Aiming to increase consumer awareness, a recent report has brought to light several potential contaminants in many over-the-counter protein powders sold in the USA. The report was helmed by Clean Label Project, a nonprofit dedicated to transparent food labelling and promoting food safety practices in America. 160 products from 70 of the top-selling brands (which represent 83% of the total market) in the USA were tested. They showed positive results for levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. The consumption of such heavy metals has been linked to many health concerns and serious conditions. One of the key takeaways was that organic products, on average, showed higher levels of contamination compared to non-organic products. The organic ones had three times more lead and twice the amount of cadmium.
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Moreover, plant-based protein powders showed three times more lead and five times more cadmium than whey-based alternatives. Even the flavours of the products matter in this analysis. The findings mention that chocolate-flavoured powders contained four times more lead and 110 times more cadmium than vanilla-flavoured ones. "Our studies continue to report chocolate as a high-risk ingredient," the report states. Heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, mercury, and cadmium, are naturally occurring elements that enter the environment through natural phenomena such as volcanic eruptions, rock weathering, and soil erosion. Gradually, these metals accumulate in the air, water, and soil, eventually entering plants, animals, and human food chains. Human activities like mining, industrial operations, and agricultural practices can significantly elevate their concentrations, increasing the risk of exposure through food products, the report points out.
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Furthermore, it highlights that the two primary sources of the contaminants in protein powders are the soils where ingredients are grown and the packaging used for these products. As explained earlier, the heavy metals/contaminants can enter the soil naturally and make their way into what is consumed by humans - which also accounts for their higher concentration in plant-based powders. "Based on our study, the products with the least lead are whey or collagen-based protein powders that are not chocolate flavoured," the report concluded.
