| Product type | Protein drink Other protein supplement products |
|---|---|
| Owner | PepsiCo (viaGatorade) |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | 1998 |
| Previous owners | Hormel Foods |
| Website | musclemilk.com |
CytoSport is an American manufacturer of sports-orientednutritional products, or "supplements" based inBenicia,California. It is a subsidiary ofPepsiCo organized under theGatorade line of products, and is primarily known for its line ofMuscle Milkprotein supplement products, primarily in the form ofready-to-drink beverages and powders. In Canada, the product is branded asMuscle Mlk, a modification required in Canada to avoid confusion withmilk. CytoSport also formerly produced supplemental products under theMonster Milk andCytoMax brands.
CytoSport was founded in 1998 by the father/son team of Greg and Mike Pickett. It produces its powder products and pre-blends of ready-to-drink products at a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) manufacturing facility.[1]
Its products are endorsed byrunning backAdrian Peterson and by college swimming coachMike Bottom.[1]
TSG Consumer Partners has financed Cytosport.[2] The company reportedly earned US$200 million in 2008, and received the Small Company of the Year Award at the 16th annual Beverage Forum presented byBeverage World magazine and Beverage Marketing Corporation.[3]Hormel announced it was acquiring CytoSport for $450 million in 2014.[4]
In February 2019, Hormel announced it was[5] selling the CytoSport business to PepsiCo, Inc. for a purchase price of $465 million. The transaction included the Muscle Milk and Evolve sports nutrition brands and was completed in April 2019.
A June 2010 investigation byConsumer Reports, a US consumer advocacy magazine, found that two of Cytosport's Muscle Milk products contained levels ofheavy metals near or exceeding levels proposed by theUnited States Pharmacopeia (USP). Muscle Milk's Chocolate powder had four heavy metals —cadmium,lead,arsenic, andmercury — and three of these metals were found to be at the highest levels of all the health drinks tested. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 μg in three daily servings exceeded the USP limit of 5 μg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 μg also topped the USP limit of 10 μg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 μg was near the USP limit of 15 μg per day. Muscle Milk's Vanilla Crème powder had 12.2 μg oflead in three daily servings, exceeding the lead limits, and 11.2 μg of arsenic.[6] In response, CytoSport said, "Importantly, the tests underscored the fact that Muscle Milk Chocolate liquid shakes, by far and away our company's most popular consumer form of Muscle Milk, did not exceed the proposed maximum levels of any heavy metals tested, even when used three times per day."[7][8] CytoSport's founder, Greg Pickett, also indicated thatNSF International released a conclusion that its own test results 'do not reflect the concentrations stated in the Consumer Reports article.'"[7] In turn,Consumer Reports provided their rebuttal, defending their statements.[9]
On June 8, 2009, it was reported that The National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council ofBetter Business Bureaus (BBB) was referring advertising claims made by CytoSport Beverage Co. for its Muscle Milk product to the U.S.Federal Trade Commission andU.S. Food and Drug Administration for review. Under itsNational Advertising Review Council terms, NAD had asked Cytosport to substantiate certain claims following a challenge to its advertising filed byNestle USA. Nestle said the marketing of Muscle Milk was false and misleading, alleging consumers would be misled into thinking it is a supplemented milk product instead of adietary supplement. CytoSport said its product claims are truthful and non-misleading, and that the product name is a non-deceptive registeredtrademark; it declined to participate in the NAD review, stating the review was unnecessary and inappropriate.[10]
On May 6, 2009, inSacramento, California, a federal court issued apreliminary injunction requiringVital Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (VPX) to immediately remove Muscle Power from the marketplace, after concluding that the product infringes on CytoSport's trademark rights of Muscle Milk. This was prompted after CytoSport filed a lawsuit against VPX, stating that Muscle Power's packaging, or "trade dress", was deceptively similar to Muscle Milk's packaging. The court held that "VPX has chosen an identicalfont, in an identical color, on an identically shaped package, and placed the mark on the package in an identical location."[11]
Muscle Milk owner and founder, Greg Pickett, has also been involved in a championship winning North American sports car racing team. Founded in 2007, Pickett's team has competed in theAmerican Le Mans Series the24 Hours of Le Mans andTudorUnited SportsCar Championship. The team's successes include overall and class victories as well as the2012 and2013American Le Mans SeriesLMP1 Drivers' and Teams' Championship. The team officially closed operations on May 16, 2014, with Greg Pickett focusing his attention back on the expansion of his Muscle Milk brand.
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