Extraordinary (& outrageous!) Test Results for Now Organic Kelp Pure Powder Super Green Supplement: November 2024 Laboratory Report
Batch info for the product we tested:
Quick note from Tamara Rubin:
Wow.
Just…
Wow.
Scroll down to see the lab report for this product (at the bottom of this page).
If you have been using this product, we encourage you to consider stopping use immediately.
Please also contact your doctor and ask if they recommend that you get tested (a urine or blood test might be appropriate — more on that here) for Arsenic and Cadmium, if they are able to conduct a full heavy metals panel.
Please also click the link below and report this product to the FDA for hazardous levels of Cadmium and extremely hazardous levels of Arsenic (especially given it is a supplement that many take daily for purported health “benefits,” a supplement which is incredibly toxic even after taking into account the relatively small recommended daily dose). If enough people report this product, the FDA might actually take action: https://www.fda.gov/safety/report-problem-fda
Note: While our graphic below compares the results to the recommended Action Levels proposed with the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, this is only provided for context. There is not a comparable “total content” level of concern (a level of concern not based on an industry stated “serving size,” but relative to consumption of any amount of the product) for products intended and marketed for consumption by adults. Said another way, adults are not well-protected when it comes to the concern for high levels of toxicants in products (foods and supplements) they may consume daily. It is also important to note that the question of organic Arsenic vs. inorganic Arsenic is not relevant when the Arsenic levels are this high. High levels of either form of Arsenic can cause similar damage/ symptomatic expressions (more on that here).
For those new to the Lead Safe Mama website:
Tamara Rubin is a multiple-federal-award-winning independent advocate for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety, and a documentary filmmaker. She is also a mother of Lead-poisoned children (two of her four sons were acutely Lead-poisoned in 2005).
- Tamara owns and runs Lead Safe Mama, LLC — a unique community collaborative woman-owned small business for childhood Lead poisoning prevention and consumer goods safety.
- Since July 2022, the work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC has been responsible for six product recalls (FDA and CPSC).
- All test results reported on this website are science-based, accurate, and replicable.
- Please check out our press page to see some of the news coverage of our work, linked here.
This is an ad-free article.
Advertising and affiliate income help Lead Safe Mama, LLC cover the costs of the work we do here (independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy). We have removed ads from most of our more widely-read articles (and newly published articles, too — like this one!) to make them easier for you to read. In addition to supporting this work by starting any shopping you might be doing with a click on our affiliate links, if you would like to support the independent consumer goods testing and childhood Lead poisoning prevention advocacy work of Lead Safe Mama, LLC by making a contribution (which will also help us keep our more widely-read articles ad-free), click here. Thank you!
Important Background: What is an Action Level?
Please note the following key points:
The original lab report for this product is below (at the bottom of this page).
The graphic above shows the levels of metals detected in this product (in red) along with the low threshold of detection (in orange, above the action levels discussed/ or in green, below the action levels discussed) for each metal not detected with the laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC had completed for this product. The numbers are juxtaposed (in blue) to the “Action Level” proposed by the medical and scientific community in 2021 as part of the Baby Food Safety Act. For this round of testing, SimpleLab (our laboratory testing provider) had a change of labs and their low threshold of detection is slightly higher than in previous testing rounds.
- These 2021 levels were proposed as “Action Levels” because they are (in fact) protective of human health.
- An “Action Level” is NOT the same as a “Maximum Allowable Level.”
- Many food manufacturers misinterpret guidance on heavy metals to mean “allowable levels” and consider it reasonable for products to test positive below these levels.
- This is a (perhaps intentional?) misunderstanding/ misinterpretation the food industry makes — a misunderstanding that food manufacturers use to justify the presence of heavy metals in products.
- Heavy metals accumulate in the body.
- It is the cumulative/ aggregate impact of heavy metal exposure (over a lifetime) that makes even small/ incidental/ seemingly trivial exposures particularly damaging and dangerous. You can read more about that here.
