Results from Blueprint Cocoa Powder (by Bryan Johnson) for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, & Arsenic Using Independent (Community-Funded), Third-Party Laboratory Testing

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Published April 8, 2025 — Tuesday
A Quick Note from Tamara Rubin:

As anticipated, this Bryan Johnson Blueprint Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (pictured above) was positive for concerning levels of Lead, Cadmium, and Arsenic after the independent, crowd-funded and community-collaborative, third-party laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC is coordinating. All cocoa powder products (and dark or milk chocolate products) we have tested with this initiative to date have tested positive for toxicants. Said another way, we have not yet found a toxicant-free cocoa powder.

If you have been consuming this product for the alleged health “benefits,” we recommend getting tested for Lead and other toxicants (with a blood test or urine test), especially if you have been consuming this daily. Daily consumption of contaminated products like this can lead to chronic health conditions. Cadmium is a known carcinogen. Anyone with a history of cancer in their family should seriously reconsider consuming ANY products that test positive for any amount of Cadmium. Separately, all relevant federal agencies agree there is no safe level of Lead exposure for human beings.


The full original lab report for this supplement product is at the bottom of this article. Please scroll down.



As far as safer choices for foods, supplements, and cosmetics go, we have a few lists on our food and supplement testing landing page (here) that you may find helpful in making safer choices for your family. We even have one dedicated to safer snack choices, here. You may also find this link helpful as it takes you to our most recently updated safer choices list of lab-tested foods, cosmetics, and supplements!

Here’s the link to our landing page with ALL of the lab reports for the independent, third-party laboratory testing Lead Safe Mama, LLC has coordinated since March of 2024 — this is also a good page to bookmark and check back on periodically (it is always pinned at the top of the website’s Menu via the button graphic below, and the Menu can be found at the top of every page on this site).

Please check out our open/ not-yet-funded campaigns on GoFundMe if you would like to support some of our additional independent, crowd-funded, third-party laboratory testing. Thank you!


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).


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 (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! You can also support our work with a small monthly gift on Patreon. All our newly published lab reports are first shared on Patreon before social media (our Patreon has an option to subscribe for free as well)!


Are you interested in seeing MORE safer choices?

Below is an expanding list of products (foods, supplements, cosmetics, and personal care items) that tested “non-detect” for Lead, Mercury, Cadmium, and Arsenic with independent, third-party, community-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). The product examples below clearly demonstrate that companies can manufacture safer choices (at least from the perspective of a concern for heavy metals contamination).

The limits of detection (low-threshold of detection) for each of the metals tested are noted in the lab report for the specific product listed. To see the full original 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). All our published lab reports are also linked here, on our lab testing landing page.

Flavors (or specific variations) 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.

Products on our “safer choices” list are retested periodically (annually or more frequently, as funding permits). If a product no longer tests clean, it is removed from the list.


