The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association representing the dietary supplement and functional food industry, issued the following statement in response to Consumer Reports’ October 14 article and testing of protein powders:
“CRN supports rigorous science-based evaluation of dietary supplements and functional foods, including protein powders, but we urge caution in interpreting results like those reported in Consumer Reports’ recent testing. While we appreciate that Consumer Reports has published some detail on its methodology, we note that important context is missing—specifically how products were selected, whether testing reflected typical consumer use, and how its ‘levels of concern’ were derived. Without harmonization to established federal benchmarks, or even actual safety risk, such proprietary thresholds can overstate risk and cause unnecessary alarm.
The mere detection of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, or arsenic does not equate to a health hazard. Modern testing methods are extraordinarily sensitive and capable of identifying trace amounts of naturally occurring elements that are found broadly in soil, water, and plants. Supplement manufacturers are already required under federal Good Manufacturing Practices to test for contaminants and ensure compliance with federal standards.
By contrast, Consumer Reports’ use of its own internal ‘Level of Concern’ benchmarks—standards not recognized by any regulator—creates a misleading impression of risk. A finding that a product exceeds CR’s self-imposed threshold is not the same as exceeding a government safety limit, nor is it evidence of any safety risk to consumers. When products are manufactured and tested in accordance with FDA requirements, levels of naturally occurring elements are expected to remain well within safe ranges.
CRN and its members remain committed to transparency, continuous safety monitoring, and to supporting federal science-based standards that provide consumers with confidence without distorting risk.”
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About CRN:
The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 180+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Follow us on LinkedIn and X @CRN_Supplements.