Food recall: herbal teas contaminated with pesticides. Immediate withdrawal from supermarkets, a danger to our health. All the details.
The food recall, this time, it’s about a batch of herbal teas under the Lidl Bio brand in which the presence of pesticides was detected. In particular we are talking about chlorpyrifos and glyphosate, two highly toxic and harmful substances for humans. The products of this brand are considered the worst by a German food quality test. All the details.
Food recall: herbal teas with pesticides, new withdrawal
It is again food recall for a lot of organic herbal teas with the Lidl brand. A German test declared these products among the worst ever released on the market. The reason is due to the presence of two highly toxic substances: chlorpyrifos e glifosato. The use of these pesticides is strictly prohibited in the food industry because it is harmful to humans. Fortunately, the period of herbal teas is still far away but what do they really contain inside them? This is revealed to us by a German sample test that wanted to test the quality of 50 bulk sachets of German brands, of which 21 are organic. The result is disconcerting. Some of these in fact contain pesticides and plant toxins. These products are also sold in some Italian supermarkets.
The result of the test
If half of the products are considered to be of excellent quality, 11 herbal teas are to be avoided. Inside, the test found traces of pesticides, insecticides and plant toxins. Chlorpyrifos is one of these, banned from 2020 in the EU but inevitably ended up in the product. It negatively affects the neurological system and is extremely harmful to children as well as being toxic to bees as well. In addition, the presence of glyphosate, another extremely harmful substance, was found in 6 products.
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These compounds they are found naturally in weeds which, at times, end up in the harvest of herbal teas and you. These are alkaloids which, even if immersed in boiling water, do not die as in the case of germs, ending up in the infusion. Pesticides, the German authorities specify, can have carcinogenic effects and damage the liver. They also could cause nausea, vomiting, drowsiness and headaches. To eliminate germs instead it will be sufficient to immerse the herbal teas in boiling water above 100 °.
The ranking of the best and worst herbal teas
From the test conducted by a German company, a ranking of the best and worst herbal tea and tea products emerged, based on the purity and quality of the product. Out of 50, about 11 herbal teas, 6 of which are totally organic, are contaminated by powerful pesticides whose use is prohibited in the European Union. Here is the ranking from best to worst:
- Yogi Tea Sonnentor;
- Pukka Relax Sonnentor;
- Lord Nelson Lidl herbal tea;
- Lord Nelson herbal tea infused with organic herbs (considered the absolute worst).
Sophia Melfi