does matcha contain heavy metals? here's what you need to know

There's a lot going around lately about matcha and heavy metals. On social media, in health blogs, on forums. The question "is my matcha actually safe?" keeps coming up. And to be fair: that question deserves an honest answer.

How do heavy metals end up in matcha?

Tea plants (like almost all other plants) take up substances from the soil through their roots. That's how they grow. Along with nutrients, they can also take up small amounts of heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium, arsenic and mercury. That's not something producers "do", it's simply how nature works.

With matcha there's something extra: you don't just drink an infusion of the leaf (as with regular green tea), you consume the ground leaf itself. That means you also take in the substances stored in the leaf.

The amount depends heavily on two things: the quality of the soil the tea grows in, and how the tea is cultivated.

Isn't organic automatically safe?

This is a common, and understandable, misconception.

Organically grown means no synthetic pesticides or fertilisers were used. That's good, and it's an important choice. But it says nothing about soil quality or the absence of heavy metals.

An organic-certified tea can still contain elevated levels of heavy metals if the soil it grows in is prone to them. The other way around: a well-chosen, carefully grown organic matcha from a clean growing region can sit comfortably within all safety standards.

The organic label is a good start, but it isn't the whole story.

What are the standards?

The European Union has set official maximum levels for heavy metals in food, laid down in EU Regulation 2023/915. These are legal limits that products sold in Europe must meet.

Those standards exist for good reason: with low, normal consumption of foods that fall within these limits, there's no cause for concern for healthy adults.

How do you know your matcha is safe?

Simply put: by testing. And by showing the results.

We have every batch of our matcha tested by Eurofins, one of the most recognised accredited food safety laboratories in Europe. Eurofins tests for lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg), the four heavy metals most relevant to tea and food.

The results of our batches sit well within the European maximum limits.

What makes our matcha different?

• Origin: our matcha comes from Japan, one of the most strictly regulated tea-growing regions in the world. We know the farmers and their process.
• Certified organic: no pesticides, no synthetic fertilisers.
• Tested per batch by Eurofins: not once, but with every new batch.

And the other products in your daily life?

For context: heavy metals aren't only found in tea. Dark chocolate, rice, spinach, carrots: they all naturally contain traces of heavy metals. It always comes down to the amount and how often you're exposed. With matcha of good origin and proven low values, there's no reason for concern with normal use.

In short

Matcha isn't dangerous by definition. But it's a product where origin, cultivation and independent testing really make the difference. With us, you don't have to take our word for it; we show you.

Questions? We're happy to answer them at drink@asa-matcha.com