I thought this was important to share - especially for those of you who have asked about GMOs, pesticides & agro-chemicals (and allergies!): Message from Tonia Hi everyone, I wanted to reach out to all of you to discuss the quality and safety of our tea. First and foremost, I take pride in being able to offer my family, my children, and all Steeped Tea consultants quality products that are safe and healthy. Steeped Tea is not just a business; it is a major part of my life and my family’s as well. It is tea that I consume daily, and enjoy sharing with my own children. Steeped Tea follows strict standards for food safety set out by 3 different government organizations: Canada, US and the European Union. Our tea meets all three government bodies’ regulations because our tea is imported and consumed in all three markets. I would never settle for anything less. The EU standards we follow for pesticide use and residues are some of the strictest in the world with levels at or near negligible. Canadian standards for GMO foods, labeling, allergen indication, and food safety are extremely stringent and require constant testing. For that reason we do not use any GMO labeled ingredients in our tea. See for yourself the criteria used by the Canadian government for assessing GMO foods: hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/gmf-agm/fs-if/faq_1-eng.php#b1 Steeped Tea’s affiliation with the Ethical Tea Partnership is our key to making sure that our supplier tea farms follow a strict control of any agrochemicals they use. Accountability and responsibility for food safety, worker well-being, and land use are the pillars of this non-profit regulatory body. You can find out more at ethicalteapartnership.org/ Natural flavors are exactly that – flavors extracted from nature without chemical manipulation. They are made by extracting the oils from a nut, seed or plant. Lemon oil for example, is made by squeezing and collecting the oil directly from the rind of a lemon. Adding oil extracts like bergamot oil, rose oil, and lemon oil fall under natural flavors. When mixed together they give a unique and identifying taste and fragrance that cannot be patented. The natural flavorings we use are all botanical and their purpose is to enhance taste and fragrance and not to provide any nutrition. That is why a miniscule amount is used in tea. Unfortunately, because they cannot be patented, they are not indicated by their constituents UNLESS they contain a government controlled or restricted allergen (like nuts) that must be disclosed. Our silk bags are corn-based and not plastic. This ensures that no leaching of any plastic will ever occur. The silk bags also do not use any adhesives. The products we offer to you and your customers are important to me and they are important to my family. Every Steeped Tea product is produced, blended and handled with love and care. I am so proud of this business and proud of all of yours for being able to offer our families and communities quality and safe products. Sending love to you and your families, Tonia xo
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:13:26 +0000