WARNING: Consuming this product can expose you to chemicals including lead, which is known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information go to www.P65Warnings.ca.gov/food.
Until recently, Sugimoto Tea Company was a small enough company that we were exempt from providing Proposition 65 warnings on our products. However, with our recent growth, we are now required to adhere to California’s Proposition 65 with regards to our teas.
What Is Proposition 65?
Proposition 65 is a law that requires businesses to inform Californians about any products that may expose them to chemicals that can cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. It’s also known as the “Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986,” and aims to help Californians make more informed decisions about their exposure to these chemicals.
Why Am I Being Shown a Warning?
With over 1000 chemicals on the list as of September 2019, it is financially impossible for us to test our products for all chemicals on the list or claim an exemption by proving that any present chemicals, such as lead, only come from natural sources. Thus, we’re including a warning for all matcha products shipped to California.
While lead is naturally-occurring in soil and is naturally absorbed by plants, it’s also released from industrial sources and aircraft. Upon emission, lead can travel before sticking to soil particles in the ground. This can transfer to groundwater, and eventually be absorbed by the tea plants.
Thus, while we can argue that the lead content in our matcha may be naturally-occurring especially since our tea fields are all far away from major industrialized areas, there’s no way for us to prove that all of it comes only from natural sources. Note though that the lead content in our teas is within levels below the amount determined to be harmful in adults by the FDA.
What Does a Warning Mean?
Warnings are required on products when one or more of California’s over 1000 chemicals listed in Prop 65 are either known or suspected to be present in a product. A prominent warning is required unless A) exposure for chemicals listed as causing cancer are so low that “a person exposed to the chemical at the “no significant risk level” for 70 years would not have more than a “1 in 100,000” chance of developing cancer as a result of that exposure” and B) exposure to chemicals listed as causing birth defects or reproductive harm is 1,000 times lower than the level of exposure shown to not pose any harm to humans or lab animals.
Additionally, please rest assured that we don’t add lead to any of our teas.
Sugimoto Tea Company is also committed to green farming and production methods.
- Several of our partner tea farmers from Shizuoka use “chagusaba” (tea-grass fields), a traditional and sustainable practice that protects both the ecosystem and the farmers. In this method, tea is grown near grass fields, which provides a source of natural fertilizer and helps with pest control, water retention, and erosion control. Aside from tending to the tea fields, our partner farmers also care for these grass fields, which are home to several rare species of Japanese animals and insects.
- To reduce its environmental impact, our Shizuoka headquarters has installed solar panels on the factory roof and replaced mercury-containing lighting with more efficient LED lighting. This has allowed the factory to produce more energy than it requires, which is fed back to the local power company.
You can learn more about Proposition 65 here. Additionally, you can find the list of chemicals here.
For any concerns, please feel free to contact us.
