Tuesday March 5, 2002

Press Release

SOURCE: ConsumerLab.com

ConsumerLab.com Finds Nutrition Powders & Drinks More Accurately Labeled Than Nutrition Bars, But Unapproved Food Ingredient Seen in Some

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- ConsumerLab.com announced today that 24 of 26 nutrition powders and drinks that it recently evaluated met their label claims for carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. This is in stark contrast to ConsumerLab.com's announcement in October, 2001 that 60% of nutrition bars tested did not meet their label claims. Nutrition powders and drinks, often consumed as shakes, are commonly used for dieting, general nutrition, body building and to enhance athletic performance. Annual sales of nutrition powders and drinks grew 16% in the past year to $971 million in traditional U.S. retail channels alone according to Information Resources, Inc. (Chicago, IL).

Two nutrition powders failed to pass ConsumerLab.com's review, because they contained the herbal ingredient ``stevia,'' which is a non-sugar sweetener but has not been approved for food use in the U.S. due to inadequate safety data. Stevia can only be sold in the U.S. as a dietary supplement. The two products that contained stevia were labeled as foods, not supplements.

Tod Cooperman, M.D., President of ConsumerLab.com commented, ``Aside from the two products that should have been labeled as supplements because they contained stevia, the results were a welcome relief from the many problems we recently found with nutrition bars, where the full carbohydrate content was often hidden from consumers. The drinks and powders tend to contain about half the amount of carbohydrate and fat as nutrition bars and generally twice the amount of protein per serving. In fact, people using some of these powders and drinks as their primary source of nutrition should make sure that they are getting enough fat and carbohydrate from other foods.''

The complete list of products that passed the review, as well as ConsumerTips(TM) on buying and using nutrition powders and drinks are now available to ConsumerLab.com's online subscribers at http://www.consumerlab.com. General findings and examples of approved products are also available free from the Web site. Similar information is also available for other popular vitamin, mineral, herbal, and other supplements as well as nutritional products. Other ConsumerLab.com Product Reviews scheduled for release in coming months include weight loss/slimming supplements, potassium supplements and products containing botanical sources of omega-3 &-6 fatty acids (ALA and GLA). ConsumerLab.com's Guide to Buying the Best Vitamins, Herbs and Supplements is scheduled for publication later this year. ConsumerLab.com also offers an Athletic Banned Substance Testing program. To further assist consumers, ConsumerLab.com licenses its flask- shaped CL Seal of Approved Quality (see The CL Seal) to manufacturers for use on products that have passed its evaluations.

ConsumerLab.com is a leading provider of consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. The company is privately held and based in White Plains, New York. It has no ownership from or interest in companies that manufacture, distribute, or sell consumer products. Subscription to Consumerlab.com's Product Reviews is available online. Parties interested in purchasing comprehensive Product Review Technical Reports, licensing content, or requesting testing of additional products may contact Lisa Sabin, Vice President for Business Development, at lisa.sabin~consumerlab.com.

SOURCE: ConsumerLab.com


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