,
A new Consumer Reports study said many may contain lead.
The study tested 23 protein powders and ready-to-drink shakes and found that more than two-thirds contained more lead than the group’s food safety experts say is higher than is safe to consume in a day.
Consumer Reports said that some had levels higher than those they found a decade ago when they first conducted the tests.
The group noted that they "bought the products anonymously from a variety of sources, including popular online retailers like Amazon and Walmart, and at supermarkets and health food stores in New York state, such as the Vitamin Shoppe and Whole Foods Market." They were tested over a period of time and averaged, admitting that the levels may not match what is currently on the market.
The organization used its own safety standards. The Food and Drug Administration does not oversee supplements, including protein powders. Still, the FDA said there is no known level of lead that is safe to be exposed to, The Washington Post reported.
Consumer Reports said that plant-based products typically had the highest lead levels. Lead can be found in contaminated soil and groundwater, as well as in the manufacturing process, The New York Times said. Once in the body, it can be stored in the bones and leach slowly, doctors told the newspaper. It can cause neurological issues and other problems when there is long-term exposure, according to the Times.
Two protein powders — Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer and Heul’s Black Edition — had high enough levels that Consumer Reports said not to consume them.
Heul countered the group’s findings, saying that Consumer Reports had “exceptionally conservative” benchmarks and that the Black Edition powder had an average of 1.8 micrograms of lead per 90-gram serving, lower than what Consumer Reports said it found, which was 6.3 micrograms, according to the Post.
“Huel’s results remain well below recognized safety limits,” Heul said.
Huel’s Head of Nutrition, Rebecca Williams, told CBS News that its products ”fully comply with international food safety regulations" and are “completely safe to consume.”
Naked Nutrition told Consumer Reports it gets its ingredients from “select suppliers” that provide testing documentation and has asked for a third-party test of Mass Grainer, CBS News reported.
The company’s chief marketing officer, James Clark, said that it ordered independent testing and it “confirmed that no heavy metals exceeded F.D.A. reference intake levels.” He also said that the product was meant to have people gain weight and has a higher serving size than other products, The New York Times reported.
The publication advised that two others — Garden of Life’s Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein and Momentous’ 100% Plant Protein — be consumed only once a week.
Garden of Life told the Post that all of its products are tested for heavy metals and that the levels are below established standards.
Some protein powders and shakes were deemed safe to consume on a daily or even more frequent basis, including Muscle Tech, which had no lead detected, Dymatize Super Mass Gainer, which had only 25% of the amount Consumer Reports said was OK.
To see the entire list, click here.
©2025 Cox Media Group
Sign Up
