Heavy metal testing in Japanese matcha and tea: our 2026 lab results

Heavy metal testing in Japanese matcha and tea

Every six months we send samples of our full tea range to Agrifood Technology in Werribee, a NATA-accredited Australian laboratory, and we ask them to test for the four heavy metals that matter in Japanese tea: lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. The results from our March 2026 testing came back two weeks ago. We're publishing every number in this post.

This is a long read. If you only want the table, scroll to the section called "Teafy's March 2026 results." If you want to understand what the numbers mean, why some brands say "lead-free" and "non-detect" when no soil-grown tea actually is, and how to read a lab report without being misled, keep going.

Why heavy metals end up in tea

Tea is grown in soil. Soil contains trace amounts of every metal that naturally occurs in the earth's crust, including lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury. Tea plants, like all plants, draw up nutrients from soil through their roots. Trace metals come along for the ride. This is not a Japanese tea problem. It is a global agriculture problem. Rice, leafy greens, root vegetables, chocolate, coffee, and herbal teas all carry trace heavy metals for the same reason.

Why matcha needs testing more than other teas

Matcha gets singled out for one fair reason: you consume the whole leaf as powder, not as a brew. When you steep regular tea, around 90% of any heavy metal contamination stays in the leaf and ends up in your compost. When you whisk matcha, you drink the leaf. So matcha delivers more of whatever the leaf contains. This is true of every matcha on the market. It is also why responsible matcha brands test every batch.

What gets tested:

• Lead
• Arsenic
• Cadmium
• Mercury

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Teafy's March 2026 lab results

Eight samples, four metals each. Testing conducted between 26 March and 31 March 2026. Report number 485468, job number J2603-2961, issued 7 April 2026 by Agrifood Technology Pty Ltd, NATA accreditation number 2726. All values in milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg).

Teafy Kyoto Uji Matcha Ceremonial Organic

Arsenic 0.068 · Cadmium 0.017 · Lead 0.071 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Ceremonial Grade Matcha Powder

Arsenic 0.021 · Cadmium 0.013 · Lead 0.067 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Superior Culinary Grade Matcha

Arsenic 0.028 · Cadmium 0.015 · Lead 0.070 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Hojicha Powder

Arsenic 0.015 · Cadmium 0.011 · Lead 0.049 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Japanese Hojicha Loose Leaf

Arsenic 0.019 · Cadmium 0.011 · Lead 0.064 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Japanese Asamushi Sencha Green

Arsenic 0.012 · Cadmium below 0.010 · Lead 0.051 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Japanese Fukamushi Sencha Green

Arsenic 0.027 · Cadmium 0.012 · Lead 0.093 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

Teafy Organic Japanese Genmaicha Roasted Rice

Arsenic 0.065 · Cadmium 0.016 · Lead 0.028 · Mercury below 0.010 mg/kg

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What the numbers actually mean

A milligram per kilogram is the same as a part per million, or one thousand parts per billion. It's a tiny unit. To picture it: 0.067 mg/kg of lead in our Ceremonial Grade Matcha means that one full 50g tin contains 0.00335 milligrams of lead. A daily 1g serving delivers 0.067 micrograms.

For context, the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code sets maximum lead levels in food categories under Standard 1.4.1. The European Union's Commission Regulation 2023/915 sets enforceable maximum levels for the European market, which Teafy complies with as part of our EU Organic certification. For most plant-based foods, regulatory lead limits fall between 0.1 and 3 mg/kg. Teafy's highest lead result was 0.093 mg/kg in our Fukamushi Sencha. That sits below the lower end of regulatory thresholds.

The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code is public. EU Regulation 2023/915 is public too. Compare our numbers to the limits yourself.

What "non-detect" and "lead-free" really mean

A lot of matcha brands publish lab results that say "non-detect" or "ND" for one or more heavy metals. Some market themselves as "lead-free." Both phrases can be technically truthful and still misleading.

Every laboratory has a limit of detection, the lowest concentration its equipment can reliably measure for a given metal. If a sample contains less than that, the lab reports "non-detect." That doesn't mean zero. It means below the lab's threshold.

Two labs can test the same matcha and report different results depending on their limits of detection. A lab with a limit of 0.5 mg/kg for lead will report "non-detect" on a sample that actually contains 0.4 mg/kg. A lab with a limit of 0.010 mg/kg will report 0.4 mg/kg. Both are correct. Only one is informative.

"Lead-free" is a marketing phrase, not a regulatory one. No soil-grown food is genuinely lead-free at the parts-per-billion level. Plants absorb trace amounts from the ground they grow in. A "lead-free" claim either reflects a lab with a high detection limit masking a real number, or it's a stretch of language that wouldn't survive a regulator's audit.

If you're shopping for matcha and want to compare brands, ask three questions. One, what is the actual mg/kg result for lead in your most recent batch? Two, what laboratory tested it and what is their accreditation number? Three, what is the lab's limit of detection? A brand that can't answer all three should make you pause.

Why we test the way we test

Agrifood Technology in Werribee is accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 testing standards by the National Association of Testing Authorities, NATA accreditation 2726. This is the same accreditation used by Australian Government agencies for food safety enforcement. The methods used for Teafy's testing are TP/394 ICP-MS for metals and TP/394 for mercury. Every report is signed by the lab's National Laboratory Operations Manager.

We test every six months at minimum. When a new harvest arrives at our Melbourne manufacturing centre, the batch gets tested before any of it goes into a can. If a batch ever came back over our internal limits, that batch wouldn't ship.

We pay for this testing ourselves. No certification body subsidises it. No regulator requires us to publish it. We do it because we think you deserve real numbers.

You don't have to take our word for any of this. Agrifood Technology's NATA accreditation can be verified directly on the NATA register at nata.com.au by searching accreditation number 2726. The lab's contact details, including phone number and address, are on every report we receive.

Frequently asked questions

Does all matcha contain heavy metals?

Trace amounts, yes. All matcha is grown in soil. Soil contains naturally occurring trace metals. The relevant question is how much, and how it compares to regulatory limits. Teafy's March 2026 results are well below the maximum levels set by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code and EU Commission Regulation 2023/915.

What is the lead level in Teafy ceremonial matcha?

Our March 2026 testing showed 0.067 mg/kg of lead in our Ceremonial Grade Matcha and 0.071 mg/kg in our Kyoto Uji Ceremonial Matcha. Both are well below regulatory thresholds for plant-based food categories.

Where does Teafy get tested?

Agrifood Technology Pty Ltd, Food Safety Laboratory, 260 Princes Highway, Werribee, Victoria 3030. Accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 testing standards by the National Association of Testing Authorities, NATA accreditation 2726.

Why doesn't Teafy say "non-detect" for lead like some brands?

Because all soil-grown tea contains trace amounts of lead, and we want to give you the real number rather than hide behind a laboratory's limit of detection. "Non-detect" only means below a specific lab's testing threshold. It does not mean zero. We publish actual mg/kg values so you can compare us to regulatory limits and to other brands honestly.

If you have questions about anything in this report, the lab, the farm in Shizuoka, or anything else, write to us directly. info@teafy.com.au. If you want to verify Agrifood Technology's accreditation yourself, the NATA register is at nata.com.au. Search 2726.

Download the lab report (PDF) below.