Rishi Tea’s Organic FAQs
What does Organic mean?
The term Organic describes how an agricultural product is grown and processed. An organic product is free of chemicals, antibiotics, synthetic hormones, genetic modifications, and sewage sludge, and is minimally processed without artificial ingredients, preservatives, or irradiation in order to maintain the integrity of the food, preserve ecological harmony and promote biodiversity.
Learn more at: www.ota.com
Why Organic?The short of it: Organic has more of what we want, and less of what we don’t want.
The long of it: Organic products often taste better because they are truer to the natural state of the agricultural product and offer a wide variety of benefits for us as well as for the environment through the use of earth-friendly agricultural methods and practices.
We care about the well-being of those involved in the tea making process. By offering organic teas, we are promoting the health of farmers as well as their land and environment. Sustainable practices such as those implemented by organic agriculture will enable the next generation of tea lovers to enjoy natural, true-tasting tea.
For more details on how organic agriculture relates to health, the environment, animal welfare and genetic engineering, please read the specific sections below.
Health & Environment
Generally, organic foods are richer in vitamins and minerals derived from the nutrient-rich soil in which they are grown. Conversely, conventionally farmed foods are sprayed with pesticides (often associated with health risks from asthma to cancer) that disrupt the soil’s natural balance.
Organic farming maintains and replenishes soil fertility without the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers, instead using natural methods to control pests, weeds and disease. When you buy organic, you’re reducing the chances of your food containing pesticides and other toxic chemicals, while simultaneously promoting ecological well-being and a more sustainable environment.
Reducing the use and exposure of toxic chemicals from synthetic pesticides will help prevent the contamination and pollution of our soil, air, water and food supply.
Read more about organic farming and the environment here:
www.ota.com
www.whyorganic.org
Animal Welfare
Animal welfare is a key component of organic farming. Organic livestock farmers promote animal health by improving the quality of life for the animal, thus reducing the need for antibiotics and other drugs harmful to the food chain.
Genetic Engineering
Organic products are free from genetic modifications. Genetic modification is a new food technology that is still in the process of being understood. If you’re like us, the idea of genetically modifying the makeup of your food is unsettling; let’s keep it natural.
“Certified Organic” means that a third-party state or private certifying organization accredited by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has verified that a product strictly adheres to the Organic standards established by the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP). The third-party certifier thoroughly inspects the location where the organic product is produced and handled to ensure that all organic standards are established, followed and met.
Rishi Tea receives its organic certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI). QAI conducts annual on-site inspections to ensure that our products are produced and handled in continued compliance with USDA’s organic standards.
The National Organic Program (NOP) is a federal regulatory entity that was created by the USDA in October of 2002 in order to develop, implement and enforce organic standards. The NOP regulates all aspects of organic food production, handling, labeling, processing, delivery and retail sale. The NOP also accredits state agencies and private organizations that inspect and certify organic production and handling.
To learn more about the NOP and its regulations, visit
www.ams.usda.gov
When did Rishi Tea become an Organic Certified vendor?
Rishi Tea was among the first importers to receive organic certification in November of 2002 under the NOP organic standards. Prior to the enactment of the NOP, Rishi Tea offered Certified Organic teas according to strict European Union standards. According to the European Union Organic Regulation, Organic Transaction Certificates (TC) must be furnished by a third-party auditing and inspection agency for each batch of tea purchased from an organic tea farm.
The TC includes a lot code which enables tracking of the product from start to finish. Many companies rely solely on farm certificates to prove the tea was purchased from a Certified Organic farm, but only the Organic Transaction Certificate can trace the actual batch of tea back to the production reports of the farm, as well as allow tracking until the final product is sold. You can request an Organic Transaction Certificate from Rishi or any other company that sells organic products.
In addition to following the USDA-NOP standards, Rishi Tea continues to adhere to the European Union Organic Regulation standard of providing a lot code for each batch of tea bought and sold.
In order to gain compliance with the USDA’s National Organic Program (NOP), the USDA requires that a third-party certifier inspect the production and handling of organic products.
Rishi Tea obtains organic certification through Quality Assurance International (QAI), an independent, third-party certifier of organic foods and products established in 1989. The QAI certification program is designed to certify every step of the organic chain from the land on which the product is grown to the producers growing the product, to the post-harvest facilities preparing the product, to the processing and handling facilities transforming the product, and finally, to the sale of the product.
QAI, like Rishi Tea, is committed to organic integrity. QAI has over 16 years of organic experience and was one of the first USDA-accredited organic certifiers, with over 65% of Certified Organic products being certified by QAI. The QAI and USDA logos found on our organic teas ensure Rishi’s utmost organic compliance.
Learn more at: www.qai-inc.com
In order to use the USDA’s Organic seal on organic products, the producer must be a Certified Organic handler. Rishi Tea receives organic certification through the third-party certifier, QAI.
An application for organic certification must be accompanied by transparent and thorough documentation of all practices pertaining to organic production.
