Tea is something I drink every single day. It’s sacred at my house – I even have a whole drawer devoted to it! I drink it because it is amazing for your health. There are so many varieties of tea that can improve digestion, metabolism and even prevent certain diseases. This investigation into tea ingredients has been in the making for a long time. What I’m about to share with you totally rocked my world forever and I’ll never look at tea in the same way again. Do you really want to know what’s in your tea?…Then read on.
The ancient Chinese tradition of drinking tea dates back thousand of years to the early Chinese dynasties and aristocrats who drank the beverage for its medicinal properties. In ancient times, leaves from the Camellia Sinensis (the tea plant) were either ground into a powder or placed as loose leaves directly into water to infuse it with herbal essence. Unfortunately, modern day tea is nothing like the unadulterated version of old tea. Many of today’s tea brands are operating under the guise of providing health benefits and promoting clean living, but are actually laden with pesticides, toxins, artificial ingredients, added flavors and GMOs.
Conventional Teas – An Abundance of Pesticides
Did you know that most tea is not washed before it is put it into bags? That means if the tea was sprayed with cancer-causing pesticides, those pesticides go directly into your cup. And this is the reason why tea is on my organic shopping priority list. To prove this point, here are some shocking facts about one of the most well-known tea brands – Celestial Seasonings.
A recent third-party analysis by Glaucus Research and discussed here found that 91 percent of Celestial Seasonings tea tested had pesticide residues exceeding the U.S. limits. For example, Sleepytime Kids Goodnight Grape Herbal contained 0.26 ppm of propachlor, which is a known carcinogen under California’s Propsition 65.
The “Wellness” tea line was found to contain traces of propargite, also a known carcinogen and developmental toxin. The FDA has already issued two warning letters to Celestial Seasonings in regard to poor quality control according to this source. Imagine what happens when pesticide-laden tea is steeped in boiling water.
If grocery store brands don’t provide a clean option for you, perhaps a high-end loose leaf tea would circumvent some of the issues of grocery store brands. Right? Wrong! Take Teavana, which is found in malls across North America for example. Teavana taps into tea culture with the “Teavana Experience.” Convincing their employees to take customers on a sensory journey – they open a huge canister of loose leaf tea and wave the top of the canister so you can smell the tea – touting all of the wonderful health benefits of tea complete with samples and manipulative demonstrations that end in an expensive visit to the tea shop. Is all the extra money worth it? Are customers getting a superior tea product? No.
Teavana tea was tested by an independent lab and 100 percent of it was found to contain pesticides. One tea in particular, Monkey Picked Oolong, contained 23 pesticides. 77 percent of the teas would fail European Union pesticide import standards, and would be banned from import. 62 percent of the teas tested contained traces of endosulfan, a pesticide that has been banned by the U.S., China, the E.U., and 144 other countries because it has been linked to impaired fertility and could harm unborn babies.
UPDATE (May 27, 2014): Glaucus Research funded the research done by Eurofins Scientific (an independent lab) and admits on their disclaimer that they are biased because they would make money if Hain’s stock declines. However – I am not sure that Eurofins’ research should be completely discounted on this point alone. Since I wrote this post, Celestial has been sued in a class-action lawsuit based on the pesticides that Eurofins found in their teas and for mislabeling of them as “100% Natural”. The jury is still out on whether Eurofins’ research will be considered legit, as this case is still active in California. The Plaintiffs contend that Celestial’s teas contain “pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, carcinogens, and/or developmental toxins (collectively, “Contaminants”)” and Celestial “did not dispute – and has never disputed – that the tea Products contained Contaminants. Nor has (Celestial) challenged the results of the Eurofins Tests” and “has not claimed that Eurofins was biased or that the Eurofins Tests were not, in fact, accurate”. Even if it is determined that Eurofins’ research was not accurate – it’s important to note that Celestial’s tea that was tested is NOT organic and some of this tea is sourced from China. Greenpeace issued a report on the alarming amount of pesticides found on tea from China, followed up by a detailed report on Lipton brand tea from China – in which they recommend only purchasing certified organic tea to avoid these pesticides. Reference law documents: Complaint; Plaintiff’s Memo in Opposition to Motion to Dismiss. Case 8:13-cv-01757-AG-AN
Teas Can Contain Artificial Flavoring, Natural Flavors, and Hidden GMOs
Furthermore, a majority of Teavana teas contain added flavor – specifically “artificial flavoring.” If their tea is so high end, why would they be adding ingredients produced by fractional distillation and chemical manipulation of various chemicals like crude oil or coal tar? Coal tar in my tea? No, thanks.
