The Choices Programme was developed to help the consumer make healthy selections quickly and easily. The ‘Healthy Choice’ stamp lets the consumer know, at a glance, that the tea is a healthy choice within the beverage category as it meets specific product criteria developed by an independent, international group of scientists. The product criteria are used to evaluate food products based on their nutritional composition.
Adulteration and falsification are serious problems in the global tea trade; the amount of Indian tea sold per year is around five times higher than its estimated annual production. Hence, the Tea Board of India administers the certification logos which ensures the purity of Indian tea. Only teas exclusively from tea gardens located within defined geographical regions of India can display these logo. These gardens meet criteria laid down by the Tea Board of India for planting, growing, plucking, processing and production of tea.
Organic is a labeling term that indicates that the food or other agricultural product has been produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation, and genetic engineering. USDA's National Organic Program regulates the standards for any farm, wild crop harvesting, or handling operation that sells an agricultural product as organically produced and assures consumers that the organic foods they purchase are produced, processed, and certified to be consistent with national organic standards.