Protein Powder Supplements — food safety profile
Elevated riskWhey, casein, soy, and plant-based protein powder supplements.
What is this product?
Whey, casein, soy, and plant-based protein powder supplements. Clean Label Project testing of 134 products found detectable levels of lead in 75%, arsenic in 75%, cadmium in 74%, and BPA in 55%. Organic plant-based proteins had the highest heavy metal levels due to soil uptake. Daily consumption means cumulative chronic exposure.
What's in it
Click any compound name for its full safety profile, regulatory consensus, and exposure data.
Contaminant
Packaging Contaminant
Who's most at risk
- Children — Developing endocrine and neurological systems, higher exposure per body weight
Red flags — when to walk away
- Scratched, stained, or discolored food-contact surface — Surface damage increases chemical migration into food.
- No FDA compliance or food-safe marking — Materials may not meet food-contact safety standards.
Green flags — what to look for
- Third-party safety certification visible on packaging — Product has been independently tested to applicable safety standards.
Safer alternatives
- NSF Certified for Sport protein powders — Safer alternative to conventional products
- Whole food protein sources — eggs, dairy, legumes
- Third-party tested brands — Labdoor, Clean Label Project verified
Frequently asked questions
Who should be careful with Protein Powder Supplements?
Vulnerable populations identified for this product type: children.
Are there safer alternatives to Protein Powder Supplements?
Yes — consider: NSF Certified for Sport protein powders; Whole food protein sources; Third-party tested brands. See the Safer alternatives section above for details.
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Open in food View raw API dataReference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific information. Why we built ALETHEIA →