CytoSport

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CytoSport is an American manufacturer of sports-oriented nutritional products, or "supplements" based in Benicia, California. It offers a line of protein-enhanced powders, shakes, and bars, and has broken into the mainstream market with a ready-to-drink form of protein supplement Muscle Milk, a non-dairy beverage which is trans-fat- and lactose-free, contains no high fructose corn syrup and is shelf stable. Muscle Milk mainly markets on taste by using familiar milkshake flavors such as banana, milk chocolate and vanilla to drive consumers to the product, along with multiple drink sizes and formats, including powders and being sold in convenience stores alongside regular energy drinks and sports drinks. [1] In Canada, the product is branded as Muscle Mlk, a modification required in Canada to avoid confusion with milk.

Contents

History

CytoSport was founded in 1998 by the father/son team of Greg and Mike Pickett. It produces its powder products and pre-blends of ready-to-drink products at a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) manufacturing facility. [2]

Its products are endorsed by running back Adrian Peterson and by college swimming coach Mike Bottom. [2]

TSG Consumer Partners has financed Cytosport. [3] The company reportedly earned US$200 million in 2008, and received the Small Company of the Year Award at the 16th annual Beverage Forum presented by Beverage World magazine and Beverage Marketing Corporation. [1] Hormel announced it was acquiring CytoSport for $450 million in 2014. [4]

In February 2019, Hormel announced it was [5] selling the CytoSport business to PepsiCo, Inc. for a purchase price of $465 million. The transaction included the Muscle Milk and Evolve sports nutrition brands and was completed in April 2019.

Controversy

A June 2010 investigation by Consumer Reports , a US consumer advocacy magazine, found that two of Cytosport's Muscle Milk products contained levels of heavy metals near or exceeding levels proposed by the United States Pharmacopeia (USP). Muscle Milk's Chocolate powder had four heavy metals — cadmium, lead, arsenic, and mercury — and three of these metals were found to be at the highest levels of all the health drinks tested. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 µg in three daily servings exceeded the USP limit of 5 µg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 µg also topped the USP limit of 10 µg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 µg was near the USP limit of 15 µg per day. Muscle Milk's Vanilla Crème powder had 12.2 µg of lead in three daily servings, exceeding the lead limits, and 11.2 µg of arsenic. [6] In response, CytoSport said, "Importantly, the tests underscored the fact that Muscle Milk Chocolate liquid shakes, by far and away our company's most popular consumer form of Muscle Milk, did not exceed the proposed maximum levels of any heavy metals tested, even when used three times per day." [7] [8] CytoSport's founder, Greg Pickett, also indicated that NSF International released a conclusion that its own test results 'do not reflect the concentrations stated in the Consumer Reports article.'" [7] In turn, Consumer Reports provided their rebuttal, defending their statements. [9]

On June 8, 2009, it was reported that The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB) was referring advertising claims made by CytoSport Beverage Co. for its Muscle Milk product to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration for review. Under its National Advertising Review Council terms, NAD had asked Cytosport to substantiate certain claims following a challenge to its advertising filed by Nestle USA. Nestle said the marketing of Muscle Milk was false and misleading, alleging consumers would be misled into thinking it is a supplemented milk product instead of a dietary supplement. CytoSport said its product claims are truthful and non-misleading, and that the product name is a non-deceptive registered trademark; it declined to participate in the NAD review, stating the review was unnecessary and inappropriate. [10]

On May 6, 2009, in Sacramento, California, a federal court issued a preliminary injunction requiring Vital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VPX) to immediately remove Muscle Power from the marketplace, after concluding that the product infringes on CytoSport's trademark rights of Muscle Milk. This was prompted after CytoSport filed a lawsuit against VPX, stating that Muscle Power's packaging, or "trade dress", was deceptively similar to Muscle Milk's packaging. The court held that "VPX has chosen an identical font, in an identical color, on an identically shaped package, and placed the mark on the package in an identical location." [11]

