Stone Age Protein

⚠️ Costco is facing a class-action lawsuit over one of its bestselling protein powders — here's what's actually alleged.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed in Seattle accuses Costco of selling Orgain Organic Protein Powder (Vanilla Bean and Creamy Chocolate Fudge) without disclosing the presence of heavy metals — lead, cadmium, and arsenic — despite marketing it as "clean," "high quality," and providing "good clean nutrition." ⚖️

According to the complaint, independent lab testing found lead levels as high as 67 parts per billion and cadmium as high as 70.3 parts per billion in the products. Separately, Consumer Reports testing in October 2025 found the organic vanilla bean version exceeded their internal "level of concern" for lead by 143%. 🧪

The seven plaintiffs — from Washington, California, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Texas — allege Costco controlled the marketing claims on its own website and chose not to require heavy metal testing or disclosure from its supplier before selling the product. Orgain has denied the allegations and maintains its products are safe. ⚠️ **No recall has been issued, and these are unproven allegations in a pending lawsuit — not a confirmed legal finding.**

This fits a broader pattern researchers have flagged: testing has found plant-based protein powders tend to average meaningfully higher heavy metal levels than whey (dairy-based) proteins. Regulators are starting to respond too — California introduced SB 1033 in February 2026, which would require mandatory heavy-metal testing and disclosure for protein products sold in the state, and Texas launched its own industry-wide investigation in June 2026. 📋

If you use protein powder regularly, look for third-party testing certifications (like NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Choice) as an added layer of assurance.

⚠️ Disclaimer: This post covers unproven legal allegations and is for educational purposes only. It is not medical or legal advice.

📚 Source: foxbusiness.com/retail/costco-hit-lawsuit-alleging-protein-powder-sold-stores-contains-dangerous-levels-lead-arsenic