{"id":6892,"date":"2026-07-10T04:02:25","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:02:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892"},"modified":"2026-07-10T04:02:25","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T04:02:25","slug":"costco-hit-with-lawsuit-alleging-protein-powder-sold-in-stores-contains-dangerous-levels-of-lead-arsenic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892","title":{"rendered":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains ‘dangerous’ levels of lead, arsenic"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n

Costco has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that one of the products it sells contains “dangerous” levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium.<\/p>\n

Read more Houston ICE shooting: Harris County Medical Examiner lists cause of death following shooting<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The lawsuit centers on Orgain protein powders, including the Vanilla Bean and Creamy Chocolate Fudge varieties, which are marketed in stores and online as providing “good, clean nutrition.”<\/p>\n

Seven plaintiffs from across the U.S. allege Costco failed to properly screen the products for toxic heavy metals<\/u> or disclose their presence to consumers, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington state.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The plaintiffs are seeking to hold the warehouse retailer accountable for marketing the protein powders as safe and healthy despite the alleged presence of the contaminants.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

COSTCO QUIETLY DISCONTINUES AWARD-WINNING KIRKLAND ITEM FANS CALL ‘ONE OF THE BEST’ IN THE MARKET<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Many consumers who buy and use protein powder do so routinely as part of a continuing focus on their fitness and health,” Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of law firm Hagens Berman, said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“These same health-conscious consumers have unknowingly ingested alarming levels of toxic heavy metals \u2014 lead, cadmium and arsenic \u2014 again and again, trusting that Costco\u2019s quality assurance<\/u> would not allow something like this to happen.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Orgain pushed back on the allegations, saying its products are safe to consume.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Orgain products are safe to consume,” the company said in a July 9 statement provided<\/u> to USA Today. “While trace amounts of substances that occur in the environment can be present in plant-based ingredients, our products comply with applicable food safety standards and guidance. We stand behind the safety and quality of our products.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Costco sells at least four Orgain product lines on its website. The retailer’s protein powder listings include a disclaimer stating, “Product details have been supplied by the manufacturer and are hosted by a third party.”<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

SURPRISE RIVAL KNOCKS COSTCO’S FAMOUS ROTISSERIE CHICKEN OFF ITS PERCH AS BEST BIRD<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to the complaint, independent testing commissioned by the plaintiffs found that Orgain’s Vanilla Bean flavor contained lead levels exceeding California’s Proposition 65 limits by more than 600%.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The allegations also cite separate 2025 reports from nonprofit organization Clean Label Project and Consumer Reports that identified elevated levels of heavy metals in certain protein powders.<\/p>\n

Read more Houston weather: Wet Friday, weekend ahead across the area<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Consumer Reports flagged Orgain’s Vanilla Bean flavor for containing lead at 143% of its level of concern. The publication classified the product as “okay to eat occasionally” but recommended limiting consumption<\/u> to roughly four servings per week.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The complaint further cited findings that plant-based protein powders, particularly organic varieties, contained higher levels of heavy metals compared with nonorganic and whey or beef-based counterparts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

COSTCO MAKES PAYMENT CHANGE THAT COULD SPEED UP CHECKOUT FOR MEMBERS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

In response to the findings, California lawmakers introduced a bill im February requiring mandatory testing and public disclosure of heavy metals in protein products.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton<\/u> also announced in early June that the state had launched an industry-wide investigation into the manufacturers over related concerns.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“Consumer Reports tested 23 products and found that lead levels in plant-based protein powders were, on average, nine times higher than those made with dairy proteins such as whey and twice as high as beef-based products,” Paxton\u2019s office said in a June 8 statement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to the Food and Drug Administration, there is no known safe level of lead exposure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Studies suggest that the metal can accumulate in the body faster than it can be eliminated, meaning repeated exposure may increase health risks<\/u>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Chronic lead exposure has been linked to immune suppression, reproductive problems, kidney damage and elevated blood pressure.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Children, pregnant women and older adults are particularly vulnerable to heavy metal exposure.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Orgain and Costco did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.<\/p>\n

Read more Fort Bend County budget season threatened by intensifying executive leadership dispute<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Find more updates on this story at FOXBusiness.com.<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Costco has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that one of the products it sells contains “dangerous” levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6891,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,9,21,5,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6892","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-consumer","category-health","category-top-stories","category-u-s"],"yoast_head":"\nCostco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Costco has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that one of the products it sells contains "dangerous" levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Houston Moving Journal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\"},\"headline\":\"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains ‘dangerous’ levels of lead, arsenic\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892\"},\"wordCount\":690,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Business\",\"Consumer\",\"Health\",\"Top Stories\",\"U.S.\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892\",\"name\":\"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?p=6892#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains ‘dangerous’ levels of lead, arsenic\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Houston Moving Journal\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/houstonmovingjournal.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal","og_description":"Costco has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging that one of the products it sells contains \"dangerous\" levels of heavy metals, including lead, arsenic and cadmium.","og_url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892","og_site_name":"Houston Moving Journal","article_published_time":"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba"},"headline":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains ‘dangerous’ levels of lead, arsenic","datePublished":"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892"},"wordCount":690,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp","articleSection":["Business","Consumer","Health","Top Stories","U.S."],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892","name":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains 'dangerous' levels of lead, arsenic - Houston Moving Journal","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp","datePublished":"2026-07-10T04:02:25+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1670521b82d2ed2532781bac6ed9b799.webp","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=6892#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Costco hit with lawsuit alleging protein powder sold in stores contains ‘dangerous’ levels of lead, arsenic"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/","name":"Houston Moving Journal","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/#\/schema\/person\/e51740aab7bd577378c5f91b003a39ba","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com"],"url":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6891"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}