Many popular tea brands get away with using the ingredient “natural flavors” to trick the consumer into thinking they are buying better, cleaner ingredients; however companies are just covering up the inferior taste and low quality of their tea. Fortunately, there are brands that are putting the kibash on the use of natural flavors and using all real ingredients. I was happy to learn that Ahmed Rahim, CEO of Numi Tea is just as disgusted by this ingredient as I am. He said to me “You can breakdown anything that is found in nature and if it ends up tasting like the flavor you wish to use – you can add it to any product and call it NATURAL FLAVOR on the ingredient label. It could come from a stone in the ground and you’d never know.” This is why when I see the words “natural flavor” listed on a label – I put the product down and run far far away. I want to know what I am eating! Don’t you?
Additionally, the added risk of consuming possible GMOs is not something many people think about when consuming teas. Before this investigation and witnessing tea companies using modified corn starch and soy lecithin in tea (additives likely made from genetically engineered corn and soy), I didn’t think about it either! I can’t imagine having a serious soy allergy, considering all the places companies try to hide it.
Why The Tea Bag & Packaging Matters
A recent article in The Atlantic discusses the “silky sachet” and “luxurious mesh bags” that hold loose leaf teas (like in brands Tea Forte and Mighty Leaf). Turns out, these modern day bags meant to showcase the tea leaves, are made of plastic.
PLA (polylactic acid) is a (likely GMO) corn-based tea bag material that has attracted major tea companies due to its nice look and its claims of biodegradability. Terms like “silky sachets” and “corn-based biodegradable tea bags” mislead customers into believing a product is more natural and sustainable than it really is. While the processing for PLA removes all traces of genetic material, it is still made with genetically modified corn. Although the actual tea bag is not an ingredient like teas and herbs, it is an element that is put into boiling water.
According to The Atlantic, tea bags are most commonly made from food grade nylon or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) which are two of what’s considered the safest plastics on the scale of harmful leaching potential. However, Dr. Mercola disagrees, he states:
“While these plastics are generally considered among the safest in terms of leaching potential, the molecules in these plastic tea bags may still in fact break down and leach out when steeped in boiling water…” Well, isn’t that how tea is prepared?
Another temperature consumers need to worry about in tea is the “glass transition” temperature. Here’s the science behind the glass transition temperature or, Tg, and why it becomes dangerous according to The Atlantic:
“That is the temperature at which the molecule in certain materials such as polymers begin to break down. As a rule, the Tg of a material is always lower than the melting point. In the case of PET and food grade nylon (either nylon 6 or nylon 6-6), all have a Tg lower than the temperature of boiling water. For example, while the melting point of PET is 482 degrees Fahrenheit, the Tg is about 169 degrees. Both nylons have a lower glass transition temperature than PET. (Remember that water boils at 212 degrees.) This means the molecules that make up these plastic tea bags begin to break down in hot water.”
So, while the plastic itself won’t melt in your tea, the glass transition temperature could potentially leak out harmful phthalates if there are such things in your tea. Another thing to worry about is that some of the newer tea bags are made with a variety of plastics. Some plastics are nylon, some are made of viscose rayon, and others are made of thermoplastic, PVC or polypropylene.
Beware of paper tea bags too, which can be worse than plastic tea bags.
GET THIS: Also according to Dr. Mercola, many “paper tea bags are treated with epichlorohydrin, a compound mainly used in the production of epoxy resins. Considered a potential carcinogen by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health2 (NIOSH), epichlorohydrin is also used as a pesticide. When epichlorohydrin comes in contact with water, it hydrolyzes to 3-MCPD, which has been shown to cause cancer in animals. It has also been implicated in infertility (it has a spermatoxic effect in male rats) and suppressed immune function.”
So what do you do the next time you want a cup of tea? Antioxidant rich teas aren’t going to do much to counterbalance the chemicals, additives and artificial flavorings in today’s modern teas.
First, I recommend looking at this chart below to see how your favorite tea brand stacks up:
And then when brewing and picking out the safest tea remember these tips:
1. Choose an organic & non-GMO certified brand of tea. (My favorites are Numi, Traditional Medicinals, and Rishi Tea (loose leaf)).
