I've got mail!

You may remember my post about Yogi Tea and their natural flavors. In trying out some of their other flavors I’ve wondered how natural they are. For instance, I saw on their “Tahitian Vanilla Hazelnut” list of flavors, they put “natural butterscotch flavor”. They claim that their natural flavors are derived from bark, leaves, herbs, etc., but I had no idea that there were butterscotch trees! Well, only in Tahiti, I guess.

I wrote to the Yogi company back in March and today I got a reply. It surprised me a little, because I had forgotten exactly what I had asked them about! Well, since I’ve only gotten in the habit of writing to food companies in relation to potential allergens, I had a slight idea.

The email was very informative and more in depth than most of the emails I have received in the past. It starts off with the fact Yogi takes “a very conservative stand whenever individual health issues, especially when allergies and intolerances are concerned.” That statement is so nice I’m willing to forgive the missing comma. They state that none of their natural flavors contain the FDA’s list of 8 major allergens, however some teas do contain barley and this ingredient is listed on the label. The sucrose they use is derived from sugar beets and sugar cane, not corn, however they are not sure if the producers of their natural flavors process corn derivatives with the same equipment as the Yogi ones. Yogi explains that “Corn is not considered one of the FDA’s 8 major allergens so manufacturers do not have to list it on their allergen statements; therefore we cannot guarantee that the natural flavors do not come into contact with corn derivatives, indirectly.”

As I’ve mentioned before, the corn issue isn’t the biggest cause for concern. I think if my boyfriend really wanted he could drink this tea, however with finals coming up he won’t risk the chance of having a reaction.

I’m quite pleased with the response I got from Yogi, however I wish they had this information on their website. With more and more people seeming to develop allergies, you’d expect the customer service reps to get tired of typing out these responses. However, despite the fact that I had to contact the company directly, it was worth it: they are going to send me two complimentary tea bags! Okay, fine it’s only two bags of tea. However, being in college means I’m willing to except anything free, even if it’s a button. They give you a choice of different “paired” sets of tea bags, the pairs having names like “Delicously Energizing” and “Nurturing Mother”. I chose the “Immunity” pair, which contains an Echinacea blend and also kombucha. I have no idea how bagged kombucha is going to taste, but I’m intrigued. And besides, it’s free.

(image from here. And no, that's Meg Ryan. Not me)