If the certifier determines that all documentation complies with the NOP standards, an annual on-site audit is conducted to inspect the sanitation of the facility, record-keeping procedures, and a careful review of all organic-related documentation such as organic certificates, purchase orders, production and packing records, receiving logs, and storage procedures. The certifier then prepares an inspection report including all relevant information.
A technical review of the inspection report is compared to the requirements of the NOP. If any changes are necessary or if additional information is required, a non-compliance letter is submitted to the company. The company must then make all necessary changes and apply for reinspection.
Upon reinspection, if the company adequately conforms to all prescribed corrective actions, the company is able to display the certifier’s logo on their packaging, informing consumers that the product meets USDA-NOP organic standards.
Look for QAI’s logo on Rishi products to guarantee organic compliance.
In addition to our commitment and love for organics, Rishi Tea strongly adheres to providing the safest and highest quality teas to our customers. Our AIB International Certificate of Achievement guarantees food safety as well as ensures compliance with food safety regulations.
AIB International is a food safety certifier that conducts rigorous yearly audits inspecting our policies, cleaning procedures, facilities, production and storage areas, maintenance, operational methods and personnel practices.
Learn more at www.aibonline.org
Are all Organic products the same?No, not all organic products are the same as there are different categories of organic.
In order to display the USDA Organic seal, a product must be at least 95% organic; that is, at least 95 percent of the ingredients used must be organic. The remaining 5% cannot include genetically modified organisms (GMOs) but can include nonorganic items, if an organic option for that product is not commercially available.
Rishi Tea proudly offers many 100% organic teas. Always consult the printed list of ingredients to determine the organic makeup of a product.
Products labeled “All Natural” may include organic ingredients but that may not always be the case. To be sure, always check the ingredients list.
How does a product get Certified Organic and who certifies at origin?
Rishi Tea works with numerous organic tea gardens in China, Taiwan, India, Vietnam and Japan to produce our award-winning organic teas. Our teas and ingredients are initially Certified Organic at origin. The organic farms from which we import tea undergo strict on-site inspections in order to determine organic compliance, similar to inspections and audits conducted by the QAI in the U.S. However, as a general rule, many nations within the European Union adhere to even stricter organic standards than enforced in the U.S.
The majority of our Chinese teas are Certified Organic at origin by Swiss IMO. Swiss IMO inspects, certifies and provides quality assurance for organic production and handling according to either the European Union standards or the USDA’s standards, as they are also USDA-accredited for organic certification according to the NOP regulations.
The U.S. unfortunately has no laws in place establishing mandatory testing of pesticide levels on agricultural products, regardless of whether they are grown within or imported to the U.S. While the Environmental Protection Agency has made a step toward better regulation by implementing random testing on all imported agricultural products, that does little to ease our minds.
Despite the lack of regulation in the U.S., our customers can be confident knowing that all Rishi teas are strictly tested for 200 different pesticide residues. Japan and the European Union enforce strict testing on each shipment of imported teas and China tests for pesticide residues at the start of each tea season. When you drink Rishi Tea, you can be confident knowing that you are drinking the cleanest, truest tasting tea available.
You can be confident that our teas are organic when you see the USDA seal of approval and QAI logo. There is a great amount of documentation and regulation enforced upon the production and selling of organic products. The organic process from seed to store must be both transparent and traceable. Our QAI organic certification ensures strict compliance with USDA Organic standards.
In addition, throughout the year, Rishi Tea spends a great amount of time at origin, visiting the tea farms, the tea facilities, and building and maintaining strong relationships with tea farmers. Our consistent visits to the tea gardens with whom we directly work allow us to witness, firsthand, the tea growing and handling process.
Rishi Tea proudly offers the best organic teas available.
Rishi Tea offers organic products whenever feasibly possible; however, not all tea-growing regions from which we purchase our teas meet the USDA-NOP Organic standards. It is often the case that good quality Certified Organic teas are unavailable where we purchase tea in Taiwan and some regions of Japan. It may also be the case that Certified Organic farms do not exist in a particular region.
While many of the famous tea regions of the world will most likely never be Certified Organic, they still warrant a place in our menu due to their historic artisanal importance and overall quality (i.e. GyoKuro or FengHuang DanCong). Our nonorganic teas will always meet our strict quality tasting and evaluation checks and will be free of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), heavy metals and other adulterants. We would never offer a tea we wouldn’t love to drink ourselves.
Organic production can be difficult in smaller countries such as Taiwan and Japan, where large plots of remote farmland isolated from conventional farms and wind drift are not widely available. For this reason, most Taiwanese and Japanese teas, including oolongs, are not Certified Organic by the USDA-NOP because the tea garden areas are typically spread throughout a community where one farmer may spray pesticides while others may not spray. As neighbors, even the farmer who did not spray will likely have chemical residues on his/her teas from the actions of his/her neighbor. Organic farming requires large plots of land and/or natural barriers to prevent contamination from nonorganic farms that may be nearby. We offer organic only when the best quality of tea from the region is Certified Organic.
www.qai-inc.com
www.ota.com
www.ams.usda.gov
www.whyorganic.org
www.organic-center.org
www.soilassociation.org
