Toxic Supplement Class Actions: Lead, Plastics, and Kratom

Toxic supplement class actions are consumer lawsuits alleging that dietary supplements either contain undisclosed harmful substances, like lead or phthalates, or are sold with health claims the science doesn’t support. Active and recent cases cover protein powders, prenatal vitamins, joint supplements, kratom products, and whole-food capsules such as Balance of Nature, and buyers in the class period can often file a claim for a cash payment once a settlement is approved. The industry saw 58 new filings in 2024 on top of 62 in 2023 and 105 in 2022.¹

Protein Powders and Lead Contamination

The newest wave of filings followed an October 14, 2025 Consumer Reports investigation that found more than two-thirds of 23 tested protein powders and shakes contained lead above 0.5 micrograms per serving, the threshold tied to California’s Proposition 65. The highest readings were Naked Nutrition’s Vegan Mass Gainer at 7.7 micrograms per serving, Huel’s Black Edition at 6.3 micrograms, and Garden of Life’s Sport Organic Plant-Based Protein and Momentous 100% Plant Protein at four to six times the threshold.² Plant-based proteins carried, on average, nine times the lead of dairy-based products.³

The lawsuits came within weeks. In October 2025, a California plaintiff filed Caballero v. Naked Whey, Inc. (Case No. 2:25-at-01437), alleging false advertising under California consumer protection law.⁴ Huel faced multiple suits consolidated as In re Huel Heavy Metal Litigation in the Eastern District of New York, with at least five cases pending across four federal districts by early 2026.⁵ Garden of Life was sued in DeHerrera v. Garden of Life LLC (Case No. 5:25-cv-03118) in the Central District of California, which alleges a single serving of its Organic Plant-Based Protein contains 2.76 micrograms of lead.⁶

The companies dispute the findings. Huel reported its own internal testing at 1.5 to 2.2 micrograms per serving and said its products meet NSF standards.³ Garden of Life said its products follow FDA and WHO guidance, and Naked Nutrition said it was pursuing NSF certification. The FDA has not set a specific action level for lead in protein powders; its interim reference level for dietary lead is 8.8 micrograms per day for women of childbearing age.²

Prenatal Vitamins and Plastic Chemicals

On April 18, 2025, two California residents filed Lang et al. v. Pharmavite LLC (Case No. 3:25-cv-00933) in the Southern District of California, alleging that Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamin Folic Acid + DHA Softgels contain phthalates and BPA despite being marketed as safe for pregnant and nursing women.⁷ The complaint relies on a December 2024 PlasticList report that detected DEHP, DBP, DEP, DMP, and bisphenol A in the product.⁸ Plaintiffs allege these chemicals are linked to cancer, birth defects, pregnancy loss, and preterm birth, and that buyers paid a premium they would not have paid had the contamination been disclosed.

The underlying research reaches beyond one brand. A June 2025 peer-reviewed study in Environmental Research tested 165 prenatal vitamins and reported that 83 percent contained lead, 73 percent contained cadmium, and 25 percent contained DEHP, with 15 percent exceeding California’s threshold for daily lead consumption. There are currently no U.S. limits on heavy metals in prenatal vitamins.⁹

False Health Claim Settlements

Some of the largest supplement class action settlements involved health claims rather than contamination. In Bland v. Premier Nutrition Corporation, an Alameda County Superior Court granted final approval in May 2026 to a settlement totaling more than $70.8 million over Joint Juice glucosamine supplements. Class members were eligible for roughly $10 or $25 per unit, depending on the product.¹⁰ A separate class action against Reckitt Benckiser over Move Free Advanced produced a proposed $50 to $53 million settlement, with class members eligible for $22 per product (up to three products) or a voucher of up to $225.¹¹

The Balance of Nature settlement is smaller but still open to many recent buyers. Vernita Morris v. Evig LLC d/b/a Balance of Nature (Case No. 25PH-CV-01551, Circuit Court of Phelps County, Missouri) addresses allegations of deceptive trade practices concerning the quality, ingredient accuracy, and health benefits of the Fruits, Veggies, and Fiber & Spice products. The $9.95 million fund covers purchases between March 2019 and October 2025. With proof of purchase, claimants could file for $6 per unit up to five units per household; without proof, $4 per unit up to two units. The claim deadline was March 11, 2026, with a final approval hearing set for March 6, 2026. Balance of Nature denied all allegations.¹²

Kratom Lawsuits

Kratom is one of the fastest-growing areas of supplement litigation. Suits allege that manufacturers sell kratom and its derivatives as safe natural products while concealing opioid-like effects. A January 2026 class action against 7tabz Retail, LLC alleges its 7-OH kratom products are “approximately 13 times stronger than morphine” and that the company conceals risks of addiction, withdrawal, psychosis, seizures, and respiratory distress.¹³

Awards have climbed. A Florida default judgment in Filippelli v. Grow, LLC reached $11 million in 2023, and a Washington jury awarded $2.5 million in Coyne v. Chin 2 Corp. A Feel Free kratom lawsuit against Botanic Tonics settled for $8.75 million.¹³ Cases have been filed in at least eleven states, and plaintiffs are increasingly seeking punitive damages.¹⁴

