Momentous' Response to the Consumer Reports Article on Protein Powders

The supplement industry has long struggled with trust. Inconsistent testing, weak regulation, and misleading marketing have made it difficult for consumers to know who to believe.

From day one, our mission at Momentous has been to raise the standard. We’ve built our reputation as a high-trust brand in a low-trust space by doing things differently — through scientific transparency, independent testing, and radical honesty about what’s in our products and why.

Every batch, every ingredient, and every formula is tested to the highest standards for purity, safety, and integrity. We make those results public — because our goal isn’t just to meet industry norms, but to redefine them.

That’s why the recent Consumer Reports article is so frustrating — not because we’re afraid of scrutiny, but because it tells an incomplete and misleading story about what was tested and how. It focuses on something that is not a problem — trace mineral levels that occur naturally in all plant-based foods — and it fails to account for the broader context that truly defines product quality and safety.

The truth is simple: we’ve always operated with a higher standard of accountability than what was reflected in that report. Here’s how we do it — and why the data deserves a closer look.

The report compared:

• Plant-based proteins versus whey-based proteins, and

• Chocolate versus vanilla or other flavors

without acknowledging that these are not equivalent comparisons.

Plant proteins (from peas, rice, hemp, etc.) naturally contain slightly higher levels of certain minerals because plants absorb trace elements directly from soil and water. These trace minerals are present in all plant-based foods — from spinach and apples to tea and cocoa — and ironically, are often higher in organic based foods.

Whey proteins, by contrast, are filtered through the cow’s biological system. Animals regulate and filter out many minerals before they enter milk, and whey processing further reduces those trace elements. This means whey proteins naturally test lower, not because of superior manufacturing, but because of biology.

Similarly, cocoa-based flavors (like chocolate) naturally contain more trace minerals than vanilla. Comparing a chocolate plant protein to a vanilla whey protein — as the article did — produces misleading and incomplete conclusions, creating fear and misinformation.

Trace minerals are a normal part of agriculture. For example some studies have shown:

• Tomato (one medium, ~150g) — ~3.2 mcg
  Source: roczniki.pzh.gov.pl

• Apple (one medium, ~180g) — ~1.0 mcg
  Source: link.springer.com

• Strawberries (8–10 pieces, ~100g) — ~1.0–1.5 mcg
  Source: nature.com
  
  

The trace levels found in Momentous protein powders are comparable to those found naturally in fruits and vegetables — everyday foods recognized as safe and nutritious.

The lead amounts in our current Momentous Plant Protein for comparison are below and can all be found here on our website:

• Cappuccino flavor 0.29 µg

• Chocolate Flavor 0.54 µg

• Vanilla Spice Flavor 0.48 µg

Note,  that because we use only natural ingredients in our formulations, it’s normal to see a small range in test results. The trace minerals present in our Plant Protein come from the natural variability of agricultural ingredients — not from contamination. We closely monitor every batch and uphold strict internal standards, ensuring each product meets our quality thresholds before it ever reaches customers.

The Consumer Reports article relies on California’s Proposition 65 “level of concern” for lead (0.5 µg/day) — a legal notification threshold, not a scientific safety limit. It was never designed to represent health risk, and it sits hundreds of times below any level recognized by toxicology authorities.

Global health agencies, including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), use more scientifically grounded, evidence-based benchmarks:

• EFSA (EU) uses benchmark dose modeling (BMDL) for lead — with context-specific reference levels between 0.5–1.5 µg/kg/day.
  
  

• WHO/JECFA moved away from setting a single “tolerable” limit, emphasizing risk-based management that considers realistic dietary exposure across foods.
  
  

• EPA and FDA standards recognize trace levels in everyday foods and water. Even U.S. tap water can contain up to 10 µg/day of lead and remain within safety guidelines.
  
  

The takeaway: Prop 65’s arbitrary legal number does not align with WHO, EU, or FDA scientific consensus.

1. The Momentous Plant Protein referenced is no longer available.

The Plant Protein product Consumer Reports referenced was from a previous-generation (v1) plant protein no longer sold since March 2025. In 2024, we overhauled both our whey and plant proteins — upgrading ingredient sourcing, supplier base, formulations, and taste. This is part of our ongoing commitment at Momentous to always source from the highest quality and best suppliers we can find. Our current v2 formulations use new U.S./Canada pea suppliers and a new pea-to-rice ratio with improved purity standards. We want to continue to emphasize however, that our previous version of Plant Protein was also tested under the same scrutiny as our existing product and passed all safety standards.

2. Consumer Reports focuses only on lead as a “quality” qualifier for your Protein choice without context.

While heavy metal content is an important consideration when evaluating any supplement, Consumer Reports focused exclusively on lead as the defining measure of quality. This narrow perspective ignores the bigger picture of what contributes to a truly clean, safe, and effective protein powder.

Many of the powders recommended in their article contain artificial flavors, sweeteners, and fillers — ingredients that we do not use in our Protein formulations. At Momentous, we take a holistic view of product quality: it’s not only about what’s tested, but also what’s inside and what’s not.

A good way to assess the quality of any protein powder is to look beyond the headline number. Compare the total grams per serving to the nutrition panel. The difference between those two numbers — the “delta” — represents everything else in the product that isn’t protein, carbohydrate, or fat. That’s where you’ll often find unnecessary additives, fillers, and artificial ingredients that add bulk without benefit.

By keeping our formulas and ingredient list minimal, clean and transparent, we ensure that every gram in a Momentous product contributes to performance, safety, and real nutritional value — not filler.

From day one, we’ve built Momentous on three principles: quality, transparency, and efficacy.

We collaborate with the world’s leading experts in performance, nutrition, and science — and we invest 1% of our annual revenue directly into product testing and validation to ensure every formula meets our exacting standards.

We also go beyond what’s required by layering three independent levels of quality assurance and public transparency:

1. Light Labs Testing on Every Product Page
   Each batch’s heavy metal test results are published on our website for full public visibility. Example here for plant protein: Light Labs Plant Protein

2. Public Certificates of Analysis (COAs)
   Our products COA are published on site, see here.

3. NSF Certified for Sport
   Every Momentous product is tested and certified by NSF — the highest third-party verification in sports nutrition. We reinvest 1% of total revenue every year in rigorous testing to ensure the highest quality standards. If a product doesn’t pass, it never makes its way to you and we start again.

This means you always know exactly what’s in the product you’re using — and that we’ve gone further than the rest of the industry to prove its safety, purity, and effectiveness:

As we are aware, no other brand in our category does all of the above.

• The Consumer Reports article compared different protein types and flavors — a scientifically invalid approach.
  
  

• It used Prop 65, a legal warning system that conflicts with WHO and EU scientific benchmarks.
  
  

• Trace minerals are naturally present in plant-based foods and appear at normal, safe levels in our products.
  
  

Momentous remains unmatched in transparency, independent testing, and data integrity.