Tea and herbal tea can be a great alternative to coffee. However, a recent CBC Marketplace investigation uncovered that half of teas tested for pesticides had over the allowable limits. Brands like Lipton, Tetley, Red Rose, and Twinings (amongst others) showed positive for pesticides like acetamaprid, chlorpyrifos, dicofol, and countless more.
“This is very worrisome from a number of perspectives … The presence of so many pesticides on a single product and so many products that exceed the maximum residue limits for pesticides, sugests we’re seeing very poor agricultural practices in countries, which poses risk to the environment where these products are being grown; which pose risk to the farm workers who are growing these crops; and ultimately pose risk to the Canadians who are consuming these products.” – David Boyd, environmental lawyer.
The full list of the test’s results can be found below. So how does one avoid purchasing pesticide-ladden tea products? Seek organic products, and if possible organic products grown close to home. Although these products can be slightly more expensive, as with any organic local product, health and wellbeing are worth the cost.
Article here: Pesticide traces in some tea exceed allowable limits
Test results here: Full tea test results
(Image source: lisaknowstea.blogspot.ca/2010/11/taiwan-day-4-organic-tea-farming-hands.html)