How Products were Selected:
Products selected represent those commonly sold and/or available nationally in the U.S. ConsumerLab.com purchased products on the open market through retail stores, on-line retailers, catalogues, or multi-level marketing companies. Products were not accepted directly from manufacturers.

Testing Methods:
Nutrition powder and drinks products were tested for their total calories, total fat, poly- and monounsaturated fat, saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, protein, total carbohydrates, total sugars and sodium content. All products were first analyzed for their specific nutritional components using AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists, International) methods in an independent laboratory. Products not passing this initial assay for any specific nutrient were tested in a second independent laboratory utilizing similar AOAC methods.

The identities of the products were not disclosed to the laboratories performing the testing.

Passing Score: *
To achieve a "Pass" in the testing, a product had to:

1. Specify the amount of all nutrients in the product as required by the FDA and be appropriately classified as a food or dietary supplement.
   
2. Meet its label claims within a specified range for each nutritional component as indicated below:
   
   
   • Total Fat (within 1 gram or 15% of claim, whichever is greater; or, if claiming zero total fat, no more than 0.5 gram/serving);
     
     
   • Saturated Fat (within 0.5 gram/serving or 15% above claim, whichever is greater);
     
     
   • Trans Fat within 0.5 gram or 15% above claim, whichever is greater);
     
     
   • Cholesterol (within 4 mg/serving or 15% above claim, whichever is greater; or, if claiming zero cholesterol, no more than 2 mg/serving);
     
     
   • Sodium (within 50 mg/serving or 15% above claim, whichever is greater; or, if claiming zero sodium, no more than 5 mg/serving);
     
     
   • Protein (within 1 gram/serving or 15% of claim, whichever is greater);
     
     
   • Total Carbohydrates (within 5 gram/serving or 15% of claim, whichever is greater; or, if claiming zero to 3g/serving of carbohydrates, within 1g of claim);
     
     
   • Total Sugars (within 1 gram/serving or 15% above claim, whichever is greater; or, if claiming zero sugar, within 0.5 gram/serving of claim)
     
     
   • Total Calories (within +/- 20% of claim)

A "Pass" was based on meeting the above criteria in either the first or second rounds of testing.

* Passing scores allow for specific margins of technical error associated with each analysis. ConsumerLab.com reserves the right to disqualify a product at any time from passing its testing if it considers such product to present a safety risk or to provide misleading or inaccurate information in its labeling.