Spices, brewed tea leaves and dried herbs offer many daily rituals promoting mental stimulation, relaxation and ample flavor to foods we love. When you choose organic over non-organic for these products you protect yourself from potential health concerns from pesticide residues, improve the health and safety of rural communities and promote better environmental stewardship of land. 

Spices, herbs and teas have many uses for their desired flavor and nutritional and medicinal benefits, so what makes the organic difference?

 

Certified organic spices, herbs, and teas mean:

  • NO toxic and synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

  • NO GMO ingredients.  

  • NO artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives.

  • NO sewage sludge or irradiation.

  • Rigorous U.S. standards that apply to all organic foods- both domestic and imported.

  • The same strict organic standards apply to all small, medium, and large organic food makers and farmers.

 

The benefits of organic spices, herbs and teas

 
Health:
  • Organic herbs, spices and teas contain more disease-fighting antioxidants
  • Crops are grown without synthetic pesticides and have more than a four-fold reduction in pesticide residues.
Environmental:
Organic Reduces Exposure to Residues:
  • Organic products are grown without the use of synthetic pesticides, and strict organic standards have an even lower tolerance limit for pesticide residues that can occur from inadvertent pesticide contamination like drift events. 
  • Organic certifiers test organic products for any type of prohibited substance residue including pesticides, GMOs, antibiotics, heavy metals and pathogenic organisms. 
Worker Health and Community Development:
  • Organic production reduces workers' risk of chronic illness and impairments associated with the use of insecticides and other pesticides.
  • Organic production protects surrounding communities from exposure to health-harming synthetic chemicals.
  • Organic production of spices, herbs and teas improves the livelihoods and social benefits for resource-poor, small-scale farmers ​​​​​
  • Responsible organic tea importers are trying to break the colonialism model by creating an ownership stake in the processing facilities where tea is made and shifting the value of tea into the hands of farmers.

 

Dried spices, herbs and teas are subject to organic standards that apply to both farming and processing. This means wherever these crops are grown, farm practices must maintain or improve the natural resources on and around the farm, and are prohibited from using synthetic chemical fertilizers and pesticides. These requirements improve biodiversity, soil health, and reduce human health risks, greenhouse gases and energy consumption associated with the manufacturing of synthetic agrochemicals.
 

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