CERS finds heavy metals, pesticide residues in 12 brands of organic tea made in India

In a startling revelation, 12 brands of organic tea, tested by the Consumer Education and Research Society (CERS) in Ahmedabad, showed traces of heavy metals in them. The findings have been published by CERS in the March-April 2011 issue of its consumer magazine, Insight.

Of the 12 brands, seven were procured from Germany, though produced in India, and the rest were purchased in the local markets. Three conventional tea brands, which did not claim to be organic, were also tested for comparison.

All 15 tea brands contained traces of heavy metals, though within the specified limits. CERS tested the brands for the presence of heavy metals, like lead and copper, besides pesticide residues like lindane, aldrin, dieldrin, DDT, endosulfan, dicofol and ethion.
Among the tea brands claiming to be organic, the highest amount of lead was found in ‘Organic India Tulsi Green’ and the lowest in ‘Indien Gold - Broken’. Interestingly, the highest level of lead found in conventional tea (not claiming to be organic) was in ‘Wagh Bakri Strong CTC’ and the lowest in ‘Tata Tea Premium’ and ‘Brooke Bond Red Label’.

Among the organic tea brands, the highest amount of copper was found in ‘Assam Strong Leaves’ and the lowest in ‘Organic India Tulsi Ginger’. And though the three conventional tea brands — Tata Tea Premium, Brooke Bond Red Label and Wagh Bakri Strong CTC — contained pesticide residues like DDT, Dicofol and Ethion, these were within the specified limits.

Since there are no analytical standards for organic tea in India or elsewhere, CERS followed the standards applicable to conventional tea. The organic tea samples were tested against the values set by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) IS: 3633-1972 (specification for tea) and the Prevention of Food and Adulteration (PFA) Act and Rules, 1955. CERS has recommended that the BIS should make organic certification mandatory for organic tea and other organic food products. CERS is of the opinion that the BIS should monitor the quality of pesticide formulations used in tea plantations for the presence of chemical contaminants.

It also called on the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to revise and bring down the maximum limits for metal contaminants in tea, especially for lead, and make the standards stricter. It has asked the FSSAI to review the current levels of pesticides in tea and harmonise the PFA Standards for tea with the BIS Standards.

A Wagh Bakri tea spokesperson was quoted by CERC as stating that lead and copper could not be removed completely as they were present in the soil and water and were absorbed by the plant.

On the other hand, a Hindustan Unilever (HUL) spokesperson said the test results showed that the contaminant levels were much below the maximum residue limit (MRL) prescribed in the PFA. HUL clarified that it did not own any tea estate and purchased tea at the auction centres regulated by the Tea Board of India.

A Tata Tea spokesperson said, “The environmental contamination through air and soil was responsible for lead contamination in tea plants, on which we have no control.”