LIST UPDATED — June 4, 2025
Now at 68 products + 6 “bonus” options. Scroll down to see all 74 Lab-tested Safer Choices:
  1. Baby Food — 1 — Little Spoon Kale, Carrot + Pear BabyBlends
  2. Baby Food — 2 —Little Spoon Butternut Squash + Blueberry BabyBlends
  3. Baby Food — 3 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato BabyBlends
  4. Baby Food — 4 — Little Spoon Sweet Potato + Carrot BabyBlends
  5. Baby Food — 5 — Little Spoon Banana + Pitaya BabyBlends
  6. Beverage — 1 — Honest Kids Organic Appley Ever After Apple Juice Drink: https://amzn.to/4fjGhov
  7. Beverage — 2 —  Olipop Grape Tonic: https://amzn.to/4cjFYZu
  8. Breakfast Cereal — 1 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Panda Puffs: https://amzn.to/4fo1crf
  9. Breakfast Cereal — 2 — Nature’s Path Envirokidz Organic Corn Puffs Gorilla Munch: https://amzn.to/3FHZCDO
  10. Candy — 1 — Cavendish & Harvey Wild Berry Drops, not organic (Germany): https://amzn.to/3Z1Jxjr
  11. NEW! Candy — 2 — Haribo Gummy Bears** (Made in Germany, Not USA Produced): https://amzn.to/3FCGVlu
  12. Candy — 3 — Lindt White Chocolate Bar (Made in USA, New Hampshire): https://amzn.to/3OXkyIm
  13. Coffee & Tea — 1 — Chameleon Handcrafted Organic Cold Brew Concentrate: https://amzn.to/3OcrH77
  14. Coffee & Tea — 2 —Tao of Tea Organic Genmaicha (Tamara’s favorite, from Japan, sold by a Portland, Oregon-based company!): https://amzn.to/3Dp8Fsd
  15. Coffee & Tea — 3 — Califia Farms Almond Latte Cold Brew (XX Espresso): https://amzn.to/4gTTGoJ
  16. Coffee & Tea — 4 — Death Wish Organic Espresso Roast Ground Coffee (Multi-country origin, non-USA): https://amzn.to/3yo1eiL
  17. Cosmetic— 1 — Babo Botanicals Sensitive Baby Lotion: https://amzn.to/3YmKxy1
  18. Cosmetic — 2 — Kora Organics Noni Face Oil: https://amzn.to/43hy2XO
  19. Dairy — 1 — (cheese) — Babybel Mini Original Snack Cheese: https://amzn.to/3ZY5noO
  20. Dairy — 2 — (coffee creamer) —  Organic Valley Grassmilk Half and Half: https://amzn.to/4fHJIWT
  21. Fruit Snack — 1 — (bar) — Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Raspberry Lemonade Flavor: https://amzn.to/3XcFsIp
  22. Fruit Snack — 2 — (bar) —Pure Organic Layered Fruit Bars in Strawberry Banana Flavor: https://amzn.to/3WQEekA
  23. Fruit Snack — 3 — (pouch) — Costco’s Kirkland Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/4gOYpZ9
  24. Fruit Snack — 4 — (pouch) — GoGo Squeez Organic Apple Sauce Pouch: https://amzn.to/3XhWYLe
  25. Fruit Snack — 5 — (pouch) — Once Upon A Farm Dairy Free Fruit Smoothie Pouch in Strawberry Banana Swirl Flavor: https://amzn.to/3CPMbAw
  26. Infant Formula — 1 — Bobbie Organic Gentle Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (pink and white can): https://amzn.to/3YYb849 
  27. Infant Formula — 2 — Bobbie Organic Infant Formula Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green and white can): https://amzn.to/3VOr4Vy
  28. Infant Formula — 3 — Bobbie Grass-Fed Milk-Based Powder with Iron (green can): https://amzn.to/3ZlAaeJ
  29. Infant Formula — 4 — ByHeart Infant Formula (USA-made, not organic): https://amzn.to/48DJjTb
  30. Infant Formula — 5 — HiPP Bio Combiotik Infant Formula Powder, Stage 1 (imported)
  31. Infant Formula — 6 — HiPP HA Stage PRE (0+ Months) Combiotic Formula  (imported)
  32. Infant Formula — 7 — 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
  33. Infant Formula — 8 — Kendamil Goat Infant Formula (not organic): This product may be available at Target (it is not available on Amazon)
  34. Infant Formula — 9 — Kendamil Organic Follow-On Milk (European/ British Toddler Formula, for 6-12 months, Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon 