How to Tell If You Qualify and Get Paid

Most supplement class actions are opt-out cases. If you fall within the class definition — typically defined by product purchased and date range — you are automatically a class member unless you ask to be excluded. You don’t have to do anything while the case is being litigated. Once a settlement is approved, eligible buyers submit a claim form online or by mail before a stated deadline.¹⁵

Payouts turn on proof of purchase. In the Balance of Nature settlement, individual payments ranged from $4 to $6 per unit purchased, capped at $30 per household with receipts.¹² In Joint Juice, class members received $10 to $25 per unit.¹⁰ Receipts generally unlock the higher tiers; many settlements still allow smaller payments without them. According to a 2019 FTC analysis, the median claims rate across consumer settlements requiring a claims-made process was just 9 percent, though 77 percent of recipients cashed the checks they received.¹⁶ Accepting a settlement payment generally means giving up the right to sue the defendant individually over the same allegations.¹⁵

Why These Cases Can Be Hard to Win

Supplements sit under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA), which lets manufacturers make “structure/function” claims — statements like “supports joint health” — without prior FDA approval, as long as the label carries the required disclaimer. Companies cannot claim to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a disease.¹⁷

Private plaintiffs cannot enforce federal supplement labeling rules directly; that authority sits with the FDA. They sue instead under state consumer protection laws, which survive only when state requirements match the federal ones. The Ninth Circuit has held that a plaintiff challenging a structure/function claim must bring evidence that matches the claim itself: evidence about treating arthritis doesn’t disprove a label that only says “supports joint health.”¹⁷ The First Circuit went further in a Lactaid case, holding that state-law claims are preempted when they exist solely by virtue of an alleged federal labeling violation; the Supreme Court declined to review that ruling in April 2024.¹⁸

Contamination cases largely avoid this problem. The allegation isn’t that a health claim is unsubstantiated but that the product contains a dangerous ingredient the label omits, which remains actionable under state law.¹⁷

Where Supplement Litigation Is Heading

Filings against supplement makers have been steady. The 58 new class actions in 2024 followed 62 in 2023 and 105 in 2022, for a three-year total of 225. California generated 39 of the 58 complaints in 2024, with New York at 10 and Illinois at 8. About 45 percent of 2024 filings involved “false fact” claims disputing statements like “clinically proven.” Advocacy groups are increasingly running sensitive testing for heavy metals, microplastics, and phthalates, and pre-suit demand letters have risen, suggesting more companies are settling quietly before any suit is filed.¹

California’s Proposition 65 has become the most aggressive enforcement tool against supplement brands. In the fourth quarter of 2025, plaintiffs filed 1,308 pre-suit notices of violation, and for the first time, notices targeting foods, supplements, and beverages outnumbered those for nonconsumable goods. Lead, bisphenol S, and PFAS were the most frequently cited chemicals, with protein powders, herbal blends, and pre-workout products the most targeted categories.¹⁹

In December 2025, the FDA announced it would revise rules requiring the standard supplement disclaimer to appear on every panel of a product’s label, a change the agency framed as a response to the uptick in litigation over minor placement errors. The rulemaking is still underway, and the agency said it would exercise enforcement discretion in the interim.¹⁹ If you bought one of the products named above during a case’s class period, keep your receipts or order confirmations and watch the official settlement website for the claim form and deadline.

1
SupplySide. Dietary Supplement Industry Faces Steady Stream of Class Action Lawsuits
2
Consumer Reports. Protein Powders and Shakes Contain High Levels of Lead
3
Nutritional Outlook. Industry Responds to Consumer Reports Article on Heavy Metal Contamination in Protein Powders
4
ClassAction.org. Naked Nutrition Lawsuit Alleges Mass Gainer Vegan Protein Powder Contains Dangerous Levels of Heavy Metals
5
FindLaw. In Re: Huel, Inc., Heavy Metal Products Liability Litigation, MDL No. 3177
6
Top Class Actions. Garden of Life Faces Lawsuit Over Dangerous Lead Levels in Organic Plant-Based Protein
7
ClassAction.org. Toxic Chemicals Detected in Certain Nature Made Prenatal Multivitamins, Class Action Lawsuit Alleges
8
ClassAction.org. Lang et al. v. Pharmavite LLC, Class Action Complaint
9
Environmental Health News. Heavy Metals, Phthalates Found in Prenatal Vitamins
10
Joint Juice Settlement. Bland v. Premier Nutrition Corporation Multi-State Settlement
11
Commercial Litigation Update. Class Action False Advertising Suits Continue to Inflict Pain on the Dietary Supplement Industry
12
Supplements Settlement. Balance of Nature Settlement FAQ
13
ClassAction.org. Class Action Lawsuit Claims 7tabz Kratom Is Highly Addictive and Dangerous
14
Mayer Brown. The Emerging Kratom Litigation Landscape and Implications for Similarly Situated Manufacturers
15
ClassAction.org. How to Join a Class Action Lawsuit
16
Federal Trade Commission. Consumers and Class Actions: A Retrospective and Analysis of Settlement Campaigns
17
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Kroessler v. CVS Health Corp.
18
Morrison Foerster. Implied Preemption for Dietary Supplements
19
Perkins Coie. 2025 Q4 Food and CPG Legal Trends Report