California’s Proposition 65 (passed by voters in 1986) requires businesses to notify consumers when a product may expose them to any of over 900 chemicals on the state’s regulated list. The thresholds that trigger a warning are set extremely low — often hundreds or even thousands of times below levels shown to cause harm and are well below the standards set by the FDA and other federal guidelines.
For our products, the warning is typically related to trace amounts of lead or cadmium— heavy metals that are present in soils around the world that plants can absorb during growth. Because our products use real, minimally processed ingredients that come as close to whole food as possible, these trace minerals can sometimes be present. This is not a result of our manufacturing process, and it has no bearing on our USDA Organic certification.
Our ingredients and the suppliers we work with go through a thorough vetting process. We review their specifications, assess their facilities, and work with accredited third-party laboratories to test for heavy metals before anything is approved for use.
Common questions
| Question | Answer |
| Does this mean the product is unsafe? | A Prop 65 label is not a finding that a product is unsafe. It means California’s very conservative labeling threshold has been met—a level set well below what federal guidelines identify as a health concern. Prop 65 thresholds are often hundreds or even thousands of times lower than the levels shown to cause harm in scientific studies. |
| What chemical triggered the warning? | In our products, it’s trace amounts of lead or cadmium— metals found in soils worldwide that plants absorb as they grow. Because our products use real, minimally processed ingredients, elements found in the soil the ingredients grow in can sometimes be present. They are not introduced during manufacturing. |
| Do you test for heavy metals? | Yes. Our ingredients and suppliers go through a thorough vetting process—we review specifications, assess facilities, and work with accredited third-party laboratories to regularly test for heavy metals including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury before anything is approved for use. |
| Does it affect your organic certification? | Not at all. Our USDA Organic certification is completely independent of Prop 65. Organic farming practices cannot eliminate natural contaminants, and a Prop 65 label has no impact on our sourcing standards or organic status. |
| Why don’t all brands have this label? | Prop 65 applies specifically to companies selling products in California. Additionally, businesses with fewer than 10 employees are exempt. At Laird Superfood, we believe in the spirit of Prop 65—a consumer’s right to know—and we label proactively to stay transparent with all of our customers. |
| I’m not in California—why am I seeing this? | Prop 65 is a California law, but since 2018 it applies to all online sales shipped to CA customers. Rather than maintain separate packaging, many brands—including us—apply the label across all potential products for consistency. |
| Should I be concerned about consuming this product? | We encourage any customer with personal health considerations to consult their healthcare provider as we cannot supply medical advice. |
Still have questions? We’d love to help. Reach out to our Customer Experience team at support@lairdsuperfood.com and we can chat more.
You can also view frequently asked questions directly on their site OAG.CA.GOV
Your Privacy Choices