AR
RU
ZH
UZ
HI
UR
FA
FR
VI
SGS test report on our green tea: pesticide residue results
Our latest SGS test report, No. 0001533483, was issued by SGS Vietnam Ltd. on 29 June 2026 for a sample of our dried green tea. It covers a pesticide residue screen of 1,150 analytes. Page 1 is shown below. The other 20 pages, with the result tables and the full screening list, are locked on the web and sent to buyers on request.
What the SGS test report covers
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Report No. | 0001533483 (Job No. 2606A-5161), 21 pages |
| Laboratory | SGS Vietnam Ltd., ISO/IEC 17025 accredited laboratory (VILAS 237) |
| Client | Goo Farm Tea Vietnam Company Limited |
| Sample | Tea submitted by the client, reference "Dried Green Tea - Goo Farm Tea Vietnam", sample ID 2606A-5161.001 |
| Received and tested | Received 23 June 2026, tested 23 to 29 June 2026 |
| Pesticide residues | 1,150 analytes, including metabolites and residue sums, by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS (EN 15662:2018) |
Residues with a US tolerance for tea
In the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sets a tolerance for each pesticide on each food it covers: the maximum residue allowed. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enforces these tolerances on imported food, including tea. They are published in 40 CFR Part 180, and many of them have an entry for tea.
The table below lists the residues found in this sample that have a US tolerance for tea, with each result as a share of that tolerance (1 mg/kg = 1 ppm):
| Residue | SGS result (mg/kg) | US tolerance for tea (mg/kg) | Share of the tolerance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buprofezin | 0.16 | 20 | 0.8% |
| Permethrin (sum of cis- and trans-isomers) | 0.13 | 20 | 0.65% |
| Thiamethoxam (with clothianidin, as thiamethoxam) | 0.038 | 20 | 0.19% |
| Cypermethrin (sum of isomers) | 0.035 | 15 | 0.23% |
| Clothianidin | trace, below 0.01 | 70 | below 0.02% |
Commodity names as listed in 40 CFR 180: tea, dried (cypermethrin, thiamethoxam, clothianidin); tea, plucked leaves (permethrin); tea (buprofezin).
All five are below 1% of their US tolerance. For each of them, 40 CFR 180 notes that the pesticide has no US registration for use on tea: these are import tolerances, set so that tea grown abroad can be sold in the United States. Tolerances are as listed in the eCFR on 15 October 2026.
US rules do not follow the EU or Codex lists. If a pesticide has no US tolerance for tea, any measurable residue of it is a violation, so a US buyer should check every result on the full report against 40 CFR 180, and test the lot that will ship. Our guide to importing tea from Vietnam to the USA explains how FDA screens tea at the port and what your Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) needs. If you are buying for the US, ask us to test your lot before shipment.
The 1,150-analyte pesticide screen
SGS used EN 15662:2018, a European standard (CEN) multi-residue method for pesticides in plant foods, often called QuEChERS. The tea is extracted with acetonitrile, cleaned up, and then analysed twice: by liquid chromatography and by gas chromatography, each with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS). Using both catches pesticides that only one technique can detect.
The 1,150 analytes are listed one by one in the annex of the report, including breakdown products and the residue sums that regulators use. Every analyte on that list that does not appear in the result tables was at or below the limit of detection.
Two terms help when reading any residue report:
- Limit of detection (LOD): the level at or below which the laboratory reports a residue as not detected. For the residues above, it was 0.003 mg/kg.
- Limit of quantitation (LOQ): the lowest level the laboratory can measure with a stated accuracy, here 0.01 mg/kg. A result written as "<0.01" means the residue was detected, but below the level that can be measured precisely: a trace.
See page 1 and unlock the full report
Page 1 is the cover page with the sample details. Pages 2 to 21 hold the result tables, the laboratory notes and the full list of 1,150 analytes. They are locked on the web.
To unlock them, request the full SGS test report and we will email you the complete signed PDF. The same report is shown on our home page under Our certificates.
How to verify the report
- Ask us for the complete report (all 21 pages, PDF).
- Upload the PDF to the SGS document verification form. SGS checks complete documents only: a report number alone cannot be verified.
- Check that the report reads GOO FARM TEA VIETNAM COMPANY LIMITED and Report No. 0001533483.
What this report does and does not tell you
- It shows results for one sample of green tea, tested in June 2026. It does not cover every grade we produce.
- It is not a statement of US compliance: the table above compares only the residues that have a US tolerance for tea.
- We can test any grade you are considering before you order.
- For a contract, we can test the grade and lot you order, at SGS, at Eurofins or at a laboratory you name. Third-party inspection by SGS or Dai Viet Control can also be arranged per shipment.
Questions buyers ask
Is this an FDA certificate? No. FDA does not approve or certify tea, and no laboratory report is an FDA approval. EPA sets pesticide tolerances and FDA enforces them on imports; a third-party report is one input to a US importer's Foreign Supplier Verification Program, and the importer still checks every result against 40 CFR 180.
Do you have a report checked against EU limits? Yes. Our Eurofins test report on green tea states that the pesticide results are in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 396/2005, the EU law on maximum residue levels.
Which teas can be tested? Any grade we supply: green tea, orthodox black tea, CTC or tea dust. Our guide to Vietnamese green tea grades explains the green tea grades, and the tea specifications page lists the STD codes.
