THE CITIZEN’S PROTEIN PROJECT – ONE
What the Citizen’s Protein Project Was
An independent team led by Mission for Ethics and Science in Healthcare, represented by hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips (“The Liver Doc”) and entrepreneur Paras Chopra bought 36 top-selling protein powders across India and sent them to an accredited lab. The goal: expose any hidden contaminants or false label claims and publish every raw lab sheet online for anyone to audit. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
What the Lab Tests Found
- 70 % of brands overstated protein content or possibly used “protein-spiking” tricks.
- 14 % contained fungal toxins, pesticide residues or heavy metals such as lead and arsenic.
- Several popular products also carried solvent traces that can harm the liver.
Public-Health Ripple Effect
The results sparked an immediate consumer backlash and forced the Food Safety & Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to promise stricter spot-checks on supplements. Gyms, dieticians and doctors began warning clients to verify brands before buying. (nutraingredients-asia.com, wellfinity.in)
Media & Social-Media Buzz
- Mainstream press: The Print ran a front-page health story; NutraIngredients-Asia and other trade outlets dissected the data. (theprint.in, nutraingredients-asia.com)
- Television & YouTube: Journalist Faye D’Souza hosted a prime-time discussion that trended on YouTube. (youtube.com)
- Social media: X (Twitter) threads by @theliverdr crossed 8 million views; Reddit fitness forums built “safe-brand” spreadsheets crowdsourced from the report. (x.com, reddit.com)
- Industry pushback: Big supplement labels such as MuscleBlaze released rebuttal blogs accusing the study of “fear-mongering,” keeping the debate alive for weeks. (blog.muscleblaze.com)
What It Cost
The entire exercise was self-funded at roughly ₹8 lakh (≈ US $9,500)—covering sample purchase, courier cold-chain, ISO-certified lab fees and open-access journal charges. No corporate or government money was accepted, ensuring complete independence. (medboundtimes.com, muckrack.com)
Why Citizen-Led Nutrition Audits Matter
- Transparency: Raw data published online lets anyone rerun the numbers.
- Accountability: Independent findings often prod sluggish regulators into action faster than internal audits.
- Public trust: People are more likely to believe a user-funded study than industry marketing claims. (wellfinity.in)
Why India Needs More Projects Like ThisIndia’s supplement market is exploding, but routine pre-market safety testing is still weak. Citizen science fills that gap—flagging bad actors, nudging brands toward cleaner formulas, and ultimately cutting long-term healthcare costs linked to contaminated products. Scaling up similar open audits—for herbal tonics, fortified foods and baby formulas—could save lives and money. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
