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4d ago

Consumer Reports Finds Elevated Lead in Many Protein Powders, with Plant-Based Products Testing Highest

The results rely on California’s far stricter Prop 65 benchmark than federal guidance, underscoring uneven standards and leaving buyers to weigh risks without firm national limits.

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Consumer Reports published a report that determined over two-thirds of protein products it tested contain more lead in one serving than is considered safe.
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Overview

  • Testing of 23 powders and ready-to-drink shakes found 16 exceeded Consumer Reports’ 0.5 microgram-per-serving lead benchmark derived from Prop 65.
  • Plant-based supplements averaged about nine times more lead than whey-based products and roughly twice as much as beef-based options.
  • Consumer Reports advised avoiding Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer (7.7 µg lead per serving) and Huel Black Edition (6.3 µg), the highest in its sample.
  • The review also detected cadmium and arsenic in some products, and Consumer Reports now discourages daily use of most protein powders.
  • With no federal limits for heavy metals in supplements, companies pointed to rigorous or third-party testing and noted that naturally occurring lead is harder to control in plant ingredients.