Yesterday, my mother face-timed me with serious worry lines in her lovely face. The cause of my dear mother's anxiety was recent findings by the KCA(Korean Consumer Agency) on unacceptable levels of pesticides in some Chinese teas labeled as organic. So as a public service announcement triggered by my mother, I alert you the reader about the below brand of organic puerh which was found to have Bifenthrin (0.02 mg/kg) and Cypermethrin (0.49mg/kg). I didn't recognize the wrapper as one of my own or any I've ever seen for sale. I think Youji means organic and the front says something like 100 Years Era. The news reports that other expensive organic labeled teas including jasmine tea were shown to contain goodly amounts of pesticide.
So upon being presented with this unpleasant news, what's a tea lover to do. I really don't want to accumulate potentially carcinogenic neurtoxins in my fatty cells although environmental impact from the usage of such insecticides is the greater evil. What are we to learn from this alarming news? The organic label does not always mean much. I guess rinsing your tea is critical. Which middleman or middlewoman can bridge this gap sourcing directly from reputable farmers? I was always dubious about a scene where David Lee Hoffman rejects teas in "All in this Tea" by just a single whiff claiming that the farmer used pesticides. I think most teas on our markets may not have such strong indicators as such tea would be weeded out by the consumers.
I am liable to forget all this and drink tea as I have always done. After the Dai Fukushima nuclear blowout, I had vowed to avoid all new tea from 2011. But after even a short while I drank random sencha at sushi restaurants without a second thought.
So upon being presented with this unpleasant news, what's a tea lover to do. I really don't want to accumulate potentially carcinogenic neurtoxins in my fatty cells although environmental impact from the usage of such insecticides is the greater evil. What are we to learn from this alarming news? The organic label does not always mean much. I guess rinsing your tea is critical. Which middleman or middlewoman can bridge this gap sourcing directly from reputable farmers? I was always dubious about a scene where David Lee Hoffman rejects teas in "All in this Tea" by just a single whiff claiming that the farmer used pesticides. I think most teas on our markets may not have such strong indicators as such tea would be weeded out by the consumers.
I am liable to forget all this and drink tea as I have always done. After the Dai Fukushima nuclear blowout, I had vowed to avoid all new tea from 2011. But after even a short while I drank random sencha at sushi restaurants without a second thought.
Darn.. not the news you want to hear when you love tea... I try to buy organic teas whenever I can, same goes for fruits and veggies. I mean, even if there are still some pesticides in organics, there is definitely a lot less than in conventional produce. I assume same goes for tea. In the end.. I'm hoping that I'm cutting my pesticide ingestion to safe levels.. that's all I can do really. I would love to grow everything myself but that is impossible...
ReplyDeleteDear Kamyria,
ReplyDeleteThis KCA study doesn't definitively prove we are drinking pesticide laden teas but only that it's entirely possible that we are. Ever since the melamine/milk scare, Koreans have been on the defensive.
Not only is pesticide use prevalent in Chinese agriculture, their air and water quality is polluted in so many parts of China - it probably does pose an unavoidable hazard in their produce.
I'm not going to top drinking Chinese teas but harsh facts like these are a grain of sand rubbing my brain cells.
H
Is it only Japanese teas from 2011 that have radiation concerns? Or is there also concern that 2011 teas from China also got contaminated by radiation?
ReplyDeleteJohn,
DeleteTrace levels of cesium 137 and iodine-131 were reported all around the world soon after the Fukushima fallout so some minute exposure to this radiation unavoidable although most of it fell into the ocean. Iodine-131 has a half life of 8 days so it's less of a worry than cesium-137 which has a half life of 300 years. But probably you are better to avoid bluefin tuna than to avoid 2011 tea.
H
Thanks that is good to know, when it comes to fish I do not eat much and when I do it is mainly European sardines and wild caught salmon a few times a year. The bulk of my shu is from 2006 and 2009 when I bought in bulk and save for a few cheap good earthly shu bricks that I already have I now have zero plans on picking up any more 2011 tea. Very glad to know that I was mostly avoiding it without even knowing that I had a reason of doing so.
Delete