2. Check the ingredient list on the back of the tea package to make sure there are no added flavors, GMO ingredients like soy lecithin and corn starch added to the tea leaves.
3. Make sure the brand you buy uses a safe form of packaging material or buy loose leaf tea and use a stainless steel or glass tea strainer. Have the company verify that bags do not contain epichlorophydrin, and avoid plastic tea bags all together. (Numi and Traditional Medicinals are some of the only brands I trust in this category because they have publicly stated they do not use this harmful ingredient or GMO packaging and are Non-GMO Project verified.)
4. The majority of restaurants use some of the most pesticide ridden tea and brands that have harmful packaging like Celestial Seasonings, Lipton, etc. Don’t fall victim to this. Bring your own tea when eating out or going to restaurants and ask for pot or cup of boiling water (remember to leave a good tip if you do this). I even do this at Starbucks because I like to vote with my dollars and not buy tea brands that are harmful. If you drink iced tea, brew your own at home and carry an insulated water bottle with you.
5. Remember these temps and times for brewing the perfect cup of tea
If you know someone who loves to drink tea, please share this post with them. I was just as shocked as you probably are about all of this craziness – knowing what’s in our tea and what we put in our body matters! Let’s change the world together.
Xo,
Vani
Great—- we drink tea because it’s the healthy alternative to sodas. Now, it turns out my so called “healthy” choice of beverage is more dangerous than sodas.
All these carcinogenic chemicals aren’t necessary ,except to make big bucks . It’s shameful and so sad.
I drank a lot of trade winds. I started getting really bad hives, itchy ans big red welts. I couldn’t figure out y. maybe its the tea.
Anything grown organically WILL contain whatever is in the enviroment…period. Farmer A uses everything, 10 miles down the road farmer B has been growing the old fashion way (dirt plus water) for as long as he can remember, but can’t be certified organic-his dirt is polluted too.
I drink Red Rose. I didn’t see it on the list.
I think RedRose would probably be considered about the same safety level as Lipton.
Hi. I use Organic Tulsi tea from Dr. Mercola. I was wondering if you have an info on this brand.
Do you have any info on rooibos tea, which is what we drink exclusively? As a Mormon, we are encouraged to drink and eat substances which will do our bodies the least amount of harm, which is difficult to do in these times where all commercial crops seem to be chemically treated at some time in their lives. Hence the rooibos tea which here in South Africa is mainly hand-processed, and grows naturally in the Cape.
Not being critical of anything you said here, but one day at work I offered someone a cup of coffee and she declined stating it was because she is Mormon and does not drink that due to the rules of her faith. Then she went out at lunch time and came back with a huge soft drink, coke, soda, whatever you want to call it. How does this make any sense? Just wondering.
Thanks for your reply, Linda. We are asked to keep our caffeine levels as low as possible, hence the recommendation to avoid coffee and drinks that contain high levels of caffeine, such as energy drinks. But it is only a recommendation, in order to avoiding polluting our bodies as much as possible. Just as we try to avoid taking drugs, and otherwise lead as healthy a life as possible. Members of our church still have free choice in what they put into their bodies. After all, they will have to live with the consequences of their choices. But, to get back to the point of my original post, do you have any information on rooibos tea?
Hi Eunice
I also drink Rooibos (as well as coffee), which isn’t officially a “tea”, but is a caffeine-free herbal drink. It is thought to be quite healthy for you (and tastes great). It is also often sold as “red tea”. However, in order to address the great concerns that Linda has brought up you need to do research into the origins/brands/farms that are growing the Rooibos you buy. Just as coffee can be organic or full of chemicals, so can pretty much anything we eat or drink. Because Rooibos is grown in South Africa, I imagine you can find a verifiable, organic local source. I did a quick Google search for “Organic Farm a South Africa Rooibos” and came up with a number of organic sources. You could start there, and armed with what Linda has put in this article, choose a source that sells loose tea without added “natural flavorings”, etc..
looks to me like there is not going to be a healthy choice for any thing unless a person uses “these are the brands I like” and quite frankly I can not afford them. this going the “natural” and “healthly” way is starting to look like a different commercial to me. I am really starting to get diccouraged.
Unfortunately I have to agree. The healthy things certainly come at higher price. But, there is certainly ways to get around this. For instance, I buy organic peppermint in bulk to brew my own tea when I have run out of my own harvest. In the end, it ends up costing so little it is cheaper than even the store brands. This might not be practical for green, black, or roobios tea but certainly for herbal blends.