  35. Infant Formula — 10 — Kendamil Whole Milk Infant Formula (from Europe, pink can, not organic), available at Target
  36. Infant Formula — 11 — Kendamil Organic Infant Formula (Cow Milk): Not available on Amazon but may be available at Target
  37. Ingredient — 1 — (baking flour) — Jovial Organic Einkorn Flour (Italy): https://amzn.to/3LIqxix 
  38. Ingredient — 2 — (beans) — Jovial Organic Chickpeas, Product of Italy: https://amzn.to/4iRON1l
  39. Ingredient — 3 — (vinegar) — Napa Valley Naturals Organic Red Wine Vinegar (California): https://amzn.to/4jWhHOg
  40. Oil — 1 — (avocado) — Chosen Foods 100% Avocado Oil (not organic): https://amzn.to/3YDZSuv
  41. Oil — 2 — (coconut) — Dr. Bronner’s Regenerative Organic Coconut Oil: https://amzn.to/40xwBmv
  42. NEW! Oil — 3 —  (olive) — Bryan Johnson BluePrint Snake Oil Olive Oil** (not organic): https://amzn.to/4mMieUj
  43. Oil — 4 — (perilla seed) —  Dr. Adorable’s Organic Perilla Seed Oil (Korea): https://amzn.to/3NDt7Yc
  44. Plant-Based Milk — 1 — (coffee creamer) — Laird Superfood Coconut Creamer: https://amzn.to/4fItA7A
  45. Plant-Based Milk — 2 — (plant milk) — Kiki Milk Organic Plant-Based Milk (original flavor): https://amzn.to/3AA6Qrt
  46. Plant-Based Milk — 3 — (soy milk) — West Soy Unflavored Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk: https://amzn.to/4dwev8l
  47. Salt — 1 — Jacobsen’s Sea Salt (Oregon, USA): https://amzn.to/4dcbk5L
  48. NEW! Salt — 2 —Maldon Sea Salt Flakes**: https://amzn.to/4iTzWTE
  49. NEW! Salt — 3 — Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt** : https://amzn.to/4cVQMiy
  50. Seeds — 1 — (chia) —Navitas Organic, Gluten-Free Chia Seeds (Mexico): https://amzn.to/3YvE7xC
  51. Seeds — 2 —  (hemp) — Costco Kirkland Organic Hemp Seeds: https://amzn.to/4e05RP9
  52. Supplement — 1 — (adult) — Doctor’s Best Vitamin C with Q-C: https://amzn.to/4hlVvea
  53. Supplement — 2 — (adult) —Nordic Naturals Omega-3 Fish Oil: https://amzn.to/48q1j2V
  54. Supplement — 3 — (adult) — Pectasol Modified Citrus Pectin, Formulated in the USA: https://amzn.to/3QUmZfN
  55. Supplement — 4 — (adult) — Pendulum Metabolic Daily Dietary Supplement: https://amzn.to/4gY5wOm
  56. Supplement — 5 — (kids) —Baby Ddrops, Organic Vitamin D3 Supplement for Babies: https://amzn.to/49C3ktH
  57. Supplement — 6 — (kids) — Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Multivitamin Liquid Drops with Iron: https://amzn.to/3YPhcgx
  58. Supplement — 7 — (kids) —Mary Ruth’s Organic Toddler Elderberry Liquid Drops: https://amzn.to/42617TU
  59. Supplement — 8  — (kids) — Nordic Naturals Kids Vitamin D3 Gummies (Ages 3+): https://amzn.to/4l7117a
  60. Sweetener — 1 — (sugar) — Anthony’s Organic Granulated Cane Sugar: https://amzn.to/4jf6vLv
  61. Sweetener — 2— (xylitol) — Espure Organic Xylitol: https://amzn.to/3GsCSrU
  62. Sweetener — 3— (xylitol) —Now Real Food Granulated Xylitol: https://amzn.to/4cNWDpM
  63. Toothpaste — 1 — Fluoride-free Orajel Kids Training Toothpaste in Natural Berry Fruity Flavor with Elmo Sesame Street Packaging: https://amzn.to/41wxtrY
  64. Toothpaste — 2 — Fluoride-free Miessence Mint Toothpaste: https://amzn.to/4bJc4PO
  65. Toothpaste — 3 — Dr. Brown’s Fluoride-free Baby Toothpaste in Strawberry Flavor: https://amzn.to/3DCehzZ
  66. Toothpaste — 4 — Pegciz Kids Foam Toothpaste in Watermelon Flavor, Low Flouride (packaging varies, see report): https://amzn.to/3YzP68e
  67. Toothpaste — 5 — Kid’s Spry Fluoride-free Tooth Gel with Xylitol in Original Flavor: https://amzn.to/41GZb4e
  68. Toothpaste — 6 — Fluoride-free Essential Oxygen BR Certified Organic in Peppermint Flavor: https://amzn.to/4lARZ2J

