Which greens powders are actually tested for lead?

The smart order is to clear the safety questions first, then decide whether you are getting a real, fully dosed product for the price. Work through these in sequence, because a tub can look clean and organic and still hide both its lead and its doses.

1. 1

   Look for published heavy-metal results, not a testing claim

   Start with what a lab actually found, not what the tub says. Because dried greens and algae concentrate metals, the strongest signal is a brand that publishes finished-product results for lead, cadmium, and arsenic, ideally a per-batch Certificate of Analysis you can look up. A third-party tested line with no numbers is a claim, not proof. In my ranking, Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens and Ora Organic Easy Being Green publish third-party purity numbers, while most of the field only says it tests.

2. 2

   Check for a registry-verified certification

   An independent certification is real only if you can find it on the certifier's public registry, not just a seal printed on the box. NSF Certified for Sport, USP Verified, and Informed Sport or Informed Choice all list certified products on searchable databases. I credited Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens for an Informed listing and AG1 for an NSF Certified for Sport listing, both confirmed on the registry. A brand that just says lab tested with nothing to verify gets no credit here.

3. 3

   Reject the proprietary blend

   A proprietary blend lists a group of ingredients and one combined weight, so you cannot tell whether you are getting a clinically useful dose of anything or a pinch of it for label decoration. It is also where a brand can bury a cheap filler behind an impressive-sounding name. Only Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens disclosed a dose for every ingredient in my set. AG1, Ora, Nested Naturals, Garden of Life, Bloom, and Amazing Grass all hide at least some doses inside named blends.

4. 4

   Read the Prop 65 warning honestly

   A California Prop 65 lead warning means the product can expose you to more than 0.5 micrograms of lead a day. It is not automatic proof a powder is dangerous, but it is a disclosed exceedance you should weigh, especially for daily use. Note the paradox: Garden of Life Raw Organic Perfect Food is USDA organic and still carries a lead warning. Absence of a warning is not proof of cleanliness either, since a brand that never tests may simply not know.

5. 5

   Scan for adaptogens if you are pregnant or nursing

   Many greens powders now fold in adaptogens like ashwagandha and rhodiola, which are marketed for stress but are commonly advised against in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Because these are often tucked inside a proprietary blend, you may not see them without reading the full ingredient list. AG1, Ora Organic Easy Being Green, and Bloom Nutrition Greens & Superfoods all contain a contraindicated adaptogen. If you are expecting or nursing, that alone can rule a tub out, so check with your provider first.

6. 6

   Weigh the price against what you can verify

   Greens powders run from about $0.34 to over $3 a serving, and price tracks marketing more than purity. The most expensive tub in my set, AG1 at roughly $3.30 a serving, hides its doses in a blend, while a $1.33 serving from Transparent Labs shows you every dose and its purity numbers. Decide what you are paying for. If a brand cannot show you its testing or its full doses, you are paying a premium for a claim, not for proof.