I was feeling the same way. Then I read a blig by The Nutrition Guru called “Why we need to calm the f*** down when it comes to nutrition” and made me feel a lot better. I’m no expert but I think it’s more about baby steps. Trade your large soda for tea and you’re headed in the right direction. It gets too overwhelming to focus on every little detail right away. At least for me 🙂
I just got some Organo Gold Green Tea w/Ganoderma Lucidum for xmas…..legit??
I’ve been drinking 5 cups of Bigelow a day for a couple months…so much for that.
I do not see a date on this article. In order to critically evaluate an article on the internet I need to know when it was written. It is possible that some of these companies have changed their practices since the article was written. For instance, I can not find any FDA action on Celestial Seasonings tea in 2013. Please incluse this information.
I, too, would appreciate documentation of facts.
The article itself doesn’t show the date, which I agree is bad practice. However the URL is formatted with a date: 21/08/2013. As the first comment is from the first date as well, it’s a reasonable assumption this is the publication date.
The action was in 2010, and the FDA closed out the warnings in 2011, after Celestial changed their manufacturing practices. You can see the close-out letter from the FDA here: fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2010/ucm283704.htm
Hi Food Babe,
Do you know where I can find truly organic barley tea?
Thanks for this research that you have shared with us. Im astounded by this and I have been drinking twinings as it was my favorite! Not anymore!
Ive been on this journey of finding non-gmo, organic, chemical free products, not only with food, but products that I apply on my skin and my familys skin! Its crazy how much I didn’t know! Now Im more aware of the fact that you have to LOOK at the ingredients on the packaging. Yes its true that companies can hide products in long winded names too!
Its interesting that you noted about “natural flavours” as this is something that I picked up on as well. The word ‘Natural, Naturally Derived ect’ are marketing buzz words to get consumers to buy a company’s products and think its safe!!
Thanks again
Was any research done on Rose tea???
What about Stash tea?
Stash is fine – organic, safe bags.
good to hear
Food Babe,
This article is well researched and well written. Great information and very eye opening. I, also, never thought about the health hazards of the tea bags, themselves. It is so sad to know that nothing we consume will ever be pure again. It is no wonder people like me are sick. Our environment is loaded with harmful, unnatural, and chemically altered products and we trust large companies to treat our bodies, when all they do is harm. What a shame. Thank you for sharing and most of all, thank you for the in-depth, supporting facts!
Cheers!
-The Juicy Joint for Arthritis
I drink mainly Good Earth and STASH tea. Any insights into either of those brands?
They’re fine
Good Earth uses artificial flavor. Sweet and Spicy used to be my favorite tea, but I stopped drinking it when I noticed they started adding artificial flavor.
You did not mention the Alvita Brand, do you have any info on it?
Good question. I drink several cups of Alvita Dandelion Root tea daily.
As great as some of this information is, you cannot say that tea contains GMOs unless you actually have proof of it (which, based on your “likely GMO,” you don’t). While I am not saying tea does or does not contain GMOs, I think it is important to actually figure out whether or not they do before you begin making these claims. Due to the controversy, GMOs are actually not as big of a presence in American foods and drinks as everyone would like to think.
Def. NOT TRUE. soybean oil is in everything. It’s all GMO and so is corn…..which (HFCS ) is about 95, 96% GMO. And High Fructose Corn Syrup is in everything as well. So, are you still standing by your comments?
I have an organic tea that is non-gmo and has awesome holistic detox properties. You can look me up on FB at Cutelli Cafe to learn more about what I have to offer. Anyway, hope everyone stays well! Thanks!
I buy a lot of my teas loose from Adagio tea. com! How can know if my loose teas are bad? I also buy bags that your heat seal to make my own bags for traveling. they are like paper! I drink so much tea..and this really has me worried!
I’m also curious what your thoughts on Adagio’s looseleaf teas are. -> adagio.com
Thanks!
