Pesticides in LIPTON tea daw? Istorya ta ninyo!

[kyle patrick]

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Naai report ang Greenpeace about sa Lipton tea

Lipton tea laced with toxic pesticide residue | Greenpeace East Asia

Last week we released a report revealing the extent of which banned pesticides are finding their way in Chinese brand teas. And today, the revelations keep on coming.
Lipton, the world's best-selling tea brand, is also selling tea in China with illegal pesticides.
In March 2012, Greenpeace randomly purchased several boxes of Lipton tea bags produced and sold in China at two Beijing stores. The samples, which included green tea, oolong tea, jasmine tea and black tea, were then sent to an independent third-party lab for pesticide residue testing.
Our second report details three of the four samples contained pesticides that are banned for use on tea plants and are highly toxic. Altogether 17 diferent kinds of pesticides were found on the four samples.
"As the world's best-selling tea brand, Lipton is taking advantage of China's loose pesticide control measures at the expense of its Chinese customers," says Wang Jing, Greenpeace Food and Agriculture Campaigner.
Busted! Lipton's claims of corporate responsibility prove false

Lipton's holding company is Unilever - one of those mega-conglomerate multinational consumer goods companies. Last year they reported a whopping €46.5 billion in turnover. Their very size equates to a responsibility to consumers and the environment, as well as the power to be game-changers in their industry.
In Unilever's last Corporate Responsibility Report they describe Lipton as their, "first foreign enterprise to enter China; it has a long-term commitment to China, and it hopes to establish a sustainable business model in the country."
While on its official Chinese website, Lipton claims that it only uses insecticides that have received formal state approval for use, and it pledges to only use "the minimum amount of chemicals to achieve the required effect."
As our testing shows, this is clearly not the case. Not that this is the first time Lipton have proven indifferent to the health and safety of the Chinese consumer. Last year excessive residues of heavy metal were found in Lipton tea.
Why should you be concerned?

Let's take a look at the three banned pesticides that were found in these tea samples:
Methomyl:

• An insecticide, potentially damaging to the human nervous system.
• Banned for use on tea plants under China's Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) – Notice 1586.
• Classified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a highly toxic pesticide.

Dicofol:

• A pesticide, chemically related to DDT.
• Banned for use on tea plants under China's MoA – Notice 199.
• Classified by the EU, not only as harmful when swallowed, but also when in contact with skin.

Endosulfan:

• A persistent pesticide, potential endocrine disruptor.
• Banned for use on tea plants under China's MoA – Notice 1586.
• Banned globally under the Stockholm Convention.

Take action

For now the most important thing you can do is read out report and then spread the word.
1. Post this page on Facebook and leave comments on Lipton's Facebook page.
2. Tweet away! Use the hashtag #LiptonPesticides
3. Share on other social networks using the sharing tool on the left-hand side of the page.
4. E-mail this page to your friends using the share tool on the left-hand side of the page.
You can also stay informed about this issue as it develops. Sign up to our e-mail action alerts, or friend us on Facebook or Twitter.

[kyle patrick]

Mao ni ang reply sa Unilever bahin sa issue...


Lipton tea products safe despite pesticide claim|Companies|chinadaily.com.cn

Unilever answered allegations that a banned pesticide was found in Lipton tea, saying on Tuesday that all of its products are safe.
"Unilever China has always upheld high quality standards and the protection of consumers' rights. All the Lipton tea products we make are completely in line with national standards on pesticide residue, and are safe and up-to-standard goods," the company wrote on its micro blog.
According to a report by the environmental protection organization Greenpeace, however, methomyl, a pesticide banned in China, has been detected in some Lipton teas.
"Despite their statement that their pesticides comply with national standards and that they are determined to minimize the amount of chemicals, the facts prove it is nothing but empty promises," said Wang Jing, a Greenpeace executive in charge of food and agriculture in Beijing, who was involved in the investigation.
In addition to methomyl, residue from 17 other pesticides was detected, according to the Greenpeace report.
In March, random samples of Lipton's black, green, jasmine and tieguanyin teas were tested in Beijing. No pesticide residues were found in the black tea, but residue from 13 pesticides was found in the green and tieguanyin tea and residue from nine in the jasmine tea, according to Greenpeace.
Wang said the tests were conducted by an independent, nationally qualified laboratory, but she declined to disclose its name to "ensure its independence".
Seven of the 17 pesticides that were found are prohibited in the European Union, including endosulfan and bifenthrin, which according to EU health officials might jeopardize men's fertility and fetal health.
"Lipton must immediately stop using highly toxic pesticides and must reduce the amount of pesticides used in tea fields," Wang said. "The company should also improve its source-tracing system to better follow the tracking of the tea and better guarantee food safety."
Unilever's statement said all of the raw materials for Lipton black tea products sold on the Chinese mainland are 100 percent imported.
Wang said that although some of the products comply with Chinese standards, they fail to meet EU standards.
"Such products would definitely be turned down by European markets," Wang said. "It's unfair that products that fall short of EU standards are sold to unknowing Chinese customers."
In November, Lipton's tieguanyin tea was found to contain unsafe levels of rare earth, according to the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, the country's top quality watchdog.
The company later recalled and destroyed those products, according to a statement posted on its Chinese micro blog.
Lipton is not the only tea brand whose products have recently been called into question.
According to a Greenpeace report on April 11, at least three pesticides banned by the Ministry of Agriculture were detected in products from nine major tea companies, including Zhang Yiyuan and Wu Yutai.
Those two companies later responded that they were not using the banned pesticides in their tea fields, but that did not mean they were totally free from such chemicals.
According to Wang Jianhua, an expert on pesticide residues at Shandong entry-exit inspection and quarantine bureau, pesticide residues can be discovered long after the chemical is used. "For some pesticides, it takes years for them to degrade," said Wang.
He added that the residue does not necessarily indicate that the product is not fit for the market.
zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn