Fitness enthusiast received Rs 1.1 lakh in compensation.
Big Muscles Nutrition Private Limited, a supplementary protein powder provider company, has been found guilty of false advertising and has been ordered to compensate its wronged customer.
What happened?
Rahul Shekhawat, a Powai-based fitness enthusiast, purchased a protein powder called “Big Muscles” from Amazon.com last year. The cost of 1kg of the powder was Rs. 1,599. However, he was not satisfied with the reviews about the product and decided to get it checked in the laboratory.
Rahul also reportedly addressed an email to the company with his doubts and worries about the product. However, the company replied that the product was completely safe to consume and contained all the nutritional value they claimed it did. They also provided him with a link to a lab report showcasing the protein test done on behalf of them to authenticate their claims.
However, the reports Rahul received from the laboratory resulted in unpleasant revelations. They suggested that the protein powder was not only spiked with unknown amino acids to increase the protein content, but was also high in sugar and carbs, which was entirely the opposite of what Big Muscle Nutrition had advertised for their product.
Following a notice to the company that went unanswered, Rahul filed a complaint with the consumer forum. However, company failed to appear before the forum.
Has the issue been resolved?
District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, based on Rahul Shekhawat’s independent lab report, deemed Big Muscles Nutrition’s labelling to be “falsely displayed” and asserted that it contained “a series of false claims regarding the ingredients.” The commission specifically condemned the practice of “spiking of the protein content with the aid of unknown amino acids.” They emphasized that the consumption of such products posed health risks, ranging from short-term side effects like headaches and nausea to long-term issues like liver damage and heart problems.
Ruling in Rahul’s favor, the commission awarded him Rs 1.1 lakh as compensation for his mental agony along with a full refund for the misleading product.
There has been a spike in such cases of misleading advertisements, with many protein brands coming under fire for their false claims and harmful products. Just earlier this year, popular hepatologist Cyriac Abby Philips (TheLiverDoc) called out many of them, including Big Muscles, for making exaggerated claims and deceiving customers on their labels.