I drink the Yogi tea most of the time but it is the specialty tea and it doesn’t say “natural flavors” on its own. It does say natural butterscotch flavor and natural cinnamon oil flavor but not what I just said. Maybe it’s the normal Yogi tea not the specialty teas that have that. I just have a hard time believing that all these other companies have produced terrible teas and have so many things wrong with them. There is nothing perfect on this earth. I think we get a little to cautious and we forget the 5 second rule about things that hit the floor and it’s still ok to eat. So if we get a little dirt from the earth on our tea and some trace minerals on things its not the end of the world. I am a health nut and need my food to be a certain way and organic and I will not drink soda any more. Don’t even get me started on diet chemicals in drinks, I could complain for hours. I am saying that if we keep picking everything to death then how will we be able to fend off germs if we want to sterilize everything and become paranoid to the earth itself. Even the tea we drink. It’s just getting to be too much.
Very interesting conversations. I am staying with my Yogi tea. I don’t have headaches at all when i drink tea. If anything it sooths my stomach and calms me. I have different types of tea for different purposes. Anti stress, Stomach upset, etc.
Hi FoodBabe,
I read this article with dismay when I saw Bigelow’s Tea was on the bad list. There were check-marks in every bad column in the table. My 150-count warehouse-club box of Bigelows Tea was sitting right in front of me on my dining room table, as I was reading this article.
But, as I read my Bigelow’s box, I find all of the following printed on the carton: “Premium Bigelow Green Tea”, “Healthy Antioxidants”, “100% Organic”, “Gluten Free”, and “Product of China”. The ingredient list is: “Organic green tea”. Nothing more, nothing less.
What gives? Is Bigelow’s falsely advertising? Are all the ingredients not being listed on the carton? Or were you reviewing just one particular flavor of Bigelow’s Teas?
And most importantly, Should my Bigelow Green Tea 100% Organic be on your good list or your bad list?
Luv u, keep up the great work.
There’s no way Bigelow is falsely advertising its ingredients. It’s specially flavored teas that tend to have the issues.
Thanks for posting your question, Danny! I have the SAME box in my pantry and just searched the entire box with the same findings as you. . .
Wow! Amazing! We’re big tea drinkers at home. My husband switched from Arizona and other pre-made ice teas to home brewed to reduce sugar, cost and environmental impact. Now we take the next step and buy organic tea and mix our own herbal teas!
Don’t care we ALL die in the end at about the same age, live your life in moderation of all things. Get prepared for the next, eternity is a very long time
Company’s need to be called out on unsavory, unethical business practices. If not, they will get away with murder which is what many are already doing. But not for long! The reason we care is this: there’s this thing called cumulative toxic overload. When this happens, you can get really sick like I did with MCS. no, some fries won’t kill you, but if your diet is replete with burgers, fries, soft drinks, on a habitual basis…etc., you can expect a cardiac event eventually. Moreover, everyone has a different threshold for tolerating toxic chemicals. How do you know if your the un-lucky one who succumbs to cancer, heart disease, etc. You don’t. I don’t want to play Russian Roulette. Do you? If so, it’s your perogative.
Did not see Organic India’s Tulsi Tea’s in your list? I like all Prashanti’s tea’s and the Numi brand also… I use a Libre travel cup also which has a glass interior and poly-carbonate exterior. Hard to keep track of all these companies and their practices… Thanks for this info! I will share it with clients/students…
What about Good Earth teas?
Do you have any info on DavidsTea? I know some of their teas contain Artificial and Natural flavours, but many don’t.
I didn’t see where the testing results of Yogi products were provided here. Yogi touts their products (on their website under “About Us > Yogi Commitment”) to be organic and certified by NOP and QAI. They also address their tea bags, packaging, and shipping. Can you provide the evidence that Yogi products have been reported to contain these pesticides?
This was a big eye opener. I to used to LOVE celestial seasonings that would be my number 1 choice and I used to leave the bag in … I’m curious about david’s tea? it was not mentioned on this list and I just received a bunch of their tea as a Christmas gift.
The research is highly suspect
http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2012/11/20/teavana-denies-glaucus-claims-of.html
Red Rose is my favorite tea, didn’t see anything about that brand. Salada is disgusting to my palate, there is definitely something else besides tea in theirs. Very disappointed in Bigelow and Twinings. Stash has become my new fave.
I too am a Celestial Seasonings fan so was not happy to see them on this list. However, their website straight-out says: “Celestial Seasonings does not use GMO ingredients in any of its teas, and our parent company, Hain Celestial, supports mandatory labeling requirements for products that do contain GMOs.”
Can you tell us where/how you found out about their GMOs?
Thanks!!
This is quite shocking to me. I love mighty leaf teas and pay the TOP dollar for them.
Great work Food Babe. I really appreciate all your info!
