Yunnan Sourcing takes your health seriously! That’s why starting in October 2013 all of the Pu-erh teas produced under the Yunnan Sourcing Brand (云之源) were tested for pesticides (and for the pesticides we tested for), none of them exceed the EU's Maximum Residue Limit.
Our Yunnan Sourcing Brand Pu-erh Tea has been tested in the Sinoanalytica laboratory for the most common types of pesticides and did not exceed the limit set by the European Commission for Food Safety. From October 2013 until the end of year 2013 we tested for 26 pesticides. If there were pesticides present that are not in the list of 26 pesticides we tested for they would not have been detected. Starting in 2014 until now we started testing for 42 pesticides. Again if a pesticide is present that is not listed in the 42 pesticides we tested for the test would not detect it. From 2016 until the end of 2020 we tested for 191 pesticides. From 2021 until now we test for 404 pesticides. Some ripe teas pressed in 2021 were tested in 2020 and only for 191 pesticides. Please refer to the product listing for specific information regarding the number of pesticides tested for.
For more information about the European Commission's safety standards for pesticides in tea see below.
Report Limit: This is the amount below which the MRL test is not able to detect. It’s 1/100th ppm (0.01 mg/kg) in most cases.
EU (MRL) Limitation: This is the Maximum Residue Limit for the given pesticide in Tea (code 0610000) set by the EU Commission on Food Safety. If a tea exceeded this limitation we would not produce it or sell it under the Yunnan Sourcing Brand label.
The MRL for each of the pesticides we tested for below can also be found at the EU Pesticides Database by following this address: https://ec.europa.eu/food/plant/pesticides/eu-pesticides-database/start/screen/mrls
If any levels of of DDT, DDD, or DDE (06-1, 06-2, 06-3, 06-4, 06-5) are detected (even if they are within the EU Limitation) Yunnan Sourcing LLC will not allow this tea to be used or included in our branded productions.
Should you have any questions at all about our testing and what it means, please don't hesitate to contact us by email here.
In 2013 we tested for 26 different types of pesticides. Just below is the list of those pesticides. Note the "Rpt Limit" is the threshold of detectability, or the capability of the laboratory's equipment.
In 2014 and 2015 we tested for 42 different types of pesticides. Note the "Rpt Limit" is the threshold of detectability, or the capability of the laboratory's equipment.
In 2016 we tested for 191 different types of pesticides. Note the "Rpt Limit" is the threshold of detectability, or the capability of the laboratory's equipment.
From 2021 until now we test for 404 pesticides.
