So this week, my DMs and texts were flooded. Reels, links, screenshots, all about the David Protein Bar drama. And if you have worked with me you know I am a fan of these bars. 150 calories and 28 grams of protein? Excellent macro profile! But apparently that might not be the whole story. So let me tell you what I know, what I don’t know yet, and what actually matters for you.

Let’s dive in….

A class action lawsuit was filed in January claiming that David bars actually contain between 268–275 calories per serving, up to 83% more than the 150 calories advertised. The testing also found 11–13 grams of fat per bar versus the 2.5 grams on the label (which is what increases the alleged calories). That is a significant difference.

David came back on these claims hard and fast. I got an email directly from founder Peter Rahal, and honestly their social media response has been brilliant. They posted on Instagram “No one is getting Regina Georged,” which, if you have seen the movie Meangirls you get it, but if not, the meaning is being subtly manitputlted or undermined, so don’t beleive every thing you see. They are standing fully behind the 150 calorie claim. 

So who is right? Honestly, we wait and see. But here is what I do know.

The key ingredient in David bars is EPG (esterified propoxylated glycerol). It is a plant-based fat substitute that moves through the body without being fully digested. That is what makes the low calorie count possible, like fiber these calories are not absorbed. The lawsuit tested the bars using bomb calorimetry, which burns the food and measures all the heat released. David’s argument is that this method is wrong for an ingredient like EPG because it counts calories the body does not actually absorb. The FDA allows six different calorie calculation methods and David says they used the right one for this ingredient. So we will see how the further testing with the correct tools plays out.

Here is the piece to this that made me raise an eyebrow. In 2025, the owner of David acquired Epogee, the company that makes EPG, and then stopped licensing the ingredient to anyone else, gatekeeping it for only DAVID products. Some might consider this a smart business move. Several startups that had been building products around EPG got cut off completely. Some of those companies have now filed a separate antitrust lawsuit against David. I am not saying the calorie lawsuit is a witch hunt, but there are absolutely people with a financial reason to go after this brand right now. I think that is worth knowing.

Right in the middle of all of this, as the lawsuit goes viral and the internet goes crazy, David rolls up to Natural Products Expo West with a few white billboard box trucks circling the convention center in Anaheim, teasing their next product: protein ice cream. 30 grams of protein, 260 calories, 2 grams of sugar per pint. If those numbers hold up and it tastes good, that is a remarkable product.

Let me just say what I am thinking….the lawsuit hits, the calorie controversy explodes, and simultaneously, David is out here launching into a brand new category that will almost certainly use the same EPG technology that those startups lost access to when David acquired Epogee. I am not saying the lawsuit is a coordinated attack, I am saying the calorie claims are not the whole story. There is a business war happening here too. David is about to make a lot of money and there are people who are not happy about it.

Another thing to keep in mind, Peter Rahal, the CEO and co-founder of David, has been in the protein bar space for a while. Before launching David, he created RXBARs and sold the company to Kellogg's for approximately $600 million. He's not a newcomer to this space.

We'll see how it all plays out , keep that context in mind when you see the online outrage. I'll be watching closely for how this gets tested and what comes of it.

A fact worth noting: the FDA allows a 20% margin of error on nutritional labels, that variance can add up significantly over the course of a day, in either direction. It's one of the main reasons I designed the BASEline Meal Plan. Counting every calorie is a complicated and often inaccurate headache. There's a better way.

A bar is a tool. Your results are the measure. The science here is complicated and the business drama is real. This will probably take time to settle. What does not change: protein matters, whole food is always best, a caloric deficit is how weight loss happens, and the habits you build consistently are worth far more than anything else. Do not let the noise make you forget what is actually working. 

Have a great week,

Debbie

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