these images.


I checked the sports nutrition section at the store on the nearest military base to me, and found 3rd-party testing logos on several protein powder brands - Optimum Nutrition (ON), Muscle Milk, Body Fortress, GNC, and Dymatize. Select Protein claimed on their label that they were "third party tested," but did not carry one of the major 3rd-party-testing companies' seals. They may be testing, but perhaps not paying for the major trusted testing protocols. Other brands did not carry 3rd-party-testing logos or claims about testing.


  1. Check the supplement against Labdoor.com's database:


Even if the product you're looking at does not have a major 3rd-party testing seal on its labeling, it's possible it's been independently tested by a watchdog organization like Labdoor.12 You can visit Labdoor.com to search for your supplement by brand or type. Labdoor assigns a score based on the degree to which the supplement contains what it claims to contain. It's a good practice to check anytime, even if the label has a 3rd-party testing seal on it. If a brand isn't on Labdoor, that doesn't mean it's not reputable (I noticed not all brands are on the site) but Labdoor is a tool to have on hand as a discerning shopper.



  1. Check the supplement's ingredients list at OPSS.org:


To make extra sure that your supplement does not contain substances that are banned by the Department of Defense, you can visit the OPSS site and search for each ingredient listed on the label to confirm that the supplement doesn't contain any banned substances.9 OPSS also has a scorecard tool to check your supplement overall.10


I tested this tool with 2 pre-workout supplements that are available at the Exchange on base.


In this example, both supplements are okay to use, but the Optimum Nutrition option is the safer option because it has a higher OPSS Scorecard score and carries a third-party testing seal on the label. It also has a lower caffeine provision per serving and does not encourage over-consumption of the product (which the Gorilla Mode label does by showing the amounts contained in 2 scoops, even though the serving size is 1 scoop).



  1. Is the taste too good to be true?


This is admittedly an un-scientific check, so it's last on the list. But many people who tried Holmes Nutrition's sugar-packed, fraudulent "protein powder" reported that it tasted surprisingly good, "just like cake batter."1 It is notoriously difficult to cover up the aftertaste and mouthfeel issues of a highly-concentrated protein mixture.13-14 That's why so many protein products are milk-based because those are most accepted, although technology is always improving and we do have some clear protein drinks now. It's also difficult to mask the bitter taste of high-caffeine products like pre-workout or energy drinks, and vitamins often have an unpleasant taste, too.14-15 Watch for that 3rd-party-testing seal on the label. If it's not there and the product tastes a lot different or more like a treat than other supplements in the same category . . . well, it's worth asking yourself if it tastes a little too good to be true. 😅



Thanks for reading! Have questions or comments? Email me here!


References

  1. Oh E. US premium protein powder praised for cake-like taste allegedly turns out to be high-sugar cake mix. Must Share News. January 26, 2026. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://mustsharenews.com/protein-powder-cake/

  2. u/Sufficient_Letter175. Holmes Protein Mix (SCAM/FAKE MACROS). Reddit.com. March 3, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2026. https://www.reddit.com/user/Sufficient_Letter175/comments/1j2xf2l/holmes_protein_mix_scamfake_macros/

  3. Rawson ES, Branch JD, Stephenson TJ. Nutritional Supplements and Ergogenic Aids. In: Williams’ Nutrition for Health, Fitness and Sport. 13th ed. McGraw Hill, LLC; 2024:490-539. Accessed February 21, 2026. https://bookshelf.vitalsource.com/reader/books/9781266131899/epubcfi/6/140[data-uuid-7f7e3c3657a24d00abbe0563473c9f71]!/4/2[data-uuid-e8ef8a2c6ba443c38f7cb41ba14af7f4]/18[data-uuid-3b73f5fc2b59436682e318063128fa40]/14[data-uuid-f598ec6c1e854706bb902864560ff71a]/1:875[ete%2Cs:]

  4. Esposito G, Sciuto S, Martello E, Pezzolato M, Bozzetta E. Disclosing Frauds in Herbal Food Supplements Labeling: A Simple LC-MS/MS Approach to Detect Alkaloids and Biogenic Amines. Journal of Food Protection. 2023;86(10):100152. doi:10.1016/j.jfp.2023.100152

  5. Dietary Supplements | FDA. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements

  6. National Archives and Records Administration. 21 CFR 101.9 (g) (4) and (5) -- Nutrition labeling of food. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-21/part-101/section-101.9

  7. Zapata-Linares J, Gervasini G. Contaminants in Dietary Supplements: Toxicity, Doping Risk, and Current Regulation [ABSTRACT ONLY]. Published online April 23, 2024. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2023-0263

  8. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Information for Consumers on Using Dietary Supplements. FDA. August 29, 2024. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.fda.gov/food/dietary-supplements/information-consumers-using-dietary-supplements

  9. DoD Prohibited Dietary Supplement Ingredients. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://www.opss.org/dod-prohibited-dietary-supplement-ingredients

  10. OPSS Scorecard. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://www.opss.org/opss-scorecard

  11. Wardenaar FC, Burns SF, Campos M, et al. Navigating the Risks Beyond the Label: Unpacking Global Nutritional Supplement Safety. Published online December 16, 2025. Accessed March 11, 2026. https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/ijsnem/36/2/article-p134.xml

  12. Labdoor.com. Labdoor.com: About Us. labdoor. 2019. Accessed March 11, 2026. http://0.0.0.0:9040/about

  13. Norton V, Lignou S, Faka M, Rodriguez-Garcia J, Methven L. Investigating Methods to Mitigate Whey Protein Derived Mouthdrying. Foods. 2021;10(9):2066. doi:10.3390/foods10092066

  14. Delompré T, Guichard E, Briand L, Salles C. Taste Perception of Nutrients Found in Nutritional Supplements: A Review. Nutrients. 2019;11(9):2050. doi:10.3390/nu11092050

  15. Poole RL, Tordoff MG. The Taste of Caffeine. J Caffeine Res. 2017;7(2):39-52. doi:10.1089/jcr.2016.0030


 
 

Madeline M. Gibson, RD | Client Policies

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