I chat with my friend Rebecca once a month via Zoom. She and I are former colleagues and she’s and amazing and highly decorated ultra trail runner who hails from Boulder.

Today she asked me if I’d kept up with the Spring Energy saga. I had no idea what she was talking about. Spring Energy is an energy gel that has historically used whole foods and natural ingredients, and was created specifically for athletes and adventurers who prefer natural and more wholesome ingredients. I went through a period where I used Spring Energy because other products are hard for me to choke down. A necessary evil, if you will, for endurance sports.

I don’t exactly remember when and where it was, but I do remember the day that Spring Energy’s Canaberry didn’t sit well with me at all. I usually have an iron-clad stomach, but that day, the Canaberry burned through that iron and I’ve since sworn off Spring Energy’s gels.

Some astute people on Reddit recently did their own independent testing on Spring Energy’s products and apparently Spring Energy has been duping consumers, specifically around package labeling and caloric content.

Here’s the Spring Energy founder addressing the issue on Instagram: