Black Tea Of 14 brands, 1 failed the pesticides test

Black Tea Of 14 brand•, 1 failed the pe•ticide• te•t

Tea is said to be the most consumed aromatic beverage in the world. Drinking tea is a habit like no other. Many of us need it first thing in the morning and revere it for what it does to our levels of energy and alertness. Sure enough, there is a range of amazing health benefits associated with drinking tea. For every study that raises the red flag about potential risks of drinking too much tea or low-quality tea, there are ten or more studies that tout the good things. For example, there are the antioxidant properties of tea, its ability to lower one's risk for some types of cancer, and so on. Despite health scare, drinking moderate amounts of tea is generally safe for most people. Drinking large amounts of black tea, or more than four or five cups a day, may cause health problems. That's mostly because of caffeine-related side effects. So far as quality and safety aspects are concerned, adulteration is admittedly a serious issue. Also, are we drinking tea that has pesticides levels exceeding the standards prescribed by national regulations? What are the major quality parameters that one should look for in tea? These aspects are at the centre of the latest ConsumerVoice report, which compares the performances of 14 leading brands of black tea. Read on to find out which brand had pesticide residues beyond the acceptable safety limit.

We tested the 14 brands of black tea on quality and safety parameters at an NABLaccredited laboratory. The test programme was mainly based on Food Safety & Standards Regulations and relevant Indian Standard IS: 3633:2003, as well as other related standards applicable to this product.

The key parameters for which the 14 brands were tested included total flavonoids, theaflavins, crude fibre, pesticide residues (the tests covered seven pesticides), heavy metals (lead and copper), iron filings, water-soluble ash, total ash, water extract and added colouring matter.