Snapshot from Jul 31, 2026 at 07:00 UTC. For live data and tracking: View Live
Regulatory class action lawsuit

Costco sued over Orgain protein powder heavy metals

Analysis based on 8 articles · First reported Jul 09, 2026 · Last updated Jul 14, 2026

Sentiment
-20
Attention
3
Articles
8
Market Impact
General
Live prominence charts, article sentiment distribution, and event development timeline available on the Ergen Dashboard

The lawsuit may negatively impact Costco's reputation and sales of its protein powder products, though the financial impact is likely limited given the company's diversified revenue. The broader protein powder industry could face increased regulatory scrutiny and consumer concern, potentially affecting sales across brands.

retail food and beverage supplements

On July 7, 2026, a proposed class action lawsuit was filed against Costco in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleging that the retailer sold Orgain Organic Plant-Based Protein Powder containing high levels of toxic heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and arsenic, without adequate disclosure. The plaintiffs, seven customers, claim Costco violated the Washington Consumer Protection Act by marketing the products as safe and healthy despite the alleged contaminants. The lawsuit cites independent lab testing and reports from Clean Label Project and Consumer Reports. United States — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an industry-wide investigation into protein powder manufacturers in June 2026. Orgain has defended its products as safe and compliant with food safety standards. The plaintiffs seek monetary damages and an injunction requiring Costco to disclose heavy metal content on packaging.

80 Costco sued over protein powder
60 Ken Paxton launched investigation
50 Clean Label Project found heavy metals
50 Consumer Reports found lead in protein powder
40 Orgain defended product safety
stock
Costco is the primary defendant in the class action lawsuit, facing allegations of selling contaminated protein powder and failing to disclose heavy metals. The lawsuit could lead to financial penalties and reputational damage.
Importance 100.0 Sentiment -30.0
priv
Orgain is the manufacturer of the protein powder at the center of the lawsuit. The company has defended its products as safe, but the allegations could harm its brand and lead to increased scrutiny.
Importance 80.0 Sentiment -40.0
ngo
Clean Label Project conducted testing that found heavy metals in protein powders, including Orgain, and its findings are cited in the lawsuit.
Importance 40.0 Sentiment 0.0
ngo
Consumer Reports published an investigation in October 2025 that found lead in Orgain protein powder, contributing to the basis of the lawsuit.
Importance 40.0 Sentiment 0.0
per
Ken Paxton, United States — Texas Attorney General, announced an investigation into protein powder manufacturers to protect consumers from heavy metals.
Importance 30.0 Sentiment 0.0
loc
United States — Texas, through its Attorney General, launched an industry-wide investigation into protein powder manufacturers following the reports of heavy metals.
Importance 30.0 Sentiment 0.0
priv
Hagens Berman is the law firm representing the plaintiffs in the class action lawsuit. The firm is known for consumer protection cases.
Importance 30.0 Sentiment 0.0
loc
The lawsuit was filed in Washington state, and the plaintiffs allege violations of the Washington Consumer Protection Act.
Importance 20.0 Sentiment 0.0
govactor
The FDA is cited in the lawsuit regarding the lack of a known safe level of lead exposure, but is not directly involved in the case.
Importance 20.0 Sentiment 0.0
ngo
The WHO is referenced in the lawsuit regarding health risks of heavy metal exposure.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment 0.0
stock
Amazon is mentioned as a retailer that sells Orgain protein powder, but is not a party to the lawsuit.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment 0.0
stock
Target is mentioned as a retailer that sells Orgain protein powder, but is not a party to the lawsuit.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment 0.0
stock
Walmart is mentioned as a retailer that sells Orgain protein powder, but is not a party to the lawsuit.
Importance 10.0 Sentiment 0.0
ERGEN INTELLIGENCE
Track this event live

Set up alerts, explore entity relationships, search across thousands of events, and build custom intelligence feeds.

Open Dashboard

About Ergen

Ergen is a news intelligence platform that converts raw news articles into structured data. It tracks events, entities, and the relationships between them, with sentiment and attention metrics derived from thousands of articles. Pages on this site are daily static snapshots from the platform's live database. For real-time tracking, search, and alerts, the full dashboard is at app.ergen.ai.