Is Tea from China Safe? A Comprehensive Look at China's Pesticide Controls

As a tea producer in Fujian, China, I’ve noticed frequent discussions on Reddit about the safety of Chinese tea. Many comments lack credible insights, so I aim to provide clarity based on firsthand experience. I regularly source tea from various regions and monitor industry practices closely.

Table of Contents

• History of Pesticide Use in China
  • Early Stages of Reform and Opening-Up (1978–1997)
  • Awakening to Pesticide Risks (1997–2020)
  • The Rise of Natural Farming (2020–Present)
• Simplified Comparison of Pesticide Regulations: China vs. the U.S.
• Why Do Some Pesticides Lack MRLs in China?
• China’s Pesticide Control System
• Operating a Pesticide Shop in China
• Pesticide Use Practices
• Tea Export Procedures from China
• Unofficial Tea Grading Systems

History of pesticide use in China

Understanding China’s pesticide journey requires acknowledging that progress takes time.

Silent Spring is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson. Published on September 27, 1962, the book documented the environmental harm caused by the indiscriminate use of DDT, a pesticide used by soldiers during World War II.

– Wikipedia

That was what ever happened, I do not live in the USA and have no memory of that era, but I do remember my grandma ever used washing powder for hair washing and a neighbor tried DDT. At that time almost every family has two pescides: 666 and DDT, they were used for fighting cockroach, rats etc, it’s almost a magic. Now in the 21th centry it’s impossible to find these two pesticides in our daily life.

Early Stages of Reform and Opening-Up (1978–1997)

Pesticides were seen as saviors during this period. Memories of famine (1958–1961) drove farmers to prioritize crop yields over safety. My grandfather recounted fleeing starvation with his family, a common survival tactic.

Key Takeaway: Teas produced during this era may contain unsafe pesticide residues.

Awakening to Pesticide Risks (1997–2020)

Rising living standards and a growing middle class shifted priorities from quantity to food safety. In 1997, China introduced its first Pesticide Management Regulations, phasing out highly toxic chemicals. By 2020, a robust regulatory framework promoted biopesticides. Anecdotes even emerged of failed suicide attempts using modern, less lethal pesticides.

The Rise of Natural Farming (2020–Present)

The COVID-19 pandemic heightened health awareness, accelerating demand for organic products. Social media amplifies food safety scandals, pressuring producers to adopt stricter practices. Taiwan’s 1999 earthquake inadvertently demonstrated tea’s resilience without pesticides, boosting confidence in sustainable methods.

Simplified Comparison of Pesticide Regulations: China vs. the U.S.

China’s GB 2763-2021 standard lists 106 pesticides with Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for tea, while the U.S. regulates 54 pesticides under the Code of Federal Regulations. Below is a partial comparison (units: mg/kg):

China maintain a National Banned Pesticide List and update it regularly like this 2024 updation, local government may have more prohibitions based on this list.

Why Do Some Pesticides Lack MRLs in China?

1. Registration Differences: Pesticides not widely used in a country may lack MRLs.
2. Risk Assessment Focus: China emphasizes long-term cumulative risks; the U.S. prioritizes acute exposure.
3. Agricultural Priorities: As the world’s largest tea producer, China tailors standards for export compliance, while the U.S. addresses domestic crop needs.

Pest Variations:

• China: Targets leafhoppers and geometrids with bifenthrin/cypermethrin.
• U.S.: Smaller tea farms face different pests, leading to divergent regulations.

Pesticide control system in China

The 2023 Pesticide Management Regulations outline a strict framework:

1. Administration: The administrative department in charge is Ministry of Agriculture and local governments at or above the county level.
2. Registration: Mandatory for new pesticides.
3. Licensing: Required for production, sales, and application.
4. Oversight: Local governments enforce safe usage and monitor compliance.
5. Penalties: Legal liabilities for violations.

This is a tightly interconnected system, every part has its responsibility and In order to implement this law, there are five supporting implementation rules as below:

1. Measures for the Administration of Pesticide Registration
2. Regulations on the Administration of Pesticide Production License
3. Measures for the Administration of Pesticide Business License
4. Management Measures for Pesticide Labels and Instructions
5. Management Measures for Pesticide Registration and Testing

The whole act has been updated for several times since publishing, so it can keep up with the development of new technology and society.

