Oh My Cod. David's Done it Again.

When you see something, you don't always have to say something.

Today, David Protein launched its newest product: cod. Yes, like the fish. It’s the first thing you see when visiting davidprotein.com - you can get (4) 6oz filets for $55.

There’s only one ingredient…cod. It’s 100 calories per serving, 23g of protein, and 0g added sugar.

On the other hand, you have David’s flagship products - the David protein bars - available in 8 different flavors like classic peanut butter chocolate or cookie dough to a more uncommon protein bar flavor like red velvet. Similar in macros to the cod, these bars have 150 calories per serving, 28g of protein, and 0g added sugar.

But here’s the hangup that natural products lovers, health advocates, and MAHA movers have seemed to surface as many chances as they get: the bars contain artificial and processed ingredients (PROTEIN SYSTEM (MILK PROTEIN ISOLATE, COLLAGEN, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, EGG WHITE), BINDING SYSTEM (MALTITOL, GLYCERIN, ALLULOSE, TAPIOCA STARCH, SOY LECITHIN), FAT SYSTEM (MODIFIED PLANT FAT [EPG]. COCONUT OIL), FLAVOR SYSTEM (UNSWEETENED CHOCOLATE, PEANUT FLOUR, NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL FLAVOR, PEANUT EXTRACT, SALT, DUTCH PROCESS COCOA POWDER, SUCRALOSE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM).)

I was convinced people who received pre-launch samples signed NDAs because I couldn’t find ingredients ANYWHERE and it seemed like these bars were in the hands of so many. When I did finally get to see the ingredients, I was not thrilled…for me. But I was certain there were people out there who were thrilled about it. I mean, those macros do go CRAZY.

Anyway, back to the cod.

When I first heard about this today, of course I was looking for discourse on it - so I went straight to the source: Peter Rahal’s LinkedIn. If anyone’s going to make a statement about it, I would assume it would be the founder.

But his post wasn’t the most interesting thing to me - it was the first visible comment he made on his own post - he tagged someone named Meghan Swidler (sorry, Meghan, it was out in the open):

OBVIOUSLY I did what any curious person would do: I went looking for a post Meghan did about David. And I found it.

I’m not here to write a expertly-researched piece about David, its ingredients, or anything of the like. I simply have some food for thought and I want to share it: I tried David at Summer Fancy Food. It wasn’t for me. But I didn’t need to try David to know it wasn’t for me - I can read. Sorry, David. Sorry, Peter. But listen: I’m not your target customer, and I never was. You don’t need me.

What’s most interesting to me is the amount of hate David got once that ingredient deck was released - I actually had to unfollow a founder of a brand I truly enjoy because so much of their content became David-focused and it made me feel like they had forgotten about their own brand. Sadly, I haven’t purchased their products since because it was such a turn off.

Don’t get me wrong, the ingredient list felt apocalyptic to me - like, our ingredient lists are in systems now? But what feels more apocalyptic to me? The fact that David came up with a solution to the problem so many folks associated with their bars - and they were laughed at. Sure, it was cod, but 70 out of 435 people laughed at Peter Rahal’s post. Are they getting the positive traction and praise maybe they should get for offering a simple protein option to the world, to their audience? Probably not. Instead, they’re getting laughed at. Even if it is a joke, I think it’s worth noting.

Is the cod thing for real? It seems so - it’s for sale on the site. But one thing’s for certain: Sara Rados of David is a marketing genius.

I’m now asking myself: would I rather eat boiled cod, or a David bar? Maybe I will starve. Who knows! You tell me.

My unsolicited advice to all who are creating brands: if you see something, you don’t always have to say something. But you should do something. If you’re building a brand, focus on your brand and doing better for the world. Build something you can be proud of. And something we can be proud to buy. You cannot and will not please everyone.

Until next time…