Clipping of news on Brazilian Culture, Law and Citizenship
08/21/2012
This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.
Learn what the Brazilian lesgislação requires to appear on the labels of teas sold in the Country
The tea consumption in Brazil has been growing in recent years. Beverage prepared by infusing leaves, flowers or roots of plants, the tea is generally prepared with hot water, and each variety acquires a flavor defined according to the processing used, which can be with or without fermentation, toasted or not, may be added or flavoring and spices.
According to Brazilian law, the labels of the teas sold in the country should mandatorily contain the ingredient list, identifying the origin, name or business name and address of the importer - in the case of imported food - batch identification, expiry validity and instructions on preparation.
Also according to the regulation of ANVISA (National Health Surveillance Agency), is not permitted on the label teas, any information you give indication or drug therapy (prevention, treatment or cure of disease) or indications for newborn children .
The latest assessment by INMETRO (National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology), 2009, was relatively positive, showing that only four brands of 22 analyzed, presented some non-compliance with certain resolutions by ANVISA. You can check here the agency report.
Teas
If you are not expert in the drink, know that there are four main types of tea, divided by how the herbs are harvested and processed:
- White tea: is from India and China, being the least processed among the herbs. It is made from buds, harvested before they mature and open up and put to dry. The light color of the herb is eventually transmitted to the beverage during infusion.
- Black tea: Tea is also known as English. The preparation process of the herb is the longest among all types, including dry, oxidize and burn the leaves. It is characterized by being the only type of fermented beverage, which gives it a reddish color and a sweet smell.
- Green Tea: is not characterized by oxidation of the leaves, keeping the original green color, hence the name. It has a characteristic odor of herbs and a unique shade of green.
- Oolong tea: This herb produces a kind of semi-fermented drink, because the process is stopped before it becomes black tea, and it features loads of green and black types.
For the regulation of ANVISA, every time you have a tea in its composition two or more plant species, their packaging needs to bring the term "tea misto", followed by the common names of plant species or the name established by custom. The same should occur when the tea is plus spices or sugar is added.
Storing
To keep the tea without losing their main quality and flavor, storage needs to be done carefully. Regardless of the type of tea, to maintain the aroma and flavor of the herb is required that the consumer keeps the product in a dark container and hermetically sealed, as a can. Should be avoided transparent packaging (to avoid exposure to light) or wood (the wood odor can influence the flavor of the herb.) One should not also save different types of tea in the same package so that the flavors do not mix. Lastly, it is advisable to respect the expiration date, whether the product is well conserved.
Source: IDEC
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This article was translated by an automatic translation system, and was therefore not reviewed by people.