- Once a food product has the amount of heavy metal (Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, or Arsenic) noted (above) as the “Action Level,” that product is officially considered (by the scientific and medical community) unsafe for consumption by children as toxicants (found at-or-above these levels) are in the range of heavy metal levels that have been demonstrated to cause lasting harm.
- Action Levels are unrelated to serving size.
- Action Levels are relevant for any amount of a food product that may be consumed (any quantity of the food in question).
- PPB (parts per billion/ ppb) measurements are a percentage (albeit a very small percentage) and apply to any quantity of the food product tested.
- For more discussion about serving size considerations (and why relying on “serving size” to limit toxicant exposure is not a relevant metric/ not a metric protective of human health), read this article.
- These “Action Levels” proposed in 2021 are the levels at which the scientific and medical community believe the manufacturer (or government) needs to take ACTION to fix the problem.
- One “Action” would be for the manufacturer to take steps to reduce the levels of toxicants in the food product.
- Another “Action” would be for the manufacturer to cease sales of the product until the product could be made safe.
- Another “Action” would be for the manufacturer to inform the public that a specific food product has an unsafe level of the metal detected at-or-above the “Action Level” — making a highly-visible public announcement regarding which relevant batches of the product should be recalled/ no longer consumed.
- The Action Levels proposed with the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 were not arbitrary toxicant levels, but were proposed because they are the levels most protective of human health. However, the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 was not passed into law.
- Regardless of the fact the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021 never passed into law — and it is therefore legal to have foods and supplements marketed for consumption by children test positive for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic at-or-above these levels — these Action Levels still reflect the current (modern/ relevant) advice of the medical and scientific communities as levels both achievable by the industry and safeguards of infant and toddler health.
- Food and supplement industry lobbyists fought against formalizing these proposed “Action Levels” as a government standard, alleging the levels were unachievable.
- The list of safer choices (below) clearly demonstrate these Action Levels as achievable across a range of food types (salt, flour, coffee, oatmeal, chia seeds, hemp seeds, soy milk, packaged fruit-based snacks, beverages, and more).
- The legitimacy of these levels as “Action Levels”/ “Levels of Concern” (even though they were not adopted as law) is mirrored by the legitimacy of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ level of concern for Lead in water, which is 1 ppb despite the FDA’s official “level of concern” for Lead in water being 15 ppb (you can read more about that here).
“Simply Not Achievable”
To reiterate: While the packaged, processed food industry would have consumers (and the government) believe the standards proposed in 2021 are unachievable, this industry position (an oft-rearticulated response to nearly every set of laboratory test results for food and supplements that we have published to date) is simply not true.
It is possible to make safer processed, packaged food products and supplements that fall well below the safety limits for toxicants proposed within the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021. To wit, all of the products listed below tested “non-detect” for Lead, Cadmium, Mercury, and Arsenic — several even tested non-detect for Lead with the low threshold of detection being “less than 1.5 ppb.”
Below is an EXPANDING list of products (foods and supplements) that have tested “non-detect” for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic with independent, third-party, crowd-funded laboratory testing coordinated by Lead Safe Mama, LLC (an Oregon-based small business with a unique community-collaborative business model and a focus on consumer goods safety and childhood Lead poisoning prevention).
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The limits of detection for each of the metals tested are noted in the lab report for the specific product listed. To see the full lab report for any of these products, type the brand name into the search bar at the top of any page on Lead Safe Mama dot com (and scroll down to the bottom of the related article).
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Flavors tested are noted, and other flavors of the same product (or other products from the same brand) have either not been tested or have been tested but did not yield similar results. Test results only apply to the specific products linked below.
