Pesticide concerns prompt recall of nearly 900,000 Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea bags

Hundreds of thousands of bags of Organic Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea were voluntarily recalled by the East West Tea Company earlier this month after pesticide residues were detected at levels unsafe for consumption.

The traces of pesticides were found as part of routine audit procedures, according to a statement from Yogi.

The company said that it doesn't use pesticides in its farming, but they can drift onto their land if a neighboring farm is applying pesticides or chemical fertilizers.

Yogi also said that the traces of pesticides found in the Echinacea posed no risk of harm or illness, but that the product did not meet its high-quality standards.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) was notified by Yogi and is still investigating the recall of the nearly 900,000 bags that showed toxicity above action level. The FDA established action levels for things like pesticides based on what is and isn't avoidable around the growing of food.

In this case, the tea was found to have an avoidable amount of pesticides, so a voluntary recall was issued by the company.

The FDA tests food for over 800 pesticide chemical residues and releases an annual report on the findings.

More information on the recalled tea bags

Organic Yogi Echinacea Immune Support tea is sold in boxes that include 4 packs each and equally 64 bags in total. They are marked with UPC number: 0 76950 45010 3. The CASE GTIN on the recalled products are 60076950450105 and 20076950450107.

The recalled lot numbers are #0000184330, #0000184853, #0000185098, #0000185100, #0000185383, #0000185385, #0000185387, #0000185389, #0000185434, #0000185436, #0000185828, #0000185830, #0000185832, #0000186519, #0000186521, #000184062, #0000186900, #0000186902, #0000186904, #0000187357, #0000187359, #0000187400, #0000187402, #0000187769, #0000188028, #0000188030, #0000188045, #0000188114, #0000186600, #0000186910, #0000187155, #0000184691, #0000184963, #0000185381, and #0000185518.

What to do next if you have the recalled tea

Yogi has put in place new testing capabilities to avoid this from happening again, the company stated, and apologized for any alarm the recall caused.

The East West Tea company urged those who have purchased the product to throw it away or return it to the store where the tea was purchased.

Consumers with questions should contact Yogi at 1-800-964-4832, by email at customerservice@yogiproducts.com or by going to the customer service link on the company website.

See what other products have been recently recalled by visiting USA TODAY's database for food and drugs.