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Levels Grass-Fed Whey Protein (Unflavored)

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Levels Grass-Fed Whey Protein (Unflavored)

A two-ingredient whey concentrate whose UPC is on a Clean Label Project Purity Award certificate, which covers heavy metals. CLP shows a pass, not figures, and Levels pays for the program. Not on NSF’s or Informed’s lists.

Best for People who want a short ingredient list and a contaminant certificate from an outside group, and who do not need banned-substance testing.

Our rating
Fair (3.3 of 5)
Price range
Mid-range
Verified marks
Clean Label Project Purity Award (certificate SPP0042-2025A-07)
Size
2 lb unflavored (28 servings); also 5 lb ($129.99, 71 servings) and 10 lb

approx. $58 for 2 lb (28 servings)

See it on Levels’s site → (opens in a new tab)

We are not affiliated with Levels. This link goes to the maker’s own page, with no tracking code. How we're funded.

Also sold at Vitacost ($58), iHerb ($58), Walmart ($58) .

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    Reviews are personal experiences, not research, and they never change our quality ratings. Every review is read by our team before it appears.

    How we evaluated it

    How it scores Our rating, metric by metric Fair, 3.3 of 5
    1. Ingredients 35% of the rating 4 of 5

      Two ingredients, whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin; no sweetener, flavor or gum in the unflavored.

    2. Independent testing 35% of the rating 3 of 5

      A paid Clean Label Project Purity Award that covers metals, with no figures published; ConsumerLab tested the vanilla in April 2026 but its result is members-only.

    3. Sourcing 10% of the rating 2 of 5

      “Grass-fed and hormone-free” with no country, farm or certifier.

    4. Trust 10% of the rating 3 of 5

      No Prop 65 notice, recall or warning letter found, but it names no farm, shows no test figures and runs affiliate and influencer programs.

    5. Value 10% of the rating 3 of 5

      $2.07 for 25 g of protein at 2 lb ($1.83 at 5 lb), in the middle of the powders we reviewed.

    The rating, 3.3 of 5, is the weighted average of these scores. See how we rank protein powders & shakes and our standard.

    Where to buy Stores and the prices we saw 3 stores
    • Vitacost (opens in a new tab) approx. $58. The unflavored 2 lb (907 g) tub, UPC 857965007014, the same UPC as on Clean Label Project’s certificate; the 5 lb is $129.99. Vitacost says it sources from brands or authorized distributors, with no third-party resellers. Seen 2026-10-23.
    • iHerb (opens in a new tab) approx. $58. The unflavored 2 lb (907 g) tub (28 servings, UPC 857965007014), in stock on 2026-10-23; the 5 lb is $129.99.
    • Walmart (opens in a new tab) approx. $58. The unflavored 2 lb tub (UPC 857965007014), sold and shipped by Levels, the brand’s own Walmart store. Seen 2026-10-23.

    Prices as we saw them on October 23, 2026. They change often. These links carry no tracking code and earn us nothing.

    What’s in it Every ingredient, in label order 2 ingredients
    1. Whey protein concentrate
    2. Sunflower lecithin
    Who tested it What each test found, and who paid for it 2 tests
    • Paid certification Clean Label Project certificate SPP0042-2025A-07 (Levels pays) August 2026

      Lists the unflavored 2 lb and 5 lb packs by UPC with the Purity Award and CLP Certified marks. CLP says the award covers heavy metals, pesticides, glyphosate, phthalates and bisphenols and goes to the top third of a category. The certificate shows a pass, not figures. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    • Independent ConsumerLab (subscription-funded) April 2026

      Tested Levels Grass Fed Whey Protein, Vanilla Bean (not the unflavored), among 21 protein powders. Its free summary says no product exceeded general heavy-metal limits and six slightly exceeded Prop 65 warning levels, but not which. Per-product results are members only, so we could not see this one. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)

    Who paid, and why it matters
    • Independent The tester took no money from the maker for it: a consumer group, a journalist, a university or a regulator.
    • Paid certification An outside lab or certifier tested or listed it, and the maker paid for that.
    • Maker’s own test A lab report or certificate of analysis the maker commissioned and published.

    A certification is a floor, not a verdict: it checks what its program checks and nothing else. We weigh tests by someone with no stake in the result most.