LIST UPDATED November 26, 2024:
- Beverage — Olipop Grape Tonic: https://amzn.to/4cjFYZu
- Breakfast Item — 1 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs: https://amzn.to/4fo1crf
- Breakfast Item — 2 — One Degree Organic, Gluten-Free, Sprouted Rolled Oats (Canada): https://amzn.to/3WIQ1BN
- Candy — Cavendish & Harvey Wild Berry Drops, not Organic (Germany): https://amzn.to/3Z1Jxjr
- Coffee — 1 — Chameleon Handcrafted Organic Cold Brew Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3OcrH77
- Coffee — 2 — Death Wish Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (Multi-country Origin, non-USA): https://amzn.to/3yo1eiL
- Plant-Based Coffee Creamer — 1 — Laird Superfood Coconut Creamer: https://amzn.to/4fItA7A
- Dairy Coffee Creamer — 2 — Organic Valley Grassmilk Half and Half: https://amzn.to/4fHJIWT
- Fruit Snack — 1 — GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/3XhWYLe
- Fruit Snack — 2 — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Strawberry Banana Flavor: https://amzn.to/3WQEekA
- Fruit Snack — 3 — Once Upon A Farm Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie Pouch in Strawberry Banana Swirl Flavor: https://amzn.to/3CPMbAw
- Fruit Snack — 4 — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Raspberry Lemonade Flavor: https://amzn.to/3XcFsIp
- Infant Formula — 1 — Bobbie Organic Gentle Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YYb849
- Infant Formula — 2 — Bobbie Grass-Fed Milk-Based Powder with Iron: https://amzn.to/3ZlAaeJ
- Infant Formula — 3 — ByHeart Infant Formula (USA-Made, not organic): https://amzn.to/48DJjTb
- Infant Formula — 4 — HiPP Bio Combiotik Infant Formula Powder – Stage 1 (imported)
- Infant Formula — 5 — Holle Bio Goat Stage 2 Infant Formula (for 6-10 months, organic, European — Swiss/ German/ Austrian) is not available on Amazon, but the Stage 3 version of this product is (not yet tested, but will likely test similarly): https://amzn.to/3BVU7zI
- Infant Formula — 6 — Kendamil Goat Infant Formula (not organic): This product may be available at Target (it is not available on Amazon)
- Infant Formula — 7 — Kendamil Organic Follow-On Milk (European/ British Toddler Formula, for 6-12 months, Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon (report link)
- Infant Formula — 8 — Kendamil Organic Infant Formula (Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon but may be available at Target
- Ingredient — 1 (salt) — Jacobsen’s Sea Salt (Oregon, USA): https://amzn.to/4dcbk5L
- Ingredient — 2 (baking flour) — Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour (Italy): https://amzn.to/3LIqxix
- Ingredient — 3 (seeds) — Costco Kirkland Organic Hemp Seeds: https://amzn.to/4e05RP9
- Ingredient — 4 (seeds) — Navitas Organic, Gluten-Free Chia Seeds (Mexico): https://amzn.to/3YvE7xC
- Oil — 1 — Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/3YDZSuv
- Oil — 2 — Dr. Adorable’s Organic Perilla Seed Oil (Korea): https://amzn.to/3NDt7Yc
- Plant-Based Milk — 1 — Kiki Milk Organic Plant Based Milk (original flavor): https://amzn.to/3AA6Qrt
- Plant-Based Milk — 2 — West Soy Unflavored Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk: https://amzn.to/4dwev8l
- Supplement — 1 — Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
- Supplement — 2 — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Multivitamin Liquid Drops with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YPhcgx
Stand by for more!
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BONUS FOUR: Below are FOUR additional products that each tested positive for trace (very low levels of) Arsenic — including the product featured above in this report — at levels considered safe by all standards (with the limits of detection noted in the lab report for the specific product listed):
- Infant Formula — Kendamil Goat Toddler Milk, not Organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): May be available at Target or through other online retailers of European infant formulas
- Fruit Snack — That’s It Apple Cherry Bars, not Organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4fHkSWV
- Oil — Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado Oil — Organic (postive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3BVQYQa
- Supplement — Now Sunflower Lecithin, not Organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3AFdHzO
Amazon links are affiliate links.
