Green tea, widely esteemed for containing a myriad of body-boosting compounds, is now being scrutinized for containing potentially hazardous pesticides. Manufacturers the world over must now prepare for a fallout as more sensitive testing available to countries everywhere – including the U.S. – will make it nearly impossible for green tea products with residues of banned substances to be sold to unwitting consumers. The result: Only the best companies practicing safe growing and responsible processing will thrive under the pressure.
What’s the good stuff in green tea?
Green tea continues to accrue popularity through its reputation for promoting wellness, and for good reason. Green tea consumption has been linked to numerous health and physiological benefits. The standardized green tea polyphenols and natural catechins, including the well-researched EGCg, have been shown to have antioxidant, anti-microbial, deodorant and thermogenic activities. There is even a natural fluoride found in green tea.
Cutting corners, cutting profits?
The United States prides itself on producing some of the most thoroughly regulated produce in the world. When it comes to imports, however, this attention to safety and quality is even more important. For products produced outside of the U.S., including tea, the FDA has established a strict set of regulations related to solvents and pesticides. For Green Tea, the FDA has a list of approved pesticides six items long, whereas other countries allow for considerably more, including 140 compounds in the European Union, and 292 compounds in Japan. Often, manufacturers will take advantage of lower safety standards in other countries to more cheaply produce their products. However, even American companies can be at fault when it comes to skirting regulations.
With sensitive testing methods becoming more available, and regulators becoming more attentive with each passing year, many products on the market today will very soon be condemned as substandard. Recently a major consumer advocacy group randomly tested tea samples in China from a renowned International tea and beverage company, and found the samples to contain several prohibited pesticides, leading to a full recall.
Good from the ground up
Unfortunately, Taiyo has found that even much of the certified organic tea leaves do not meet the stringent pesticide regulations of the U.S.
The task fell to Taiyo to maintain the purity of both the source and the processing methods of its products. So, Taiyo manages its production from the ground up, starting with the soil, water and air that goes into its tea. It also protects the integrity of its products by using only water and FDA-, Canadian- and EU-approved extraction techniques to prepare tea extracts. Every aspect of the tea’s preparation is painstakingly traced and evaluated to ensure the safety to Taiyo’s consumers.
Sunphenon and Matcha Powder: Traceable / Pesticide Compliant / Solvent Compliant
Green tea’s popularity still feeds demand for new, innovative tea products. In keeping with Taiyo’s clean-growing philosophy, Sunphenon and Matcha Powder are produced from fully traceable and pesticide-controlled green tea leaves to assure compliance with stringent U.S. FDA residual pesticide regulations for tea, as outlined in 40CFR180. This fully compliant material is extracted via a water infusion process and decaffeinated using only approved food grade solvents. No pesticides, chloroform or other illegal solvents are used in the processing of any Matcha Powder or Sunphenon extracts.