    What people ask Worries raised online and elsewhere, and what we found 5 questions
    Does the Purity Award mean it is low in lead?
    It means the product passed Clean Label Project’s screen and ranked in the top third of its category, but CLP shows no figures (opens in a new tab) for Levels. Levels was not among the 165 products in CLP’s 2025 protein study (opens in a new tab), so we have no per-serving number.
    Can a certifier that brands pay be trusted?
    CLP is a nonprofit, and says a lab buys the packs off the shelf. Brands still choose to submit and pay, and the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, has criticized (opens in a new tab) how CLP’s 2025 study picked products and set limits.
    Is it really grass-fed and hormone-free?
    Levels says so on its product page (opens in a new tab) and names no farm, country or certifier. We could not check it.
    Do influencers get paid to push it?
    Its site lists affiliate, influencer and ambassador programs, so some online praise may be paid. We found no named partner and no ownership tie.
    Has anyone independent tested it?
    ConsumerLab tested the Vanilla Bean version in April 2026 and its results are for members only. We found no free independent figure for lead in the unflavored powder.
    Why we chose it What put it on our list 5 points
    • Clean Label Project’s certificate (no. SPP0042-2025A-07, effective Jan. 13, 2025, issued Aug. 21, 2026) lists Whey – Unflavored – 2lb (UPC 857965007014) and 5lb (UPC 857965007038) with the Purity Award. CLP says the award screens for heavy metals, pesticides, glyphosate, phthalates and bisphenols, and goes only to products in the top third of their category.
    • The unflavored label is two ingredients, whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin, with 25 g of protein a serving (Levels’ figure).
    • CLP says its lab buys certified products off the shelf, as a shopper would, rather than testing samples the brand sends.
    • The flavored powders use stevia leaf and monk fruit extracts, and Levels says its powders have no sucralose, fillers or artificial flavors. The unflavored has no sweetener.
    • At Levels’ own store the 2 lb is $57.99, about $2.07 a serving. The 5 lb is $129.99 for 71 servings, about $1.83 a serving.
    Trade-offs What to weigh before you buy 5 points
    • CLP certifies the product but does not publish per-serving lead, cadmium or arsenic figures for Levels, and we found none from Levels. The pass is on trust, or you can ask Levels for results.
    • Brands choose to submit products to CLP, pay for certification and sign an agreement. The Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, has criticized how CLP’s 2025 protein study set its limits and picked products.
    • No NSF or Informed listing, so we found no banned-substance testing. That matters to tested athletes more than to most people.
    • “Grass-fed and hormone-free” is Levels’ wording. No certifier, farm or country is named.
    • A concentrate has more lactose than an isolate. See our whey guide if lactose bothers you.
    What to know Details worth knowing first

    Levels sells a short-label whey. The unflavored version is whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin, nothing else. Our whey protein guide explains what whey can and cannot do, and how much protein you need is worth reading before you buy a tub.

    What earns it a place here is the Clean Label Project certificate. CLP says its lab buys the packs off the shelf and checks them for heavy metals and other contaminants, and the certificate names this pack by UPC. That is an outside check, which matters because lead turns up in many foods and supplements and no rule forces a maker to test.

    The limits are plain. Levels pays for the certification, and CLP shows the pass, not the figures, so we cannot give you a lead number per serving. CLP has its critics, including an industry group that questioned how its 2025 study chose products and limits. And Levels is not on NSF’s or Informed’s lists, so we found no banned-substance testing. For how the seals compare, see how to tell if a supplement is pure.

    What we checked Each claim, and how sure we are of it 6 checks
    Third-party tested
    Yes
    Tested by
    Clean Label Project (Purity Award, paid by Levels)
    How Levels Grass-Fed Whey Protein (Unflavored) measures up against our protein powders & shakes criteria
    What we checked What we found
    Third-party tested Verified CLP’s certificate lists this product by UPC with the Purity Award. CLP says its lab buys certified products off the shelf and tests them each year. Levels does not appear in NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Choice or Informed Sport lists (checked 2026-10-22).
    Heavy metals checked Verified The Purity Award screens for heavy metals. The certificate shows a pass, not the results. Levels was not in CLP’s 2025 category study of 165 products, so we have no per-serving numbers.
    A plain label Maker’s claim Unflavored: whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin, 25 g protein per serving. No added amino acids listed.
    Disclosed extras Maker’s claim Unflavored has only sunflower lecithin. Vanilla Bean adds vanilla extract, sea salt, stevia leaf extract and monk fruit extract. Contains milk.
    A clear source Maker’s claim Levels says the dairy is grass-fed and hormone-free. We saw no certifier, named farm or country.
    Prop 65 notices and FDA letters Verified No notice in the California Attorney General’s 60-day notice database names Levels, and no FDA warning letter or recall is for it (searched 2026-10-23).
    What the labels mean
    • Verified We opened an independent record that confirms it: a certifier’s listing, a regulator’s list or a lab report. It is linked under Sources.
    • Maker’s claim The maker says so on its own page or label. We read it but found no independent record.
    • Not verified We looked and could not confirm it, or the maker does not say. Treat it as unknown.
    Sources Where our facts come from 9 sources
    1. Levels Grass-Fed Whey Protein product page. Maker’s page. Prices and sizes seen 2026-10-23. The ingredient list by flavor is in the page data: unflavored is whey protein concentrate and sunflower lecithin. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    2. Clean Label Project certificate for Levels Nutrition (issued Aug. 21, 2026). Certifier or regulator listing. Lists each certified pack by UPC, with list dates. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    3. Clean Label Project: Levels Protein brand page. Certifier or regulator listing. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    4. Clean Label Project: types of certification. Independent source. What the Purity Award screens for, and that it goes to the top third of a studied category. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    5. Clean Label Project FAQ. Independent source. Brands choose to submit products; the lab buys them off the shelf. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    6. Clean Label Project: protein powder category tested products. Test report. Lists the 165 products in the 2025 study. Levels is not among them. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    7. HealthDay: report on Clean Label Project’s 2025 protein study. Independent source. Includes the Council for Responsible Nutrition’s criticism. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    8. ConsumerLab: protein powders and shakes review, news release (April 30, 2026). Test report. Names Levels Grass Fed Whey Protein, Vanilla Bean, among 21 products tested. Per-product results are members only. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
    9. NSF Certified for Sport search for “levels” (no results). Certifier or regulator listing. Zero results on 2026-10-22. Open ↗ (opens in a new tab)
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