Published: November 12, 2024
Tuesday
Hello! We are continually working on publishing a LOT of test results very quickly this month. We sent 67 products to the lab for testing in September 2024 and 61 products in October 2024. We have not yet reported on all of those products as we are still waiting to receive final reports from the lab for many of them.
We will be updating this section of each article (with more information about the specific product and other similar products for context) as time permits, but we wanted to ensure the greater Lead Safe Mama community (and the general public) had access to this scientific data (about foods and supplements in their home) as quickly as possible.
Please scroll down to see the full laboratory test report for the product pictured above. Thank you for your patience.
As there are almost no reasonable safety thresholds proposed for toxicants (heavy metals) consumed by adults (in foods and supplements), our focus is (as always) on the health of children. The available proposed safety thresholds (and guidance) for foods consumed by adults are not set at levels protective of human health and are therefore irrelevant to the work we do here at Lead Safe Mama, LLC.
This is the Lead Safe Mama Amazon affiliate link to purchase a test kit similar to what we use for our laboratory testing.
To see more articles related to the laboratory testing of foods and supplements Lead Safe Mama, LLC is conducting (including background on this initiative and safer food choices and guidelines), click the pink square below. To see the full, independent, third-party laboratory report for the product pictured above, please scroll down to the bottom of this page.
Amazon links are affiliate links. If you purchase something after clicking on a Lead Safe Mama, LLC Amazon affiliate link, Lead Safe Mama, LLC may receive a percentage of what you spend — at no extra cost to you.
Lab report for the product pictured above:
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of course the FDA website reporting system is ‘unavailable at this time’! This was on 11/13/24.
Greetings, I am interested in this study. Can you provide the full research protocol please. Is Leonard Rubin related to Tamara Rubin? Leonard Rubin collected the sample, who carried out the research study itself?
Just submitted an FDA complaint.
I’m especially surprised it is not high in mercury coming from the sea. So why cadmium and arsenic?
Can you please post
– Lot #
– Code #
– Best by date
for the Now kelp product that was tested?
I’m filing complaints with NOW and FDA.
Thank you!
Hi – I just updated the article with a photo with the batch info (it’s near the top of the page). Thank you.
Tamara
In 2006 when Ibecame a patient of Dr. Gonzalez, I was on his protocol and was on a kelp supplement for the iodine. I had a hair test to check my heavy metals as I had had mercury poisoning with a botched up dental crown. My tests came back showing high levels of arsenic. I did a little digging on the internet, simply asking what were common sources of arsenic poisoning and kelp came up. I quit kelp supplementation immediately and Dr. Gonzalez was superb. He said, leave it to my patients to make discoveries like this. So I am not surprised about this finding. @Tamara, may I nominate you for MAHA team?
Thank you. Someone already has – but feel free to chime in! There’s some drama already here – lol, so I don’t expect much to come of this: https://discourse.nomineesforthepeople.com/t/tamara-rubin/4498
Thank you for informing us about unsafe products, it is very valuable to have this information. I forwarded your article to my integrative veterinarian who prescribes supplements, including NOW supplements for the animals, and she brought up some cogent points. I thought I would post them to you, because it only seems fair that the manufacturer has a chance to respond to these data. Here is the vet’s response:
Hi Carol,
Although the arsenic levels are really high in this product, I’m not happy with the reaction of lead safe mama. Firstly, I think she should test a bunch of kelp products and see if this is a problem with all of them before attacking Now so harshly. And before asking the readers to contact the FDA so Now gets investigated, which could ruin the company. And I think she should have contacted Now and await their response. Also, she should ask the company Now for the certificate of analysis of their product and see what they got as values when they got the product tested. I just think it’s really dangerous to get the FDA involved. They are so anti-supplements anyway.
I would ask Now for all the CoAs to see what results they got when they got the products tested.
