Does Purition test for heavy metals?

Worried about heavy metals in Purition? We regularly test for heavy metals to ensure we maintain the highest possible standards and our numbers have always fallen in line with the stringent regulations for infant formula. Here’s everything you need to know about heavy metals in Purition and protein powders.

Maybe you’re here because someone told you that vegan protein powders are contaminated with heavy metals—or perhaps you’ve come across scare-mongering headlines like this:

“The Scary Hidden Ingredient In Protein Powder You Need to Know About” 

“Arsenic, Lead Found in Popular Protein Supplements”

Heavy metals in plant-based protein powders

Heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury are naturally occurring chemical compounds in our water and soil. They’re not added to protein powders or any other food product; rather, they are absorbed by plants from the soil.

If these plants become foods (such as protein powders), heavy metals can be incorporated into the final product. In trace amounts, heavy metals are actually required for good health. In larger amounts, they’re toxic to human health.

It’s true that contamination by heavy metals is a problem, especially when it comes to plant-based powders produced outside of Europe. There are so many protein powders and powdered meal products on the market of dubious, unknown origin. In fact, 40% of protein powders tested by the Clean Label Project contained elevated levels of heavy metals.

But all of the shakes listed in the well-known study above are American. They have much lower standards than the UK and EU. Most of these brands buy their ingredients from China, where pollution is rampant and less stringent food and agricultural standards are in place.

Does Purition contain heavy metals?

Purition’s plant proteins are of European origin and are not imported from countries with lower food and agricultural standards or high levels of pollution. Our whey protein comes from British milk. The rest of our ingredients, including 75% seeds and nuts, are almost all (90%+) from the United Kingdom and Europe.

The EU have enormously strict rules on heavy metals. This instantly means you have so much less to worry about when it comes to heavy metals in Purition.

Purition is certified by SALSA (a food safety organisation) and we only buy from BRC accredited suppliers. This means all individual batches of raw materials are tested for heavy metals before they even reach our HQ.

It’s illegal for any food manufacturer in the UK to use ingredients that are not tested in this way. Every ingredient we buy comes with a fresh Certificate of Analysis for each and every fresh batch.

Heavy metals testing…

Despite this, we still regularly test for heavy metals to ensure we maintain the highest possible standards.

One of the easiest ways to show you this is in action is by comparing Purition’s heavy metal content to the rigorous regulations required for baby formula, the highest possible standard.

Arsenic is allowed in baby formula/food at levels of 0.100 mg/kg. Purition is 0.027 mg/kg, meaning we fall 115% under that regulation. In fact, all our numbers are over 100 times lower than the permitted levels in baby formula:

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