Hammer HEED scoop size debacle! Argh!

Triathlon Forum
1

Here goes my rant against Hammer. First of all, I love Hammer. I love their subtle flavors, their science, and their commitment to the athletes. Yay for Hammer.

BUT - they screwed up.

I have been using Hammer HEED religiously for quite a while. In all that time, I’ve based my training and nutrition planning on how many calories the HEED packaging stated was in a scoop of powder: 100 calories. I’ve gone through many, many canisters of the stuff and bought it from various SF bay area bike/tri stores. No problem.

Then, three weeks ago (two weeks before Oceanside), I bought a canister and I noticed that the scoop inside was smaller. Well, actually, I subconsciously noticed, but I figured maybe I was imagining things and I did nothing about it.

Well, it sucks for me that my usage of this canister coincided with Oceanside, where I totally bonked. Why did I bonk? Well, I bonked because I suck but I also bonked because the HEED scoop size was smaller but I based my bottle concentrations on the older larger scoops sizes. How different are the scoop sizes? The larger scoop was 67cc and the new one is 47cc. That’s 30% smaller for those of you keeping score.

So I brought 7 (smaller) scoops with me on the bike. But that was actually 5 scoops using the old larger size. And I ran the first half of the run with a bottle which contained 30% less powder than I expected it had. I had other calories besides HEED, but overall I had about 20% fewer calories through the first half of the run. Not good at all.

As it turns out, the old larger scoop was too big. 67cc of HEED is 142 calories (47cc is 100 calories), but using that larger size was working for me.

Anyway, I’m kinda pissed at Hammer because I think this is a big deal. For a company that bases their core values on the science of endurance nutrition, to have stated the calories in a scoop incorrectly by 30% is HUGE. I’m also pissed because Hammer then KNEW they made a mistake and then just quietly switched the scoop size. No note on/in the packaging. No updated packaging. No update on the website. Nothing. Really Hammer?? Really? Here’s a company that prints a book that discusses exactly how much of every product they make an athlete should consume given their weight, the temperature, and their exercise intensity, and they are not going to highlight a 30% ERROR in their FLAGSHIP beverage. Astounding.

So I called Hammer and asked and finally as of this evening (4/9/2009) the nutrition information for HEED on their website has been updated:

1 level scoop = 47cc = 4.5tbsp = 13.6tsp = 100 calories

However, this is still wrong. 4.5tbsp and 13.6tsp equate to the old scoop size of 67cc. They just updated one number. Kind of amateur if you ask me.

Anyway, I’m posting this because I haven’t gotten an adequate response from Hammer yet. How could they miscalculate so badly for so long??? Why didn’t they publicize this more? Don’t they realize their customers are anal??

I also wanted to alert any HEED users out there to be aware that the scoop just got 30% smaller, so adjust the amount you use accordingly.

PS. I take responsibility for my own race performance, I’m not blaming Hammer for my bonk. But geez - triathlon has so many details, do I really have to start thinking about the accuracy of the nutrition information? How many of your would notice if all the gels you brought on the bike contained 30% less stuff in them?

2

I see your point. I hope a rep sees your post.

3

Did you not get a “You’ve been using too much” note in your Hammer box? I did. It explained the scoop size miscalculation and gave what you should be using as well as explaining there would be smaller scoops in future HEED and Recoverite cans.

4

Thanks for postings this information.

5

You should pay Heed for a wakeup call.

If you bonk during a half ironman, because the scoop size changes, you body awareness is simply gone. If you need a scale and a calculator to fuel yourselve for a f*()= half, than get rid of these tools and practice body awareness. When I start feeling a bit of hunger, there is still plenty of time, to eat (why would most tri-geeks rather say “adjust my nutrition strategy” than the simple word eat).

Stop calculating, start feeling your body.

Even with a perfect scoop, there might be a day, where you need more fuel (because you are more fit and move faster, because it is extermely warm or cald …) or less fuel (because you got more economic, loaded more on the day before …).

6

I noticed the smaller scoop in a container of Heed I opened last summer. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. The nutrition label was the same. I just kept the larger scoop from the previous container because that is what I had been using, and seemed to be working fine. In my order this spring, there was a note in the box explaining the scoop size difference. This year’s order came with the larger scoop, btw, and the note said to use less. Yep, Hammer screwed up. Maybe I can blame them for the 3 lbs that I didn’t lose before my ‘A’ race. Probably not.