It Sucked Learning Santa Clause Didn't Really Exist.
When it comes to learning more about your protein supplements, this may be one of those experiences. Sorry. Not sorry. As a consumer concerned about your health you deserve nothing less than honesty and transparency, and you're going to get a good dose of it here.
In the realm of health and nutrition, consumers are often drawn to labels that promise superior nutrition and ethical sourcing. The terms we discuss here are misleading "snake-oil gimmicks", commonly used by numerous brands to convince you that their product is different (and in some cases even better) than the next company's.
Unfortunately, protein supplements lack considerable governance - allowing brands to make claims without accountability, all in the spirit of manipulating your trust to make a buck.
Please take a few minutes to read what we have to say on these terms. Our intent here is not to convince you to buy our product. In fact, you may very well strongly disagree and choose NOT to buy our products as a result.
Our intent is solely to share with you some hard truths we've learned in thousands of hours of research and over 17 years of purchasing 100's of ingredients from all over the world to manufacture our products.
BS Pile #1: "Grass Fed" or "Pasture-Raised"
The benefit of whole milk from cattle that have been predominantly fed a grass/pasture diet has been proven in studies to show that the whole milk contains slightly higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
If you were to have a glass of unprocessed full fat milk, then yes there are slight benefits well documented by science.
HOWEVER... We're not talking about whole milk here.
We're talking about isolated proteins. Milk protein isolates and concentrates, and whey protein isolates and concentrates are all highly processed to reduce fat content - the very fats that
those beneficial acids bond to. Whey is particularly bad because it is processed TWICE - the first time when whole milk is pasteurized and processed into cheese and the whey is left over, and then a second time to filter it, remove the remaining fat, dry it, and isolate the remaining protein.
Thanks to its abundance from the cheese making industry, almost no dairy company we are aware of purposely makes whey from whole milk.
That being said, there is currently no scientific evidence which concludes that cattle fed primarily a grass or pasture diet produce better quality milk protein products or whey protein products. However it sounds good from a marketing perspective and
allows the brand to differentiate themselves from competitors and try and justify a higher price for what is essentially a heavily processed and repurposed byproduct of another industry.
There are however several studies which concluded that there were no significant differences between the two types of whey protein in terms of nutritional benefit.
They conclude definitively that grass-fed whey offers no distinct advantage over conventional whey. You are welcome to read two studies verifying our claims here:
Because there are no regulations in place which govern the use of this term, the brands using it have significant creative latitude. Their rationale, is that this claim is true because "Cows eat grass.
Therefore we can say it's grass fed." Well Duh... ALL cows eat grass! What's misleading is the spirit in which the term is used, and that is to lead you to believe that the cows that made the milk to create the protein
EXCLUSIVELY (or almost exclusively) ate grass and not supplemented feed - which is completely untrue.
You're welcome to "agree to disagree". We invite you to provide us with a study not conducted by a brand, which concludes that "grass-fed" cattle produce better whey than cattle with supplemented diets.
BS Pile #2: "Raw" or "Cold Processed"
Here in North America, this is a blatant mistruth, because pasteurization is legally required in both Canada and the United States by Health Canada and respectively the FDA for ANY whey product can be sold commercially. Even if microfiltration is used
or low temperature (cold processing) is done, the milk/whey liquid is still pasteurized to comply with our food safety regulations. Even undenatured whey protein must be pasteurized.
Pasteurization involves heating milk to at least 161 degrees F (72 degrees C) for 15 seconds (HTST method) or 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) for 30 minutes (LTLT method) to eliminate harmful bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria.
Now, let's talk about the drying process. As you know, whey begins life as a liquid left over from the cheese making process (and pasteurized at that time). It is then concentrated to make it easier to dry. That thick liquid is then atomized into tiny droplets and sprayed into a chamber with very hot air
(150-300 degrees C / 300-570 degrees F) where the moisture boils/evaporates leaving behind a fine powder.
While some dairies freeze dry the whey, the process is very expensive (if you ever purchased freeze dried fruit you'll know what we're talking about) and quite uncommon. It's estimated that less than 1% of whey is processed by freeze drying. This means that your "raw" or "cold processed" whey powder has now been subject to a hot process not once but TWICE to get to a powder.
Simply put, there is no wiggle room when it comes to the term "raw". It's a blatant lie. Period.
BS Pile #3. New Zealand Whey Is Better
Whey from New Zealand is marketed as superior due to the country's grass-feeding practices and strict dairy regulations. "New Zealand Grass Fed Whey" leads a consumer to believe that grass is all the cattle are fed, and that their cattle are
happily roaming the field, munching away all day on nice green grass. However, it's common knowledge throughout New Zealand that while their cattle are predominantly grass fed, almost 20% of the entire dairy industry's
feed is supplemented with maize, silage, swedes, fodder beets, and palm kernel extract.
