Facts:
- Nearly 900,000 bags of Organic Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea have been voluntarily recalled, according to an FDA notice.
- East West Tea Company, makers of the recalled tea, initiated the recall due to higher levels of pesticides.
- The recall was initaited on March 12 and is ongoing; anyone who may have the tea should not drink it and dispose of it immediately
According to a notification released by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), residues of pesticides found in one of the company’s organic teas have led to the recall of more than 54,000 boxes of East West Tea Company tea.1.
The FDA stated that the firm voluntarily recalled its Organic Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea “due to the detection of pesticide residues above action levels.” The tea was made available to everyone in the country. On March 12, the recall was started, and it is still going on.
The affected items came in cartons containing four or six packs, each containing sixteen bags. Approximately 900,000 tea packets are being recalled in total. The UPC number 0 76950 45010 3 and over thirty distinct lot numbers are associated with the recalled boxes; these codes are shown below.
| 0000184330 | 0000184853 | 0000185098 | 0000185100 | 0000185383 | 0000185385 |
| 0000185387 | 0000185389 | 0000185434 | 0000185436 | 0000185828 | 0000185830 |
| 0000185832 | 0000186519 | 0000186521 | 000184062 | 0000186900 | 0000186902 |
| 0000186904 | 0000187357 | 0000187359 | 0000187400 | 0000187402 | 0000187769 |
| 0000188028 | 0000188030 | 0000188045 | 0000188114 | 0000186600 | 0000186910 |
| 0000187155 | 0000184691 | 0000184963 | 0000185381 | 0000185518 |
Which pesticides were found in the tea and at what concentration were not disclosed by the FDA.
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Concerns About Pesticides in Tea
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that pesticides are frequently used to eradicate pests such as bacteria, mildew, fungi, weeds, insects, and rodents. Pesticides are poisonous, though. They may irritate your skin or eyes, or they may have an effect on the neurological system at certain doses. Some may affect your hormones or endocrine system, or they may cause cancer. These substances are known as carcinogens.
The EPA has set limits and tolerances for chemical residues in food, and the FDA monitors these limits through a pesticide residue monitoring program. (EPA restrictions differ depending on pesticide.)
According to the FDA’s website, the organization examines over 4,000 food samples annually “using selective residue methods to detect pesticide chemical residues not covered by the multi-residue method and a multi-residue method that analyzes approximately 800 different pesticide chemical residues in a single analysis.”
The greatest defense against pesticides in food is to stick to organic items from well-known manufacturers. While an organic label doesn’t indicate a meal is fully pesticide-free, it should mean the item was grown and processed without using synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
How the chemicals entered the tea bags and how they were found is unknown. Don’t use these teas if you chance to have them at home. It’s unclear if East West Tea Company would provide swaps or refunds. When Health reached out for feedback, an East West Tea Company representative did not get back to her right away.
