A food reviewer trying to hit his protein goal has called out Swole Sweets for not only getting him sick but also for the way it poorly handled his concerns.
Alson (@alsonlovesfood), a prolific food and protein reviewer on TikTok, has earned 12,000 followers for his videos recommending different food brands, including alternatives to cookie giants like Crumbl. His latest clip, however, is a little different from the content he produces. In a video with 3.1 million views as of Tuesday, the San Diego-based TikToker blasted Swole Sweets. And it all started with a seemingly normal product review.
What Did This Food Reviewer Eat That Made Him Sick?
Before Alson garnered the attention of millions of viewers, he shared a post reviewing Swole Sweets. In the original clip, Alson tries Swole Sweet’s famous protein brownies. He originally recommends the brand at the end of the clip, saying they are delicious despite having melted during shipping.
But there was one important detail Alson’s followers caught that he didn’t.
“Is this not mold?” one commented, attaching a screenshot of the $18 cheesecake-infused cinnamon toast swirl brownie Alson ate. Indeed, it appears that the green-grey spots on the brownie could possibly be mold spores.
“No wonder I got sick,” Alson replied.
This led Alson to reach out to Swole Sweets and let them know what his commenters were saying. Where a brand would normally bend over backward to rectify the situation for an influencer and offer at least a refund for a regular customer, Swole Sweets did neither.
“I was expecting more of a response like, ‘Hey, sorry. That’s not actually mold. It’s actually something else.’ Or they’d be like, ‘Hey, sorry that happened. Here’s a refund,’” Alson says. While he “doesn’t care” for a refund, he didn’t expect the brand to reply to his Instagram direct message this way.
“? What,” their reply read. “So erase the post dude.”
Alson, who is colorblind, once again asked for clarification on whether it was actually mold.
“Idk what you’re talking about actually, if you’re getting comments erase the post ! You aren’t the first person to post a review lol,” they replied. Alson asked for reassurance that the commenters were wrong, but the brand once again told him to remove his post. Eventually, the brand told him it’s probably “sprinkles.”
“I’m colorblind, but even I know the difference between mold and ube sprinkles,” Alson says.
Does Swole Sweets Lie About Its Macros?
Alson addresses another issue his viewers had pointed out. Viewers claimed the company “lies” about its macros. Alson’s research couldn’t confirm whether this claim was authentic, however. Some customers have criticized Swole Sweets for its allegedly inaccurate macro content, like this one Reddit commenter who recreated its brownies. In another viral TikTok, a nutrition content creator was also suspicious of the calorie content in the brownies.
When he asked the brand’s owner for the recipe so he could confirm it was accurate, he says he was met with the same attitude Alson experienced.
“Bro, I’m just trying to make sure you’re not a liar,” Blake (@thenutritionnarc) says.
Did Swole Sweets Ever Make It Right?
In short, it doesn’t seem so. The company eventually blocked Alson and disabled the comments on its social media. But it did address the controversy on its Instagram page. In a post, the company wrote how “Individuals engaging in online comments often lack the initiative to engage in thoughtful analysis and critical evaluation.”
It then made several claims in regard to the controversy, which Alson debunked in a follow-up post.
- “Firstly, the individual has a history of conducting product reviews and has never encountered any issues with the company’s services,” Swole Sweets claimed. Alson says he has never reviewed Swole Sweets.
- “The individual opted for ground shipping, which states it will take 1-5 business days to arrive. Customers are required to click on a disclaimer to acknowledge the terms and conditions associated with this shipping method,” Swole Sweets said. Again, Alson says this is inaccurate. He opted for UPS 3-day shipping, and the brownies still melted. Apparently, Swole Sweets wanted him to opt for next-day shipping, which is $50. As Alson had already paid over $100 for his order, he did not want to pay more for shipping. As for the disclaimer, it did say Swole Sweets would not be responsible for any damage due to climate in transit.
- “Furthermore, the individual did not include ice packs in their order,” the third claim from Swole Sweets read. Alson says he didn’t see the option to buy $5 ice packs. (There are now several pop-ups on the Swole Sweets website that urge you to do so.)
- “Additionally, the tracking information revealed that the order was delayed for an additional two days during transit,” the last claim from Swole Sweets read. Alson says this was true, but that they never reached out asking how the products arrived, which he says was unusual for a brand.
@alsonlovesfood I thought the worst part was eating mold… turns out it wasn’t. 🤢 Ranting about Swole Sweets… @Swolesweetsllc #rant #sick #protein #badbusiness #venting
What Else Did The Company Say?
Addressing the drama, Swole Sweets wrote, “In response to the online drama, it is advisable to focus on the actual, comprehensive details and form a well-informed opinion before engaging in further discussions.”
It did claim that the individual received a refund, though Alson shared in his latest video that he never did and will try to issue a credit card chargeback.
“I still want to give the benefit of the doubt to other small businesses that are selling their food online because not all of them are bad,” Alson concludes.
So Is He Getting A Refund?
In an email to BroBible, Alson says he hasn’t received the refund yet and he was told “it’d take 3-7 business days from August 8th.”
He continues that Swole Sweets didn’t inform him of the refund and that he only found out after it posted it on their Instagram Story.
“All I wanted to do was talk about my experience with the company, and that even though they tasted good, it got me sick, and the company didn’t seem to care,” he wrote. “It seems I got shifted to be of blame, since I didn’t buy an ice pack or pay for the $50 shipping, which i would have paid for (well, the ice pack) had I known it was mandatory or else you get mold lol.”
He says his intention wasn’t for the company to receive hate, but that all he wanted to do “was share what happened to my followers.”
BroBible reached out to Swole Sweets via Instagram direct message and web contact form.