Global trading has recently become one of the most profitable industries, and in most countries, becoming an importer is no longer complicated, especially with the help of digital technology. However, finding the right supplier is crucial for the import business across all industries. For instance, there are several qualities importers in the food industry must consider, such as ease of communication, cross-border payments, quality of food products, regulatory compliance, and health compliance.
It’s also worth noting that export requirements may vary from one country to the other.
This post discusses health certificates a tea supplier must have before exporting to importers in other countries. For anyone in the tea business, this is something they need to check before doing business with food products suppliers.
6 Health Certificates a Tea Supplier Must Have
FDA Certificate
FDA is an initial for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, whose role is protecting public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and the nation’s food supply. When a supplier is FDA certified, it means they’re registered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. It also implies that the supplier’s products are safe and effective for the intended use and that they can process the products to federal quality standards.
USDA Organic Certificate
USDA organic certification is issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture or other USDA-accredited entities to farmers or handling facilities around the world to verify they comply with USDA organic regulations. If you see a USDA-certified label on a tea supplier’s product, it means that the product is either 100% completely organic or 95 to 99% organic with non-organic ingredients.
EU Organic Certificate
EU organic certificate shows that a supplier’s products fully conform to the conditions and regulations for the organic farming sector established by the European Union.
NOTE: organic products certified to the USDA organic or EU organic standards may be sold, labeled, and represented as organic in both countries. This is because the United States has an “equivalency arrangement” with the EU which eliminates the need for U.S. organic operations to have a separate certification to the EU standards and vice versa.
Food Safety System Certification (FSSC 22000)
FSSC 22000 is certification is an internationally accepted complete certification scheme for food safety management systems to ensure safe food, feed, and packaging to the consumer goods industry. It’s one of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) certified schemes tea suppliers are required to have.
HACCP Certificate
Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point System (HACCP) certification is a food safety system that prevents safety from being compromised. A tea supplier who has undergone a rigorous audit from an accredited HACCP third-party certification body should have a HACCP certification.
ISO 9001: 2015 Certificate
ISO 9001: 2015 Certificate is a global standard that sets requirements for a strong Quality Management System. It outlines specific processes and activities an organization should create, implement, maintain, and improve to manage to make quality products or deliver services successfully.
Bottom Line
Tea retailers buying tea products in bulk should always ensure they buy from certified tea suppliers to acquire quality products. Bluesea Tea is a reliable tea supplier with all of the above-outlined certificates. Therefore, you’re assured of quality tea products such as green tea, black tea, Oolong tea, and white tea.