Your information may not be correct and readers deserve to hear both sides. The company doing the negative review is an investment firm that would benefit if the stock drops. This is called shorting. An opposing view could be seen at http://www.businessinsider.com/teavana-pesticides-2012-11.
Full information, from both sides is important here
And the sky is falling, don’t forget that!
Newman’s Own Black Tea
Response to Epichlorohydrin inquires:
All filter paper tea bag types used for Newman’s Own Organic Teas are safe for direct food contact. They have all been tested for epichlorohydrin / 3-MCPD residues to ensure that they meet FDA regulations for materials in direct contact with food.
Recent testing by an outside lab shows epichlorohydrin is non-detectable in the filter paper.
I now enjoy fruit tea from Germany. The brand is called Ronnefelt and it is exquisite with many flavor choices! I have not seen this fruit tea here in the US. Seems to be pure. Let me know if you know anything about it.
My favorite is St. Dalfour PURE DARJEELING TEA, 100 % pure organic Darjeeling tea. No preservative or chemicals are used. Tea bags are eco-friendly no chemicals
and the tag is attached with out metal staples and are individual wrapped.
Great tasting tea from the Himalayas of India and the high ground of Ceylon.
While I am sure most of this infomation is accurate, please keep in mind when reading this that the author receives monetary compensasion for the brands she is promoting as the only safe ones.
Wow!!! I would like to know if the St. Dalfour teas are also laced with pesticides? In the package it says it’s natural and organic. I drink the green tea. I don’t see any soy in the ingredients plus they say that the paper is also free of chemicals. Can you please find out? Thanks!
I treated myself to teavana teas for the holidays. Initially I like the flavor, but find myself not finishIng each pot/cup. Now I know why. That was an expensive learning experience!
I’m obsessed with TAZO’s Earl Grey (because it has bergamot & lavender essence added that make it taste so much more special than other earl grey teas). Is there anything out there healthier or organic that is similar to Tazo’s Earl Grey that people can recommend? Thank you!
I was advised by a Teavana employee that Starbucks ownsTeavana.
I understand where she’s coming from, but for one person to say all those teas are bad for us is hard to believe. I love the tazo green tea and feel like my body agrees with what I’m drinking so I honestly don’t believe everything in this article.
Hmmm…I buy Tazo occasionally, but I mostly drink Red Rose. Wonder how Red Rose would stack up….I also have a Keurig, and that is how I drink most of my teas these days. Never thought about the packaging being harmful or about tea being a GMO food. I am glad you wrote this, you have educated me!
While we’re bursting tea bubbles here I’d just like to say that almost all bagged tea is low grade dusting and fanning leftover from harvesting the quality buds. Learn to brew loose leaf tea it’s a more rewarding experience. Buying loose leaf in bulk is almost always cheaper, then the pre bagged dusting, unless your buying top of line leaves or buds.
After reading this article I was wondering why Harney Teas were not mentioned. We had a tea room for eight years. Some of our teas we served and sold were Harney, Mighty Leaf, Rishi,Tea Forte and others. I’m interested in knowing how Harney Teas scored if they were tested. I found this article very interesting with lots of good information.. Thank you!
I have some Yogi tea that is certified organic by USDA. Is that still okay?
In your comparison, you list a company I’ve never heard of – Allegro. You don’t list one I use all the time – Adagio Teas. I believe they are without the contaminants you list.
So what tea do you recommend that is safe to drink?? I don’t have a glass or stainless steeper and love the convenience of a paper bag so it can steep in my car on the way to work with the lid on my cup without spilling. Now I don’t know what to drink!
Stop with your blog, you not only bore me, but you also have something to complain about every time, and you love attacking companies for what you think they do while citing ” independent studies” with no actual links or information on said studies.
Wake up Josh, if you are bored, just don’t read it, and stay in your bubble. Sorry but there’s a lot of things to protest for in this society. Your message sounds like it comes from one of those horrible food corporations (who own all those tea brand), or from one of those people who just don’t have a clue and believe (and eat) all the crap coming those corporations.
I don’t live in a bubble, I know about the additives big corporations put in our foods; nothing can be done until they take them out. Besides, I can bet without any doubt you eat processed food, or food with additives at least once a day.
