Heavy Metals in Food: What They Are and How They Get There

Ever wonder why some of your favorite health foods come with a warning label?

Let's break down the truth about heavy metals and why real, whole foods remain the best choice for your health.

At Just Ingredients, we’re dedicated to providing real, whole foods that support your wellness. However, we need to address an unavoidable reality: heavy metals. These naturally occurring elements—such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic—can be found in the air, water, and soil.

While some heavy metals are naturally present, human activities, including industrial farming, pollution, and chemical use have increased their prevalence.

In an ideal world, we would be able to completely avoid heavy metals like lead.

However, this is nearly impossible. Trace amounts of heavy metals can be found in natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and grains, as they come from the earth.

Even if you only ate processed foods, you still may not be able to avoid consuming heavy metals. Plus, these foods can come with their own concerns.

This is where we stand apart. We go to great lengths to ensure the safety of the food you're consuming. Here's how:

• Testing Every Batch: We don't leave it to chance—we test every batch to ensure it meets our stringent standards.

• Strict Sourcing Standards: Not all ingredients are equal. We carefully select suppliers who adhere to our strict standards for low heavy metal levels.

• Transparency: While some ingredients may not be required by law to be listed, we disclose every single ingredient used on the ingredient label.

• COAs (Certificates of Analysis): We provide COAs that verify our products' quality and safety, including testing for heavy metals.

• NSF Certification: We have earned the NSF certification for some products and are in the process of earning NSF certification for others. NSF is one of the world's leading third-party testing organizations, recognized for its rigorous standards in safety and quality. Their certification is globally trusted, providing assurance that products have undergone thorough, independent testing to meet the highest industry benchmarks.

You may have heard of California's Proposition 65, which sets strict limits on heavy metals. While the law seems straightforward, its details can be confusing.

There are two daily limits that are listed on their website, NSRL and MADL. Here’s a breakdown:

• NSRL (No Significant Risk Level): This represents the maximum daily exposure to a substance that is unlikely to cause harm to human health. For lead, the NSRL is set at 15 mcg/day.

• MADL (Maximum Allowable Dose Level): This refers to the highest daily intake of a substance that doesn’t pose significant reproductive harm. For lead, the MADL is 0.5 mcg/day.

The difference between the MADL and NSRL is significant—0.5 mcg/day versus 15 mcg/day (oral) for lead. This highlights the complexity of Prop 65: the MADL refers to reproductive harm, while the NSRL is a higher threshold considered unlikely to cause health risks. Products exceeding either one of these thresholds must carry a warning label in California.

However, exceeding the MADL doesn't necessarily indicate a product is unsafe; it just means the levels exceed what the state of California has set as the reproductive harm threshold. The NSRL reflects a much higher threshold, so a product may have a warning label without posing significant risk to health.

You may have noticed that some of our products feature a warning label. This is because we use real, whole foods from the earth that sometimes contain naturally occurring heavy metals.

For example, our Strawberries and Cream Protein Powder is made with organic strawberries—yes, a lot of them—to achieve that perfect sweet flavor; and exceeds California’s 0.5 mcg/day MADL threshold and thus requires a warning in California.

Why Can Organic Ingredients Still Contain Heavy Metals?

You might wonder, "Aren’t organic ingredients cleaner?"

While organic farming avoids synthetic chemicals and pesticides, it can’t prevent plants from taking up naturally occurring heavy metals.

So, even the best ingredients can still contain trace amounts of heavy metals.

Just Ingredients' Commitment

At Just Ingredients, we could (but will never):

• Use undisclosed natural flavors instead of real strawberries to reduce lead levels, but that would go against our commitment to real, nourishing ingredients and run the risk of exposure to petroleum-based byproducts, GMO corn, and other unknown additives.

• Source ingredients with artificially reduced heavy metal levels, but this often compromises quality and nutritional value.

Instead, we prioritize transparency, integrity, and quality. We continue to search for the best possible suppliers for the best product we can produce. Our goal is to provide you with whole food ingredients that support your health without cutting corners.

