What lab tests found inside protein powders sold in India
The short answer
Two independent lab studies have tested popular protein powders sold in India. In the first, 25 of 36 products did not contain the protein their label claimed, 5 contained aflatoxin, and 27 had trace lead. In the second, ordinary gym whey mostly matched its label, but powders from pharmaceutical companies averaged 29 g of protein per 100 g, most were mislabelled, and many were padded with cheaper ingredients that make a test read higher. Most people at a gym can reach their protein target from food. If you do buy a powder, buy plain whey from the brand or an authorised seller, check the batch and expiry, and avoid anything with herbal extracts added. We sell no supplements, so we have nothing to gain from either answer.
Written by Brijesh Joshi
Founder of S R Gym, Surat, coaching since 1999. President of the Strength Bodybuilding Association South Gujarat and a registered IBBFF judge. See credentials.
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What the tests found
In 2024 a group led by a hepatologist at Rajagiri Hospital in Kerala bought 36 popular protein supplements sold in India and sent every one to a laboratory. They called it the Citizens Protein Project, and they published the results in a peer-reviewed journal, brand names included.
25 of the 36, about 70 percent, did not contain the amount of protein on their label. Most had less; a few had more than the label claimed, which the authors read as a possible sign of "amino-spiking", adding cheap nitrogen sources that inflate a protein test. Five contained aflatoxin, a toxin made by mould. Trace lead turned up in 27 and trace arsenic in five. Several products had herbal extracts added, such as green tea extract and garcinia, which the authors flag as known causes of liver injury. Indian-made products did worse than multinational ones: 16 of the 25 mislabelled products were from Indian manufacturers.
The second study, and the surprise in it
In 2025 the same team ran a crowd-funded follow-up on 34 whey powders, and split them into two groups: ordinary fitness whey, the kind sold to gym-goers, and protein powders from pharmaceutical companies, marketed for medical use and usually sold through chemists.
The fitness whey mostly passed. It averaged 75.6 g of protein per 100 g and closely matched its labels. The pharmacy powders averaged 29.1 g, 83 percent were mislabelled, many contained sugar that was not declared, and nine in ten showed signs of taurine being used to pad the protein reading. A medical-looking tin was, in this study, the worse buy.
That matters for anyone buying a protein powder for an elderly parent and assuming the chemist's version is the safe one.
The Delhi raid
Reported in April this year: the FSSAI's northern regional office and Delhi Police raided an illegal distribution hub in Najafgarh. They seized about 45 kg of expired gainers and whey, and banned performance drugs including 1,500 capsules of SARMs. That is the end of the market most people never see: product that has passed its date, or never had a legitimate source, resold through the same channels as everything else.
What these studies can and cannot tell you
I want to be fair to the industry here, because a warning that exaggerates gets ignored. Both studies tested one sample of each product, so a bad result may reflect one batch. Lead and arsenic were found at trace levels, and the studies do not show that anyone was harmed. The second study found that most fitness whey was fine. The honest summary is that quality in this market varies a great deal, and the label does not reliably tell you which product you have.
The other thing worth knowing is what an FSSAI number means. It shows the business holds a food licence. It is not a lab report for the tub in your hand.
Do you need protein powder at all
Mostly, no. Neither branch of S R Gym sells supplements, and nobody here will tell you that you need one. India's requirement for healthy adults is 0.83 g of protein per kg of body weight a day, and a vegetarian Gujarati diet can reach it with dal, curd, paneer, chana, soya and milk, though many people fall short without planning. Protein for Indian vegetarians sets out where the gaps usually are, and the protein calculator gives you your own number.
A powder is a convenience for people who cannot close that gap with food. It is not what builds muscle. The training does that.
If you are going to buy one
- Buy plain. Whey or a plain plant protein, with as few other ingredients as possible. Skip anything with herbal extracts, "fat burners" or proprietary blends added.
- Buy from the brand or an authorised seller. Not a discount listing on a marketplace, and not from a gym's back shelf.
- Check the batch number and the expiry date on the tub itself, and be wary of stock that is suspiciously cheap.
- Prefer brands that publish third-party test reports for specific batches, not just a general quality badge.
- Do not assume the chemist's version is better. In the 2025 study it was the opposite.
- If you have kidney or liver disease, ask your doctor before adding any protein supplement.
And if anybody at a gym offers you anything in an unlabelled bag, or anything you are told to inject, the full story of that market is in the steroids guide.
Questions people are asking
- Are protein powders in India safe?
- Independent testing has found a wide range. In a 2024 study of 36 popular products, about 70 percent did not match their labelled protein content and about 14 percent contained aflatoxin, a fungal toxin. In a 2025 study, regular whey sold for fitness mostly matched its labels, while powders sold through pharmacies did much worse. Quality depends heavily on the product, so the label alone is not enough to go on.
- Is FSSAI approval enough to trust a protein powder?
- An FSSAI licence number shows that the business is licensed to make or sell food. It is not a laboratory result for the tub you are holding, and the independent tests above found many products on sale in India that did not match their labels.
- Do I need protein powder to build muscle?
- No. It is a convenient way to add protein, not a requirement. India's requirement for healthy adults is 0.83 g per kg of body weight a day, and many people who train aim higher. A vegetarian Gujarati diet can get there with dal, curd, paneer, chana and soya, though many people fall short without planning.
- How can I tell if my protein powder is fake?
- You cannot reliably tell at home. Taste, mixing and the so-called water test do not measure protein content. The practical protections are buying from the brand's own site or an authorised seller rather than a discount marketplace listing, checking the batch number and expiry, and preferring brands that publish independent test reports for specific batches.
- Are protein powders sold at chemists better than gym whey?
- In the 2025 Citizens Protein Project study, the reverse. Protein powders from pharmaceutical companies averaged 29.1 g of protein per 100 g against 75.6 g for fitness whey, 83 percent were mislabelled, and many contained added sugar that was not declared. That was one study of 34 products, but it is a reason not to assume that a medical-looking tin is the better product.
The research this page rests on
The two studies name the brands they tested; this page does not, because the point is how to buy rather than whom to blame. The figures come from the published papers.
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Medicine (Baltimore), Philips CA and colleagues, 2024 · Laboratory analysis of 36 protein supplements
25 of 36 (69.4 percent) did not match their labelled protein content, 5 (13.9 percent) contained aflatoxins, 3 had trace pesticide residues, and trace lead was found in 27. Indian-made brands made up 16 of the 25 mislabelled products. Several contained herbal extracts the authors link to liver injury. One sample of each product was tested.
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Medicine (Baltimore), Philips CA and colleagues, 2025 · Crowd-funded laboratory analysis of 34 whey protein powders
Fitness (nutraceutical) whey averaged 75.6 g protein per 100 g and closely matched labels. Pharmacy-channel powders averaged 29.1 g, 83 percent were mislabelled beyond 5 percent, 44 percent contained at least 2 g of sugar per 100 g often unlabelled, and 89 percent showed taurine nitrogen-spiking against 12.5 percent of fitness whey. No product contained detectable pesticides or mercury.
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Expired whey seized in Delhi: how to check protein powder safety
Slurrp, 2026 · News report
Reports an FSSAI and Delhi Police raid on an illegal distribution hub in Najafgarh, seizing about 45 kg of expired gainers and whey, and banned performance drugs including 1,500 SARMs capsules.
Not sure you are eating enough protein?
Send three days of photographs of what you actually eat, and you will be told where the gap is, with food rather than a tub.