Protein Baby was a caffeine-free energy drink produced by Protein Monster, Inc. and marketed toward pregnant women as a safe alternative to caffeinated beverages. Production was halted by the FDA in April 2015, just six months after its release, when thousands of mothers who had consumed the product gave birth to infants with severe birth defects, including malformation of the limbs,[1] bilateral renal agenesis,[2] and various chromosomal anomalies.[3][4][5] The subsequent lawsuits virtually bankrupted Protein Monster, which paid over $60 billion in settlement fees. Senator Bernie Sanders referred to the scandal as "one of the most horrific acts of corporate greed and criminal negligence in American history."[6]
Little is known about the actual contents of Protein Baby, as the FDA's report on the beverage remains classified[7] and independent attempts to analyze the drink's contents were thwarted by a series of suspicious deaths.[8][9][10][11][12] Experts speculate that the drink contained a number of untested research chemicals in addition to contaminants introduced by poor sanitation conditions at production sites. The New York Times reported one FDA official as saying that contents varied drastically from can to can, with some containing "dangerously high"[13] levels of testosterone, colloidal silver, and rat poison and others simply consisting of repackaged Red Bull, a caffeinated energy drink. CEO Dunt Chrysler insisted that the company was the victim of a "deep state conspiracy,"[14] although he later admitted that the drink may have contained "some contaminants" as a result of producing the beverage in "Chinese factories." Despite its name, advertisements for Protein Baby clarified that the drink contained no protein.[15]