What Our Third-Party Testing Process Looks Like

1. When we are ordering individual ingredients, we request any testing/specifications from the supplier to ensure that it meets our standards
2. When we receive the individual ingredient, we send it off to third-party testing before we do anything with it. This tests for molds, herbicides, metals, etc and for product integrity
3. When we blend the raw ingredients, we send it off to third-party testing for molds, herbicides, contaminants, etc.
4. When the blended ingredients are filled into bags (so this is the final product), we send it off to third-party testing for contaminants, etc. and get a final heavy metal results

We create very strict specifications that each vendor has to meet. If the vendor cannot pass those specifications, we find a new one.

Our goal isn’t to alarm you but to clear up any confusion on this topic. We understand that warning labels can be concerning, so we want to explain why they’re there.

California’s Proposition 65 requires warnings on products that contain certain chemicals—like lead—above specific safety limits. While whole fruits and vegetables naturally contain trace amounts of lead, they typically aren't required to carry warning labels. Imagine seeing one on your strawberries, sweet potatoes, or carrots in the produce section!

However, products like protein powders and electrolytes may carry Proposition 65 warnings if they contain lead or other listed chemicals above strict California limits. These substances often occur naturally in soil and water, meaning even clean-label brands with carefully sourced ingredients may require a warning. While it may seem concerning, it doesn’t always indicate a safety risk—researching ingredient sourcing and third-party testing can provide better context.

The good news? Our bodies are equipped with natural detoxification systems that help manage and eliminate trace amounts of heavy metals we might encounter. Organs such as the liver, kidneys, and intestines play crucial roles in filtering and excreting these substances. Consuming a balanced diet rich in further supports these detoxification processes, aiding in the safe removal of unwanted elements.

For example, whole foods like fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and grains are rich in vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. These nutrients play a crucial role in supporting your body’s natural detoxification and repair processes.

Understanding Cofactors

Certain nutrients act as cofactors, which are compounds that help enzymes function more efficiently in the body. When it comes to detoxification, enzymes need cofactors to break down and remove toxins, including heavy metals. 

For example, zinc counteracts cadmium. Zinc is also “a potent inducer of metallothioneins which are small proteins that can bind to heavy metals”. 

Magnesium has also been shown to help “mobilize lead from bone” and excrete it from the body. Both zinc and magnesium are all naturally occurring in cacao! Sulfur-containing compounds in garlic and onions can support detox enzymes by binding to heavy metals, making them easier for the body to eliminate. 

Vitamin C mitigates toxicity by reducing the absorption or enhancing the excretion of certain elements, influencing iron metabolism to counteract cadmium toxicity, and reducing mercury toxicity

Fiber-rich foods can promote digestion and help remove waste through the digestive system.

More Ways to Detox

• Exercise: Movement stimulates detox organs like the liver, kidneys, and lymphatic system.

• Sweat It Out: Exercising or using a sauna helps remove toxins like lead and arsenic.

• Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: Drinking water supports your kidneys, which filter and excrete waste.

• Eat Detoxifying Foods: Add cilantro, garlic, onions, blueberries, and chlorella to your meals to help bind to heavy metals and prevent absorption.

• Supplement with Glutathione: Known as the "master antioxidant," glutathione is essential for liver detox and heavy metal removal.

• Support Your Liver: Your liver is the “garbage can” of the body. Help your body take out the trash by supporting your liver!

It's not about eliminating heavy metals entirely—it's about managing exposure responsibly. By eating a nutrient-rich diet, staying hydrated, and choosing carefully crafted products, you can support your health while minimizing your risk.

As the Proposition 65 website states: "Food is essential to life and good health. However, many foods contain substances, such as saturated fats, salt, and sugar, that should be consumed in moderation. Similarly, some foods contain Proposition 65-listed chemicals. This does not mean these foods should never be eaten. But interested consumers can decide what and how often to eat certain foods to reduce exposure to these chemicals."

At Just Ingredients, we’re proud to offer you nourishing, real-food products you can trust—because your health deserves nothing less.