Overview

• Testing of 23 powders and ready-to-drink shakes found that more than two-thirds exceeded Consumer Reports’ 0.5 microgram-per-day lead threshold, with some single servings over 10 times that level.
• Plant-based products showed the highest contamination on average, with nine times the lead found in dairy-based proteins and roughly double that of beef-based options.
• Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer measured 7.7 micrograms of lead per serving and Huel’s Black Edition 6.3 micrograms, which Consumer Reports labeled as products to avoid.
• Several products also raised concerns for other metals, including cadmium exceedances and the presence of inorganic arsenic, leading Consumer Reports to advise against daily use for most powders.
• Huel and Naked Nutrition defended their safety practices and cited independent testing, while Consumer Reports said it sampled multiple lots over three months and found contamination worse than in its tests 15 years ago.