Following consumer litigation against Costco, Amazon is the latest retailer facing a class-action lawsuit for allegedly tainted Orgain products
SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–$AMZN #amazon–Amazon.com is the latest retailer facing consumer litigation alleging the world’s largest online retailer knowingly sold Orgain protein powder contaminated with toxic levels of heavy metals, according to attorneys at Hagens Berman.
Attorneys filed the lawsuit July 31, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington and accuse Amazon of violating state consumer protection laws by selling Orgain protein powder that independent testing has revealed contains harmful levels of lead, cadmium and arsenic.
“Though the Contaminated Products are represented on Amazon’s website as having beneficial attributes such as ‘Cleaner Ingredients,’ ‘Quality Ingredients,’ ‘Higher Standards,’ and providing ‘Feel Good Energy,’ the Contaminated Products’ representations are not true and are misleading, as the Contaminated Products are tainted with heavy metals which include lead, cadmium, and arsenic,” the lawsuit states.
Reporting by the Clean Label Project and Consumer Reports showed detectable levels of heavy metals in protein powder products, and independent laboratory testing conducted by plaintiff’s counsel confirmed the presence of heavy metals in the Orgain products, according to the lawsuit.
Amazon’s Duty to Consumers
The lawsuit alleges Amazon failed to uphold its duty to ensure products were not deceptively, misleadingly, unfairly or falsely marketed, and that Amazon should have ensured all material information about the products was fully and properly disclosed.
“Consumers don’t buy products on Amazon expecting them to be tainted with dangerous levels of toxic substances, and that’s because Amazon has a duty to ensure that doesn’t happen,” said Steve Berman, managing partner and co-founder of Hagens Berman. “Heavy metals are a known human health risk.”
According to the lawsuit, there is no safe level of human exposure to lead, cadmium or arsenic. Exposure can cause negative health effects, including various cancers, gastric and vascular disorders, and liver, kidney and brain damage. Exposure to lead contributed to more than 3.5 million deaths globally in 2023.
“Amazon has more than 130 million unique customers, meaning the scale of this contamination may be especially significant,” Berman said.
The lawsuit’s named plaintiff purchased 36 containers of the allegedly contaminated products at approximately $30 per container (approximately $1,080 total) and states she would not have purchased at any price had Amazon disclosed the presence of heavy metals. According to the complaint, the Orgain products were used by her family daily, including her child, making the presence of heavy metals all the more concerning: “Lead is particularly dangerous to the health and well-being of small children, and early childhood exposure to lead is known to cause behavioral health problems…”
Big Box Retailers, Big Oversights
The lawsuit further alleges that Amazon’s sheer size and scale add to its culpability: “Amazon’s failure to disclose was not the result of ignorance or inability. As one of the largest retailers in the world, with annual revenues exceeding $240 billion, Amazon has the resources and capability to test products for heavy metal contamination and to require disclosure from its suppliers.”
The suit follows a separate class-action lawsuit against Costco Wholesale Corporation filed by the firm over related claims that Costco misrepresented products on its website product pages.
Hagens Berman is a global plaintiffs’ rights complex litigation law firm with a tenacious drive for achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. Since its founding in 1993, the firm’s determination has earned it numerous national accolades, awards and titles of “Most Feared Plaintiff’s Firm,” MVPs and Trailblazers of class-action law. More about the law firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com. Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.
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