For many people, enjoying green tea in the morning is simply part of starting the day. But together with the hot drink, not only the valuable ingredients of the leaves are absorbed, but also pollutants that are harmful to health. This is the result of the Stiftung Warentest.
Testing green tea
Stiftung Warentest examined a total of 25 types of green tea and examined them for possible harmful substances. The test included products in bags, capsules, and loose teas – nine of the 25 were organic products. The prices ranged from 87 cents to 83 euros per 100 grams.
The result
Seven of the tested products are so heavily contaminated with pollutants that they were only rated “poor”:
- Aldi Sud/Westcliff Green Tea
- Kaufland/K-Classic Green Tea
- Penny/Mayfair Green Tea Natural
- Norma/Cornwall Green Tea Natural
- Messmer Finest Green Tea
- Netto Marken-Discount/ Captains Tea Green tea based on Asian tradition
- Chinese Green Tea CAP Special Gunpowder G 601
Seven other green teas were only rated “sufficient”. Five of the products in the test received the “good” award. Among them are three teas in a bag, one in a capsule, and one matcha. In the case of the loose green tea varieties, the best grade “satisfactory” was achieved. The exact placements can be found here.
Health hazards from pollutants in green tea?
According to Stiftung Warentest, however, there is no acute health risk. For lovers of green tea, however, the health risk from pollutants cannot be consistently ruled out. It only becomes critical if teas with a high level of pollution are drunk regularly. The substance pyrrolizidine alkaloid was found in nine of the 25 types of tea. This is considered potentially carcinogenic and can be completely transferred to the tea infusion – these types of tea should be avoided.
Tip: If you, as a tea fan, want to avoid excessive exposure to harmful substances, you should change the products regularly.
