Guide
Plant protein without fillers: reading the other ingredients
Plant protein powders always carry a few ingredients beyond the protein — a sweetener, an emulsifier, a flavor system — and "clean" isn't a defined standard; here's exactly what's in ours, what each thing does, and what research on heavy metals in the category does and doesn't say about it.
Every plant protein tub has ingredients besides the protein itself — a sweetener, a thickener, sometimes a flavor system — and "clean" isn't a defined standard to check a label against. Here's exactly what's in ours beyond the fava bean and yeast protein, what each ingredient does, and what independent testing has found in this product category generally.
Is our plant protein organic?
No. the product's label lists its badges as Vegan, Gluten-free and Lactose-free — there's no organic certification or claim on this label. If organic certification specifically is what you're checking for, that's a "no" here regardless of how the front of a tub is styled.
What's actually in our tub, beyond the two proteins
Our label lists eight other ingredients alongside Fava Bean Protein Isolate and YESTEIN™ Fermented Nutritional Yeast Protein: Nidau Cocoa Powder and Nightfall Black Cocoa Powder (flavor and color — two cocoas used together for a deeper chocolate taste), Natural Flavor, MCT Oil Powder (a fat source, powdered so it mixes into a dry blend instead of separating like liquid MCT oil would), Apple Pectin Powder (a soluble fiber that also helps thicken the shake), Sea Salt (electrolyte and flavor), Sunflower Lecithin (an emulsifier that helps the powder mix into liquid instead of clumping), and Stevia Extract (leaf). Every ingredient is printed on the panel — there's no proprietary blend hiding amounts behind a single total.
Sweetener: stevia, not without one
If you're searching for a plant protein without stevia, this isn't it — Stevia Extract (leaf) is our sweetener, and we're not going to describe the product as something it isn't. It's a plant-derived, non-artificial sweetener rather than sucralose, acesulfame potassium or a sugar alcohol, and it's the only sweetener on the label.
Sugar and carbs on the panel
The label states 1 g of sugar and 1 g of fiber per two-scoop serving. We can't tell you whether that gram of sugar comes from the stevia processing, trace amounts in the cocoa, or elsewhere on the panel — the label states the total, not the source — but there's no added cane sugar, syrup or sugar alcohol listed as an ingredient.
Not a pea protein
If you're comparing plant proteins specifically to avoid pea protein, ours doesn't use it: the two protein sources here are fava bean protein isolate and a fermented nutritional yeast protein, a different combination from the pea-and-rice blends common in the category.
Does it contain lead or other heavy metals?
We hold no third-party heavy-metal test on file for this product, so we can't give you a number for it. What the research says about the category: a 2026 risk-modeling study measured arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury in 30 commercially available sports protein supplements and found plant-derived products had a higher mean lead (0.18 vs 0.06 mg/kg) and cadmium (0.05 vs 0.01 mg/kg) content than dairy-derived products; even so, its modeled hazard index for ordinary use stayed below the level linked to health risk, and predicted blood-lead increments were small. An earlier 2020 analysis, working from a different set of tested protein powders, reached a similar overall conclusion: no product category's modeled exposure crossed into health-risk territory, with whey powders scoring lowest and mass-gainer products highest among the categories it compared. Neither study tested our specific tub — they're evidence about the plant-protein and sports-supplement categories generally, and the honest answer is that we're reporting what independent researchers found in other products, not what a lab has measured in ours.
Our label against the checklist
| Check | Our label |
|---|---|
| Vegan | Yes |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Lactose-free | Yes |
| Non-GMO | Not claimed |
| Organic | No |
| Artificial sweetener | None — sweetened with stevia leaf extract |
| Single-ingredient / no other additives | No — contains two cocoa powders, MCT oil powder, apple pectin, sea salt, sunflower lecithin, natural flavor and stevia leaf extract |
| Third-party heavy-metal test on file | No |
Questions people ask
Is plant protein powder "clean"?
"Clean" isn't a regulated term with a fixed definition, so it isn't something a label can be checked against directly. What we can tell you is exactly what's in ours (above) and what isn't disclosed — no amino acid breakdown, and no third-party heavy-metal test on file.
Does plant protein powder contain lead?
See the heavy-metals section above: independent research has found plant-derived protein supplements running higher in lead and cadmium on average than dairy-derived ones, though modeled exposure stayed below health-risk thresholds in that research. We don't hold a test result for this specific tub.
Is this plant protein vegan?
Yes — Vegan is one of the badges listed for this product, and neither fava bean protein nor fermented yeast protein involves an animal source.
Why does a plant protein tub need anything besides protein?
A powder needs to dissolve, taste like something, and not clump — that's what the sweetener, emulsifier and flavor ingredients above are doing. None of them are inert bulking agents added purely to take up space on the label.
Related reading: what is plant protein? a plain guide, how to choose a good plant protein, and plant protein powder: a plain guide.
Sources
- A human health risk assessment of heavy metal ingestion among consumers of protein powder supplements A risk-assessment analysis of heavy metals reported in protein powder surveys found modeled exposure stayed within safe limits even at three servings a day, and whey protein powders scored lowest for heavy-metal risk among the protein powder types compared.
- Heavy metal and Microplastic exposure from sports protein Supplements: Integrated health risk modeling and scenario analysis Testing 30 commercial sports protein supplements, researchers found plant-derived ones averaged higher lead and cadmium than dairy-derived ones, though modeled exposure at typical serving sizes stayed below health-risk thresholds for nearly every product tested.
*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