Thanks for alerting me.
This is a misinformed response (from your vet) as it does not protect the consumer / patient and errs on the side of protecting the company (and their bottom line). The Hippocratic Oath (summarized) is “First Do No Harm”.
We publish our results here on the website and make the actual lab report available to consumers (at the bottom of each article) so they can quickly stop using a product that may be dangerous.
There is no way this product could be construed as safe (or as having health benefits that outweigh the risks), given the levels of toxicants found – which are extreme (the most extreme of any product we have tested).
This is also the FIFTH seaweed product we have tested. ALL FIVE have been heavily contaminated (with similar toxicant profiles).
You can see the others here: https://tamararubin.com/category/seaweed/
Are you familiar with the following Upton Sinclair quote?
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”
Your vet is earning a living (at least part of their income) selling products from this brand. It’s going to be hard for them to admit their advice to patients was ill advised, especially if it will impact their bottom line. They have clear bias in their perspective (based on the details shared in your comment).
Please watch my documentary film and share it with your vet – to better educate them on the subject:
T
Response from NOW – Katy Banaszewski, NOW(R) Senior Director of Quality:
We appreciate Lead Safe Mama for bringing attention to the issues surrounding heavy metal content in consumer products and advocating for product safety. We are fully committed to ensuring the safety and quality of our products and providing transparent information to our consumers.
Product Safety and Regulatory Compliance
Our product undergoes rigorous testing in our ISO 17025-accredited laboratory to ensure it meets all regulatory standards for heavy metals, including arsenic and cadmium. We comply with the strict limits established by regulatory authorities, and our test results confirm that these levels are well within safe limits for regular adult use. Please note that this product is not intended for children; it is specifically formulated for adults who have different tolerances and nutritional requirements.
Clarification on Regulatory Reference
We would like to clarify that the Baby Food Safety Act of 2021, mentioned in Lead Safe Mama’s post, does not apply to this product. This Act specifically addresses heavy metal levels in baby food, which have different regulatory limits and considerations due to infants’ unique developmental needs and sensitivities. Applying these standards to an adult dietary supplement can be misleading, as adults have significantly different tolerances. Our product complies with adult safety guidelines established by the relevant regulatory agencies for dietary supplements, rather than those intended for baby food.
Natural Composition of Kelp
Our product is derived from natural kelp, which may contain trace levels of certain elements, including arsenic. These traces result from natural environmental factors and not from contamination. The arsenic found in kelp is primarily in organic form, which is considered less toxic than inorganic arsenic. According to current scientific research and industry guidelines, the levels present in our product are deemed safe when consumed as directed.
Commitment to Transparency and Consumer Safety
We are dedicated to continuously monitoring the latest research and regulatory guidelines to ensure our products remain safe and effective. We recognize that consumer safety is a shared priority, and we encourage open dialogue and feedback from both consumers and advocates. If anyone has specific health concerns, we strongly recommend consulting with healthcare professionals and contacting us at productinfo@nowfoods.com for additional information about our product testing and quality standards.
Thank you again to Lead Safe Mama and our consumers for their engagement and dedication to product safety. We value the opportunity to address these concerns openly and transparently.
I was just looking into the Arsenic levels since we use this product. I also learned that seaweed (especially Kelp) is often high in *organic arsenic* (as opposed to inorganic arsenic). Apparently our bodies are better able to process the organic form of arsenic. Unless the arsenic is tested to see which form it is, we don’t know if these are truly unsafe levels or not. I’m still going to continue to research this though because the Now Kelp is such an affordable and easy way to get iodine — I don’t want to panic and throw it out unless I am pretty certain it’s not worth the risk. Also, although Arsenic is a health concern, it does have a short half-life and is excreted in the urine, unlike some of the other heavy metals that store in our bodies.
Please read the linked article above that discusses the similar impacts of high levels of both types of Arsenic. My husband has stopped taking this product.
T