David addresses lawsuit over protein bars having extra fat, calories
David addresses lawsuit over protein bars having extra fat, calories
Melina Khan, USA TODAYFri, March 13, 2026 at 2:06 PM UTC
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A class action lawsuit against David, the popular protein bar brand, is accusing the company of undercounting the fat and calories in its products.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for Southern New York on Jan. 23, alleges that David misleads and deceives consumers in violation of federal law by labeling its protein bars with lower fat and calorie counts than they actually contain, according to court filings obtained by USA TODAY.
The three plaintiffs − Daniella Lopez of Los Angeles, California; David Freifeld of Vernon Hills, Illinois; and Crystal Paterson of New York, New York − said in the lawsuit that they tested the products' fat and calorie contents in a lab.
The plaintiffs' results allegedly showed the bars have over 100 more calories than the advertised 150, and over 10 grams of fat more than the advertised 2-2.5 grams.
David has taken to social media to seemingly address the claims, arguing that "the confusion comes from how calories are being measured." USA TODAY has reached out to David for comment.
Lawsuit alleges David protein bars have 'way more' fat and calories than advertised
A Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Flavored Bar from the brand David Protein on display during The Suppies 2026: The Vitamin Shoppe's Supplement Awards at Electric Lemon at Equinox Hotel on Feb. 18, 2026 in New York City.
According to the complaint, the plaintiffs allege that both the fat and calorie counts on the David bars are "way more than what is claimed."
Based on the plaintiffs' testing, the bars had between 263-275 calories depending on the flavor, the lawsuit alleges. All of the bars are advertised as having 150 calories.
The testing also allegedly found the fat content, which is advertised as no more than 2.5 grams, was upwards of 13 grams depending on the flavor.
Because the lawsuit is a class action, it has been brought on behalf of a larger group of people who may be impacted. In this case, the class consists of consumers nationwide who purchased David bars.
The lawsuit is calling for a jury trial. If David were to be found liable, it would be required to pay damages to members of the class.
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'Mean Girls' comparisons fly, but David says 'no one is getting Regina Georged'
As news of the lawsuit circulated online this week, David customers drew comparisons to "Mean Girls." In the 2004 film, a character named Regina George discovers that the snack bars she had been eating for weight loss actually have the opposite effect.
But David said in a TikTok post that "no one is getting Regina Georged," adding that the confusion around the calories in its bars stems from "how calories are being measured."
In a video posted to David's Instagram, Mitch Culler, a food scientist, reiterated the explanation and emphasized that David's protein bars have 150 calories.
"The misunderstanding is coming from confusion around a device called a bomb calorimeter, which measures the heat released when a food is burned, and that's actually where the phrase 'burning calories' comes from. But your body is not a furnace," Culler said.
Culler continued, "A nutrition facts panel measures the calories that your body can absorb from the food, not just those that are released when it's burned."
A bomb calorimeter is a piece of equipment used to measure the heat energy stored in food. The lawsuit does not specify whether a bomb calorimeter was used to test the bars, but it does say the bars were measured using the Atwater system.
The Atwater system is a way to measure calories in food, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some studies have called its accuracy into question.
USA TODAY has reached out to the plaintiffs' lawyers for comment.
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David protein bar lawsuit claims bars have extra fat, calories
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