What's in Your Cup of Tea?
All teas are natural, right? Shouldn’t they all be good for you?
Yes… most teas are promoted as healthy and natural, however non-organic tea leaves are grown using pesticides and herbicides. After harvesting, teas are often air dried without rinsing. This means any chemicals dried on the leaves end up straight in your cup, and are released into the hot water you use to steep your tea!
OK.. But are these chemicals bad?
Many of these chemicals are known to pose health risks to humans. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) defines what type and level of pesticide is considered safe for use in products. Not only does ongoing research continue to deem previously safe chemicals as harmful, however consumers would be shocked to know that some of their favorite tea brands contain levels of pesticides which *exceed* the levels outlined by such agencies.
The video below, made by the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC), reported on pesticides found in popular brands of tea sold in the US and Canada. This was done using an independent accredited lab, and the results were compared to an earlier study conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
If you still need a reason to switch to Organic tea – consider the effect it has on the environment. By using synthetic fertilizers, non-organic tea farming leads to leakage of these chemicals into ecosystems, which can affect local biodiversity, destroy habitats, or contaminate waterways.
Simply put, when you enjoy Organic tea, you can rest knowing your cup contains the purest of ingredients, all while decreasing your carbon footstep along the way.