Muscle Milk Pickett Racing

Muscle Milk Pickett Racings HPD ARX-03a at the 2012 Petit Le Mans PLM12 6 Muscle Milk HPD Lucas Luhr.jpg
Muscle Milk Pickett Racings HPD ARX-03a at the 2012 Petit Le Mans

Muscle Milk owner and founder, Greg Pickett, has also been involved in a championship winning North American sports car racing team. Founded in 2007, Pickett's team has competed in the American Le Mans Series the 24 Hours of Le Mans and Tudor United SportsCar Championship. The team's successes include overall and class victories as well as the 2012 and 2013 American Le Mans Series LMP1 Drivers' and Teams' Championship. The team officially closed operations on May 16, 2014, with Greg Pickett focusing his attention back on the expansion of his Muscle Milk brand.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arsenic poisoning</span> Arsenic affecting human life

Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition that occurs due to elevated levels of arsenic in the body. If arsenic poisoning occurs over a brief period of time, symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, encephalopathy, and watery diarrhea that contains blood. Long-term exposure can result in thickening of the skin, darker skin, abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart disease, numbness, and cancer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocolate milk</span> Sweetened chocolate-flavoured milk

Chocolate milk is a type of flavoured milk made by mixing cocoa solids with milk. It is a food pairing in which the milk's mouthfeel masks the dietary fibres of the cocoa solids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whey</span> Liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained

Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard cheese, like cheddar or Swiss cheese. Acid whey is a byproduct brought out during the making of acid types of dairy products, such as strained yogurt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ultra-high-temperature processing</span> Food sterilization process

Ultra-high temperature processing (UHT), ultra-heat treatment, or ultra-pasteurization is a food processing technology that sterilizes liquid food by heating it above 135 °C (275 °F) – the temperature required to kill bacterial endospores – for 2 to 5 seconds. UHT is most commonly used in milk production, but the process is also used for fruit juices, cream, soy milk, yogurt, wine, soups, honey, and stews. UHT milk was first developed in the 1960s and became generally available for consumption in the 1970s. The heat used during the UHT process can cause Maillard browning and change the taste and smell of dairy products. An alternative process is flash pasteurization, in which the milk is heated to 72 °C (162 °F) for at least 15 seconds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horlicks</span> Sweet malted milk hot drink powder

Horlicks is a sweet malted milk hot drink powder developed by founders James and William Horlick. It was first sold as "Horlick's Infant and Invalids Food", soon adding "aged and travellers" to their label. In the early 20th century, it was sold as a powdered meal replacement drink mix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice milk</span> Plant milk made from rice

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Powdered milk</span> Dehydrated milk product

Powdered milk, also called milk powder, dried milk, or dry milk, is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for the economy of transportation. Powdered milk and dairy products include such items as dry whole milk, nonfat (skimmed) dry milk, dry buttermilk, dry whey products and dry dairy blends. Many exported dairy products conform to standards laid out in Codex Alimentarius.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut milk</span> Liquid made from grated coconut meat

Coconut milk is an opaque, milky-white liquid extracted from the grated pulp of mature coconuts. The opacity and rich taste of coconut milk are due to its high oil content, most of which is saturated fat. Coconut milk is a traditional food ingredient used in Southeast Asia, Oceania, South Asia, and East Africa. It is also used for cooking in the Caribbean, tropical Latin America, and West Africa, where coconuts were introduced during the colonial era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milo (drink)</span> Chocolate and malt powder drink produced by Nestlé

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whey protein</span> Protein supplement

Whey protein is a mixture of proteins isolated from whey, the liquid material created as a by-product of cheese production. The proteins consist of α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin and immunoglobulins. Glycomacropeptide also makes up the third largest component but is not a protein. Whey protein is commonly marketed as a protein supplement, and various health claims have been attributed to it. A review published in 2010 in the European Food Safety Authority Journal concluded that the provided literature did not adequately support the proposed claims. For muscle growth, whey protein has been shown to be slightly better compared to other types of protein, such as casein or soy.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milk substitute</span> Alternative substance that resembles milk

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MET-Rx is an American brand of nutritional supplements originally produced by Met-Rx, Inc., a California company started by Scott Connelly, and sold several times since.

