Page 8 - Preparation of Tea Brochure

III. Tea and Food Safety
There are three basic types of tea derived from the same plant known as Camellia Sinensis. The beverage has been safely consumed for nearly 5000 years without any documented reports of foodborne illness. As a result of the process which raw tea undergoes in production, the nished leaf is relatively free of harmful bacteria.
If the storage, brewing, and sanitation recommendations in this manual are followed, the end product will almost certainly be consumable without danger of illness. This statement assumes that the preparation area has not become a cross-contamination hazard from outside sources and that personnel practice proper hand washing techniques.
Based on these preparation techniques and the absence of a cross contamination risk potential, “fecal coliform” counts or reports of E.coli should be eliminated.
As a word of caution, tea leaves, as with most plant foods such as vegetables, may carry species of bacteria known as Klebsiella and Enterobacter species which are not harmful but frequently are responsible for false-positive fecal coliform tests indicating fecal contamination. Many times journalists, and speci cally the test laboratories they have employed have used improper methods for testing which have led to errors and thereby improper test interpretations.
If a restaurant is cited for bacteria or E.coli or fecal contamination in tea, please immediately contact the Tea Association of the U.S.A., Inc. or the National Restaurant Association. These entities can provide the testing laboratory with the proper FDA recommended testing procedures which should prevent both the restaurant and the media from being embarrassed by a false positive reporting.
IV. Health Bene ts of Tea
An Overview of Research on the Potential Health Bene ts of Tea
Introduction
Tea is an ancient beverage steeped in history and romance and loved by many. In fact, so popular is tea that it is the most commonly consumed beverage in the world after water. Although tea had a modest beginning (it was discovered by accident), its popularity spread from its origins in China to Western Europe and the Americas. Throughout history, tea has been believed by many to aid the liver, destroy the typhoid germ, purify the body and preserve mental equilibrium. Over the past few decades, scientists have taken a closer look at the potential health bene ts of tea and have discovered that much of the folklore about tea may actually be true.
How Tea Works in the Body
Tea contains avonoids, naturally occurring compounds that have been shown to have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants work to neutralize free radicals, which scientists believe, over time, damage elements in the body, such as genetic material and lipids, and contribute to many chronic diseases. Recent research has explored the potential health attributes of tea through studies in humans and animal models, and through in vitro laboratory research. For the most part, studies conducted on Green, Black and White Tea, which are all from the Camellia Sinensis plant, have yielded similar results.
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