Josh must work for Monsanto. Independent studies are important and sometimes it takes an independent party to go to the trouble to care to do a study. No big corporation or the FDA or the Pharms or government agencies are going to spend money on studies that will eventually cause them to lose sales. Why do you read the “Food Babes” blog if you don’t care. Weird!!! Keep it up Food Babe. I love what you research and open our eyes to. Even if there are no links to the studies, I will give it the benefit of the doubt, because I don’t take chances on my health and body. Its nice to be informed.
Wow, lol. Is someone forcing you to read this blog or something? I find this information extremely interesting and informative. And considering the amount of people who read and benefit from her information and the amount of change she is having (have you heard? Chick-fil-A is listening and she is helping them take out some of their harmful ingredients like High Fructose Corn Syrup and dyes) I doubt she’ll be stopping any time soon. No, in fact I thinks she’s going to keep going and keep doing her thing, helping people by exposing what’s really in their food (and why America is THE cancer capital of the world. Have you heard? 1 in 2 men (that means HALF) and 1 in 3 women will get cancer in their lifetime; we here in America might need to start listening to people with information like Food Babe and lay off the GMO corn syrup. HALF of all men and a THIRD of all women? That’s a BIG problem. Glad I know now that I need to buy only organic, pesticide & GMO free teas from now on to help ensure that I am NOT a part of those eye-opening statistics).
I agree about the good work with chick-fil-a. But citing a one-sided story published by a financial firm shorting the stock was not good reporting.
She needs to show these studies or it’s all made up information, created to help certain company’s.
Jerry- This is one of the strangest posts I’ve ever read. “Stop… I’m bored with you”???? Are you kidding? Remember that websites are like storefronts. You don’t have to patronize them if you don’t like what they are selling.
The internet seems to have made some people think that they are more important than everyone else.
To Foodbabe- Thank you.
You admitted you know about the additives big corporations put in our foods; nothing can be done until they take them out,etc….
Why dont you stop being a Jerk and respect the peole tryin to make a difference in this world because we all know big corps.dont care and neither do you,you are just like admittin you assume the big corps.coxupinyabutt and you also talk like a negative persone. grow up and shut up next time man. Not because WE ALL END UP EATIN CRAP ANYWAYS that we shouldnt put less of it in our digestive system. Fool!
WOW Josh… you sound very unintelligent. And what’s more, you do know that reading this blog is a CHOICE right? So if you are so bored and offended perhaps your time is better served somewhere else…
What a sad and sorry individual you must be, to troll blogs and leave nasty comments that score a zero in both reality and intellect.
She complains about our food system because THERE IS PLENTY TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. If you aren’t interested in this kind of knowledge then you are free to frequent any other part of the internet that suits you. Telling someone to shut down their blog because YOU are bored with it and don’t find the content helpful is something only a child or an extremely self important person would do. Your thoughts on this blog and blogger are your opinion and that’s it. Your opinion is not important nor interesting. It does not entitle you to shutting blogs down and people up. I’m sorry your parent failed you by indulging you in self important fantasies. Pretty pathetic.
Josh,
Totally with you. All these pretentious trendy wanna-be-foodies and health gurus love to stand on their pedestals. Did anyone go look up any of these mentioned pesticides or read what “potentially carcinogenic” means. If you don’t want to eat it, go grow your own garden and stop making such a stink about mass produced food – It’s mass production, what do you want from them? These companies are trying to provide as much nutrition to as many people as possible. Would less chemicals be better? Probably.
Then again who am I to say? I am a licensed pharmacist and work in human clinical trials experimenting on people with poisons…. oh yea and those poisons, happen to cause cancer to go into remission.
Pick your poison, i’m having a drink!
Yes, it will be good to have the “independant studies” referenced so anybody that wants to look a bit deeper in the “dark world” of teas can check how these studies were conducted and judge their validity first, before the decide what to drink and waht not.
Josh, I’ve read this for the first time. “Likely GMO”? What is that? Likely without established proof? Work for Monsanto,I don’t. I need proof, not “this is what I suspect or feel”. So, give out facts better then those offered, please.
Josh, you are everything that’s wrong with this country. The whole point of this article is to call attention to what these companies have done to mislead consumers into believing they’re buying a high-quality, healthy product. The author of this article is creating awareness. You complain and say ‘nothing can be done.’ It’s that ‘nothing-can-be-done’ mindset that’s dangerous to society. I can do something. I can vote with my money, and if enough people follow this lead, there won’t be carcinogenic pesticides in our food. We’re advanced enough to find innovative methods of growing food without using compounds which will kill us.