Running a pesticide shop in China

License is a MUST for everyone who wanna sell pesticide in China, besides not everyone can do this business, except a requirement of fixed site for conducting business operations and right equipments, the people who run this business needs to be a professional, an educational background related to pesticides or go through a 56 class hours training and pass the graduation examination.

The key requirements is shown below:

1. Licensing: Applying for the license.
2. Transaction Logs: All sales are recorded in a national system.
3. ID Verification: No ID no business. This means every consumer needs to show out their ID and pass the facial verification.
4. Community Accountability: Reputation matters in tight-knit rural areas.

For better understanding, selling gun in USA is a good example, they have something similar. In the United States there are five steps to legally sell a gun:

1. Obtain a Federal Firearms License, background check is required.
2. Prepare the firearm for sale.
3. Verify the buyer’s eligibility.
4. Complete ATF Form 4473 to log down details of transaction.
5. Maintain accurate records.

Analogy: Similar to U.S. firearm sales, but with stricter real-time tracking.

One big difference is pesticide business is quite local in China, it just happened mostly in several villages and in such small places people normally know each other, it’s kind of difficult to hide in this small area. If one pesticide works well, all people will know. If sell an illegal pesticide to someone, people will know too. So it’s about the reputation in the end.

Some pesticide use practices

How to use the pesticide is another real world question, even you buy it from legal shop it can go wrong too. There are three safeguards ensure proper application:

1. Government Training: Free workshops for farmers.
2. Retailer Guidance: Shops advise on dosage, timing, and methods.
3. Corporate Oversight: Cooperatives supply approved pesticides to members, no other pesticide can be used. In China lots of individual tea farmer have contract with the company or join together to form agricultural cooperatives.

Tea export procedure from China

All above is just what happens in China inside, in order to ship teas to forigener, it needs to go through a strict process.

Here I wanna to make a point, tea is governed as food in China and food normally has most strick rule no matter in which country.

So as a country has over 1.4 billiion population, a lot of us drink the tea daily, but it can not sell to forigeners directly as different country has their own rule, especially the Maximum Residue Level (MRL), so here is the following process.

Exports follow strict protocols:

1. Registration: Gardens and factories must register locally.
2. Inspections: The Commodity Inspection Bureau (CIB) tests teas against destination-country standards.
3. Approval: CIB clearance is required before shipping.

This is about tea export from China, the destination country also has a procedure for tea import, let’s take United States as an example:

U.S. Import Process:

1. Submit Importer Security Filing (ISF).
2. File FDA Prior Notice.
3. Pay duties.
4. Pass FDA inspection.

This is just a brief statement, for more detialed instruction please check How to Import China teas into USA.

Unofficial tea grading system

In the western tea is graded based on picking standard as OP, FBOP, FBOP1, PEKOE etc where F = Flowery, O = Organge, P = Pekoe, B = Broken. This is different in China, officially it’s graded as Super Grade, Grade 1, 2, 3 but in the real world this grading system is sank, as a consumer the easiest but not safe guarentee way is to buy according to the price, then vendor reputation.

This system is not based on quality or sanitary only, it’s a mix. The biggest part which is also the foundation is conventional tea, then organic, the top is forest tea which live in uninterrupted nature. Forest tea is pesticide free but no commercial certificate though it can be organic certified but normally people just leave it alone, because consumers who buy this kind of tea is to buy a chance to touch the nature not the certificate and most of them have enough knowledge to judge by themself instead of outer certificate.

China is big and a lot of areas have tea, the forest tea exists most likely in Yunnan, Guangxi, Guizhou, also small production of this tea could be found in Wuyi Mountain and other area. Normally they are quite expensive and not available in the western market.

Q&A

Q: Why do some U.S.-sold Chinese teas still have pesticide issues?
No system is flawless, but rigorous controls minimize risks.

Q: Why is organic tea more expensive?
Certification requires audits, paperwork, and annual fees.

Q: Where to find pesticide-free tea without certification?
Research transparent vendors or visit How to Find Pesticide-Free Tea in China.

Q: How to ensure tea safety?
Trust vendors with third-party lab reports and strong reputations.

Q: Does organic tea taste better?
Not necessarily. Terroir (soil, climate) and craftsmanship matter most.