Benzene in soft drinks is of potential concern due to the carcinogenic nature of the molecule. This contamination is a public health concern and has caused significant outcry among environmental and health advocates. Benzene levels are regulated in drinking water nationally and internationally, and in bottled water in the United States, but only informally in soft drinks. The benzene forms from decarboxylation of the preservative benzoic acid in the presence of ascorbic acid and metal ions that act as catalysts, especially under heat and light. Hot peppers naturally contain vitamin C so the observation about soft drinks applies to pepper sauces containing sodium benzoate, like Texas Pete.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports nutrition</span> Study and practice of nutrition to improve performance

Sports nutrition is the study and practice of nutrition and diet with regards to improving anyone's athletic performance. Nutrition is an important part of many sports training regimens, being popular in strength sports and endurance sports. Sports nutrition focuses its studies on the type, as well as the quantity of fluids and food taken by an athlete. In addition, it deals with the consumption of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, supplements and organic substances that include carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoothie</span> Drink made from fruit or vegetables

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cocoa solids</span> Mixture remaining after cocoa butter is extracted from cocoa beans

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Muscle Milk Pickett Racing was a motorsports group from Indianapolis, Indiana. The team was founded in 2007 by CytoSport co-founder and former IMSA GT Championship driver Greg Pickett. Since 2007, Pickett's team has competed in the United SportsCar Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge. The team officially closed in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nesquik</span> Brand of products made by Nestlé

Nesquik is a brand of food products made by Swiss company Nestlé. In 1948, Nestlé launched a drink mix for chocolate-flavored milk called Nestlé Quik in the United States; this was released in Europe during the 1950s as Nesquik.

In 2013, a wide-scale recall of products sold by dairy producer Fonterra was announced after suspected botulism-causing bacteria were found during safety tests. The contaminated whey products had been sold to third parties who use it to produce infant formula and sports drinks. Approximately 1,000 tonnes of consumer product was affected by the recall across seven countries, but no cases of sickened consumers were reported. China, which imports most of its powdered milk from New Zealand, instituted a temporary ban on the import of the ingredient from New Zealand.

References

  1. 1 2 "Cytosport Inc.: Flexing Some Muscle". Beverage World . 2009-03-05. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Behind Our Product". cytosport.com. CytoSport, Inc.
  3. Avalos, George (May 14, 2009). "Banking on Main Street's Tastes". Contra Costa Times . Bay Area News Group. Archived from the original on February 6, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2018 via tsgconsumer.com.
  4. Mattioli, Dana; Dai, Shasha; Bunge, Jacob (July 1, 2014). "Hormel to Acquire Maker of Muscle Milk". The Wall Street Journal . p. B3.
  5. "Hormel Foods Announces the Sale of CytoSport to PepsiCo". Hormel .
  6. "Investigation: Tests Reveal Contaminants in Many Protein Drinks". Consumer Reports (Press release). Yonkers, New York: Consumers Union. June 1, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010. JUL 2010 Cover
  7. 1 2 "Press Release". cytosport.com (Press release). CytoSport, Inc. May 30, 2010. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  8. Pickett, Greg. "CytoSport's Response to July 2010 Consumer Reports Article, 'Alert: Protein Drinks'" (Press release). Cytosport. Retrieved August 10, 2018 via Dokumen.tips.
  9. Rock, Andrea; Rangan, Urvashi (June 4, 2010). "Maker of protein drinks responds to CU's investigation". ConsumerReports.org. Consumers Union. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  10. "NAD Refers CytoSport Ads to FTC". Natural Products Insider. Archived from the original on 2009-06-29.
  11. "CytoSport Secures Preliminary Court-Ordered Injunction of Muscle Power Due to Infringement of Muscle Milk Trademark". BevNET.com. May 7, 2009.