Here is a link to a report published by the New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries which verifies this claim:
New Zealand Cattle Feed Supplements
So, while it's true that whey from New Zealand cattle are "grass fed", don't for one minute think that they are exclusively grass fed. In this context, North American cattle are grass fed too because they eat grass as well.
...but "New Zealand Whey" sounds so much sexier and exotic than "Saskatchewan Whey", don't you think?
"Amino Acid Profile - The TRUTH"
We get asked this a lot: "What's the amino acid profile of your protein powder?"
Let's be honest - the supplement industry is filled with polished charts, inflated claims, and pseudo-scientific marketing fluff.
So here's the real story: Every protein powder made from a natural source - whether it's milk, rice, pea, or anything else - has a typical amino acid profile. You can find these profiles in academic research, food databases, and industry standards.
We formulate our products using these well-established benchmarks, and each of our protein blends delivers all the essential amino acids your body needs to function and repair itself.
Here's where most companies won't be honest with you: No one can guarantee an exact amino acid profile. Not us. Not the big brands. Not the lab coat on the fancy website.
Why? Because the amino acid composition of real food varies from batch to batch. The pea protein harvested in August will be slightly different than the one harvested in May. The milk the cows produce in July is different than the milk the cows produce in February. That's how nature works.
Add to that the fact that your body doesn't absorb 100% of what you eat - in reality, protein absorption sits somewhere between 90 to 95%, depending on factors like gut health, digestion, and food pairings.
So while it might feel reassuring to see a precise amino acid breakdown on a label, it's largely theoretical - not reflective of what actually happens inside your body.
Here's the bottom line: Unless you're a world-class athlete with a team of nutrition scientists tracking your every macro, the tiny variations in amino acid levels between protein products are not going to matter.
What does matter is the overall quality of the protein, the other vitamins and minerals it contains, how complete it is, and whether your body can actually use it effectively.
We don't do gimmicks. We make honest, nutritional products using clean, functional ingredients for everyone including high-performance athletes - and we tell the truth, even when it's not sexy or what you've been led to believe.
BS Pile #5. "Natural Flavour"
In Canada, the phrase "Natural Flavour" on food ingredient labels is regulated by the Canadian Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) but remains a vague term that isn't policed by the CFIA or Health Canada. For the most part this term encompases highly
processed extracts from natural sources, and includes compounds such as Esters, Aldehydes, Ketones, Alcohols, Phenols, Terpenes and even Sulfur compounds. While these chemicals are isolated from natural sources,
the processes involved in isolating them often involve the use of much more harmful chemicals and often harsh petrochemicals in the isolation process.
Here's where things get worse. The flavour industry is highly secretive, with companies like Firmenich, Givaudan, and IFF developing proprietory flavour blends. Because of this secrecy, many food manufacturers don't always know the exact
chemical composition of their flavouring agents, as suppliers classify them under trade secrets. This allows some synthetic or semi-synthetic compounds to be inlcuded under "Natural Flavour" with little or no transparency.
We have firsthand experience in this. When sourcing our pea protein, we received a terrible tasting sample. We discussed this with the manufacturer, and their answer was "We put masking agents in it before we ship it to you.".
When we asked about the "masking agent" they refused to disclose the chemicals. Seriously. We aren't making this stuff up. Needless to say, we didn't choose them as a vendor.
"Natural Flavours" do not exist in nature in a true form. If they did, the manufacturer would be promoting the use front and center in an effort to set themselves apart from their
peers - much like we do when we promote that our vanilla flavouring is "Real Madagascan Vanilla" - which is exactly what we use. Now THAT is true "natural flavour".
Conclusion:
As we mentioned above, it's not our intent to convince you to buy our products. It's our intent to share with you what we've learned in many thousands of
hours of research and 20 years of experience in one of the most highly regulated food manufacturing environments in the world. Unfortunately sometimes promoting a product with integrity debunks the
"word smithing" that brands have spent millions of dollars to convince you otherwise.
When it comes to pulling the curtain back on deceptive practices in the food industry, this isn't our first rodeo. 2-Pure's CEO, Brad Churchill started pushing that rope uphill waaaaay back in 2008 when he founded Choklat Inc., western Canada's first bean-to-bar chocolate maker.
As you will read in the following bio, his entire business premise for Choklat was founded on the principle of honesty and transparency within the luxury chocolate world.
Read About Our Fearless Leader Here!
In closing we believe that trust is earned. While our products may not be the right fit for you, we truly hope the information we've provided here helps you to make more informed decisions on your path to improved health and wellness. The only question now remaining is, "If a company is using these terms, what else are they lying about?"
Sincerely,
The 2-Pure Team