No EU Lead Limits for Tea
Dear Editor,
The author of “Reading the Leaf” Dr. Markus Heidak (pg. 52, June/July) incorrectly reported a limit for lead in tea under European Union legislation.
The article states that a limit of 0.2 ppm applies to tea (Camellia sinensis). This is not true. The European Union has not published limits for lead in tea.
The latest amendment of the Contaminants Regulation (EU) 2015/1005 explicitly states: “As consumption of tea and herbal infusions can be an important contributor to dietary exposure, a maximum level for these commodities should be established. However, in absence of data on dry tea leaves and dry parts of other plants for the preparation of herbal infusions allowing the establishment of such a maximum level, occurrence data should be collected in view of the possible establishment of a specific maximum level in the future.”
Kindest regards,
Dr. Monika Beutgen, secretary general
Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE)
Hamburg, Germany