### Spring Energy Faces Backlash Over Nutritional Inaccuracies
Last week, a RUN article shed light on the nutritional inaccuracies found in some of Spring Energy’s popular gels. Third-party tests revealed that products like Awesome Sauce, Hill Aid, and Canaberry contained significantly fewer carbs than stated on their nutrition labels. These discrepancies have raised questions about the company’s transparency and the accuracy of other energy gels in the market.
### Redditor Exposes Spring Energy’s Nutritional Claims
Liza Ershova, known as “sriirachamayo” on Reddit, was the first to publicly question Spring Energy’s nutritional accuracy. After conducting her own tests on Awesome Sauce and discovering a significant discrepancy in carb content, Ershova shared her findings on a Reddit thread. This sparked a chain of events that led to the revelation of inaccuracies in other Spring Energy products, leaving many consumers concerned about the reliability of nutritional information provided by energy gel brands.
### Spring Energy Responds to Allegations
In response to the backlash, Spring Energy’s co-founder Rafal Nazarewicz issued an apology video on Instagram, attributing the discrepancies to manufacturing issues and ingredient inconsistencies. Despite multiple third-party tests confirming the inaccuracies, the company maintains that only “some batches” were affected. The fallout has led to running stores discontinuing the sale of Spring Energy products, with retailers like The Feed offering discounts on remaining inventory.
### Industry Experts Weigh In on the Situation
Stephanie Howe, a CTS coach with expertise in nutrition and exercise physiology, emphasizes the complexity of the issue. While some runners have reported poor performance and bonking after using Spring Energy gels, Howe cautions against attributing all performance issues to nutritional inaccuracies. She highlights the challenges of fueling during endurance events and suggests alternative products like Maurten and Precision gels as more reliable options for fueling on the run.
### Calls for Greater Accountability in the Energy Gel Industry
The controversy surrounding Spring Energy’s products has prompted calls for greater accountability and transparency in the energy gel industry. As consumers demand accurate and reliable nutritional information, brands are facing increased scrutiny over their product claims. Moving forward, industry experts and consumers alike are advocating for more stringent testing and regulations to ensure the integrity of energy gel products on the market.
Original Story at run.outsideonline.com – 2024-06-06 16:05:44
