The group that sued the company behind David’s Protein Bars in January has dropped the lawsuit, alleging that the product’s label misrepresented its calorie and fat content.
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The lawsuit claimed that independent clinical testing found the bar, a favorite among some wellness influencers, contained 400% more fat and 80% more calories than the advertised product. The claim sparked comparisons on social media to the movie “Mean Girls.” In the film, the character Regina George discovers that the “healthy” bars she’s been eating are actually making her gain weight.
Following the controversy, David’s founder Peter Rahal addressed the allegations: “No one is receiving Regina Georged,” he wrote in X on March 11.
On Tuesday, after the lawsuit was dismissed, the company said in a statement: “We are pleased that this matter has been resolved and look forward to continuing to focus on our customers and our business. We remain confident in the accuracy of our nutrition labeling.”
In response to a question from NBC News, Rahal reiterated, “David’s 150 calories.”
Lawyers for the plaintiffs did not respond to requests for comment. It is unclear why they dropped the case.
At the center of the controversy was an ingredient in David Protein bars that the body does not digest: a modified vegetable fat called esterified propoxylated glycerol (EPG).
Registered dietitian Amy Goodson told NBC News this month, “With this ingredient, you can actually reduce the fat grams you put on the food label itself because it has 92% fewer calories than typical fat grams.” “It’s resistant to digestive enzymes, so it passes through the body, but it’s not actually digested.”
Rahal claims that the calorie count listed on David’s Protein Bars is based on calculating only the calories your body absorbs.
After filing the lawsuit, he called it “frivolous” and said the plaintiffs had miscalculated calories.
“When you’re at the forefront of innovation, there’s always disruption,” Rahal told NBC News this month. “We fully stand behind our products.”
