@ConsumerReports 🧵read on for a thread on my on the broader food safety implications and the surprising places reporting this out took me, or check out the article yourself here (no paywall) https://www.consumerreports.or...

@ConsumerReports the results of this investigation surprised me. since CR last tested protein supps in 2010, protein mania has swept the nation. protein isolates (the key ingredient in supplements) are in everything these days from pasta to coffee but as the industry has grown, so have the risks

@ConsumerReports two of the products we tested (Huel's Black Edition meal replacement powder and Naked Nutrition's vegan mass gainer) had enough lead that our experts caution against using them at all a single serving contained between 1,200 and 1,600% of CR’s level of concern for lead

@ConsumerReports for context: taking just one serving of one of these powders would expose you to 45% more lead than the average american gets from everything they eat/drink in a day COMBINED that means daily users of these powders could easily exceed the FDA’s suggested daily dietary lead limit

@ConsumerReports nearly all the plant-based products we tested had elevated lead levels: vegan powders had 9x as much lead as dairy & 2x as much as beef dairy-based powders had the lowest levels, but half were still too contaminated for safe daily use how could this be? well...

@ConsumerReports because most protein powders are considered dietary supplements, they basically fall into a regulatory grey area there's no federal limit on the amount of lead they can contain and neither manufacturers nor the FDA have to prove these products are safe before they're sold

@ConsumerReports currently there's about 12,000 registered supplement manufacturers. last year the FDA inspected only 600 of them! when the FDA does do inspections, it overwhelmingly focuses on domestic makers. that's a problem because a LOT of these materials are sourced from foreign factories

@ConsumerReports i feel like this story is particularly important rn, bc protein-maxxing is *so* in vogue. before working on this, i believed i was woefully protein deficient turns out that's just a myth that's been floating around for decades—the average american gets more than enough protein!!

@ConsumerReports the research suggests there's little benefit to over-consuming protein unless you're actively restricting calories AND doing intense resistance training (in which case it can help reduce muscle loss) but even the experts can't get folks to believe this! the myth is too strong!

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports does CR take money (in any form) from the meat lobby?

@stillreezy @ConsumerReports nah we’re a nonprofit media org that is largely funded by our lovely subscribers. no lobbying dollars allowed!

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Great reporting Paris!!!

@DollyDeighton @ConsumerReports ty katie!!

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports I am going to die

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Thank you for this investigation! For companies that self report lab results, did you find those to match your results? I take this protein: https://promixnutrition.com/pr... and their reported amount (<5.00ppb Pb) works out to 0.17mcg Pb per serving, about 1/3 your level of concern.

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports I noticed Thorne products were not on that list. Is there any information on their products?

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Genuinely curious - what on this page, specifically, is inaccurate or misleading? https://huel.com/pages/heavy-m...

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports another good reason to just eat peanuts... so now, what's the lead level in peanuts?

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports saw someone on the other app say "lead in protein powder would explain it" love that it was your reporting!!!

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Me reading this with my Huel shake in my hand. 👁👄👁

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports It’s bizarre how poorly regulated this is. Same with supplements. Relying on forums and journalists to do tests, just to know if we’re consuming poison/bunk product is absurd.

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports incredible work & excellent reporting. thank you

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Do you have any reports on creatine by chance?

@parismartineau @235antz @ConsumerReports So how are they contaminated so heavily? Surely the companies need to investigate this.

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Disappointed that you didn’t test Costco Kirkland brand. It’s widely used

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Hum. Never had any. But my dad recently died 😭 and I was going to not throw his protein shakes. But I would hope they are better than the ones you tested as they are sold in pharmacy in bottles as a medicine. Never know though. I ll check before drinking them. He hated them . I

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Hum. Never had any. But my dad recently died 😭 and I was going to not throw his protein shakes. But I would hope they are better than the ones you tested as they are prescribed in pharmacy and in France. Never know though. I ll check before drinking them. He hated them . I will

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports The lead gives it a little kick

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Explains why body builders become dumb after a while

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports the wildly different numbers within brands make me wonder if it’s almost random per batch.

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Dairy protein wins yet again. Peaters always win

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports i’d like to see the variance numbers, or even the findings per batch

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports I am afraid of taking any supplements because of this… which seem to happen frequently,

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports retailers and brands seriously need to invest in an XRF machine, or some assembly line high power energy device that can detect trace amounts of metals in a large mass

@parismartineau @ConsumerReports Thank you for covering the way most of us even vegans get enough protein without supplementing. I do worry about elderly and disabled people who rely on shakes :(