The protein problem

Jonathan Imerman, Reporter • February 13, 2026

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In late 2024 and early 2025, Holmes Nutrition was found to be selling a too-good-to-be-true product: protein powder that tasted exactly like cake or brownie batter. This protein powder became very popular online, with many users and influencers claiming it tasted exactly like cake batter, only with more than 20 grams of protein.

This, to many people, was seen as one of the best protein powders around, as it provided an enormous amount of protein for the great taste. With people having a goal to eat one gram of protein per one pound of body weight for gaining muscle, this protein powder, along with other supplements and protein-focused food, would be able to crush that goal.

It was not until a few months after the release that lab tests revealed that this “protein” powder did not contain as much protein as advertised, with more sugar than protein in this so-called “protein powder.” This is because their “protein powder” was quite literally cake or brownie batter in powdered form. This finding blew up on social media, with there even being a lawsuit filed in March of 2025 against Holmes Nutrition (“Holmes v. The Reshaping and Nutritional Company LLC”), alleging that they were underreporting the protein content of their powder.

Claremont High School Freshman Charlie Rockwell had some words regarding this scandal.

“Protein is the thing right now,” Rockwell said. “Every company advertises how much protein is in their yogurt, powder, or drink, [and] I don’t think that companies are going to stop trying to advertise the amount of protein they have. I think they might veer off unhealthy foods that still have protein.”

With protein products not known for their taste, people must suspect that ones that taste like candy are going to have less protein than they are marketed for due to other, unnatural ingredients (or high amounts of sugar). While protein powder may just be a fad at the moment, this issue still brings up questions about the reliability of protein companies, as well as other supplement companies and their products.

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About the Contributor

Jonathan Imerman, Reporter

Jonathan Imerman is a freshman Reporter on the Wolfpacket. He is on the Claremont High School basketball team and plays the sax in the CHS band. In his spare time, he likes to read, play video games (the Zelda grind never ends), and hang out with his dogs. He passionately dislikes tomatoes and anything art-related. One of Imerman’s unusual but cool talents is being able to solve a Rubik’s Cube in under 8 seconds (if you would like to witness a picture of this esteemed reporter crashing out online, search up “2024IMER01”). This year, Imerman is looking forward to writing fun and interest-piquing articles in the Wolfpacket and finally getting to type on a computer that doesn’t lag.