**Lab reports pending/ Not yet published as of 6/4/2025


Here’s a link to our landing page featuring all the third-party lab reports for the foods, supplements, and cosmetic products we have published to date, including those listed above: https://tamararubin.com/2024/05/food-articles/


Stand by for more!

BONUS: Below are SIX additional products that each tested positive for trace (very low levels of) Arsenic  at levels considered safe by all standards (with the limits of detection noted in the lab report for the specific product listed).

  1. 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
  2. Ingredient — Maseca Instant Corn Masa Flour, Product of Mexico (positive for traces of Arsenic)https://amzn.to/4iR8qWN
  3. Fruit Snack —  That’s It Apple Cherry Bars, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/4fHkSWV
  4. Oil — Chosen Foods 100% Pure Avocado oil, organic (postive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3BVQYQa
  5. Supplement — (adult) —  Now Sunflower Lecithin, not organic (positive for traces of Arsenic): https://amzn.to/3AFdHzO
  6. Supplement — (adult) —  WishGarden Immune Boost Seasonal Rescue for Pregnancy: https://amzn.to/3Cd940N

Amazon links are affiliate links. 


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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11 Comments

  1. I contacted Bryan Johnson Blueprint about the levels of Lead and they claim it is 100% pure and rigorously tested by independent third party labs. Have they contacted you about the article and testing.

      1. How did that conversation with Bryan Johnson go? We’re curious to see how he would explain this.

      1. This is what Blueprint sent me for the Cocoa test results. Based on your test results I have scheduled a lab to get tested for lead.

        Blueprint Test
        Cadmium 0.691 ppm.
        Lead 0.049 ppm
        Arsenic 0.024 ppm

  2. Thank you for testing it and making the results public. I am one of the people who have been taking it daily, since it came on the market. Knowing this new information, I’m definitely going to pause on taking it.

    In his call to you, did he say he was going to do anything about it? He likes to be open about the shortcomings of other food products, but this time it’s much closer to home.

  3. Wow. Thanks Tamara.

    It looks like we can only trust open sourced third party test results these days.

    1. Manufacturers intentionally (or sometimes unintentionally?) misrepresent / misinterpret their results so they can downplay the presence of heavy metals in their products. They either use the wrong measurements for evaluating human health (for example they use ppm, or serving size based metrics instead of ppb), or they downplay the results and don’t offer comparative analysis – comparing the toxicant profiles of their products to the toxicant profiles of other similar products (in the same product class) – instead bringing up the overused (under-proven / false / or misinterpreted) tropes of “well even peaches and pears have some lead” — or “well you eat spinach and that also has lead”. It’s definitely a frustrating paradigm of “scientific interpretation” – this is why we believe in sharing the raw data with the consumer, using appropriate, health protective measurement standards.

      And to reiterate something I have said very often – we recommend avoiding spinach and potatoes, especially those products grown in the United States.

      Thanks for commenting.

      T

  4. I emailed a company that has a product I enjoy, and received the following response. Could you let me know what follow-up questions I should try?
    Thanks!
    Thank you for reaching out and for your continued support of our cream! We truly appreciate your trust in our products.

    “I want to assure you that our products are USDA certified organic, and we take great pride in the quality and safety of our ingredients. All of our formulations are made with organic ingredients that have been thoroughly verified.

    Regarding your concern about heavy metals, I can confidently say that our products do not contain heavy metals, including lead. We adhere to strict quality control measures to guarantee that our products meet the highest standards.

    If you have any further questions or need more information, please feel free to ask. We’re here to help!

    Thank you again for your support.

    Best regards,
    Jerilyn
    Honey Girl Organics”

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