"Some Bigelow Tea Not 'Natural' Because It Contains Glyphosate, Lawsuit Says", 21 December 2017

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has filed a lawsuit against R.C. Bigelow, Inc. alleging that glyphosate—the world's most widely used weedkiller—can be detected in some of the company's popular tea products.

But the consumer interest group is not suing Bigelow due to the presence of the controversial chemical in its tea products...Rather, the complaint alleges that Bigelow deceptively labeled, marketed and sold tea products with the representation of "All Natural" and "Natural," making the products appear environmentally friendly...

While the lab results cited by OCA's lawsuit showed glyphosate levels far lower than the government's threshold of 1 ppm for dried leaves, the group believes there is no safe level of glyphosate exposure for a person...

While the company's own tests also found glyphosate levels for dried tea, they are "far below" both the federal limit and the OCA's finding, R.C. Bigelow, Inc. CEO Cynthia Bigelow, told Bloomberg.

She said there's a difference between dry tea, which is what the OCA's claim is based on, versus a cup of brewed tea with water.

When the tea is brewed the level is "absolutely zero," Bigelow said.

But Cummins countered that the company "knows that health-conscious consumers will pay a premium for 'all natural' products believing those products are free of pesticides and other contaminants."...

OCA is asking for an "injunction to halt Bigelow's false marketing and sale of the products," the lawsuit states.

Cynthia Bigelow told Bloomberg she does not expect the OCA's claims against her company's tea to hold up in court...