Does Matcha Contain Lead?

In the small set of matcha tests we found, every product had measurable lead, so the useful question is how much. A word on the evidence first: we didn’t find a government survey or peer-reviewed study of lead across matcha brands. The best data we found are a study of steeped tea and a small set of independent product tests.

Why is matcha different from steeped tea?

With steeped tea, you throw the leaves away. With matcha, the leaf is ground into powder and you consume all of it, so whatever is in the leaf stays in your drink.

Steeped tea isn’t always free of lead either. A 2013 study of 30 bagged teas found lead in every brewed tea, at about 0.1 to 4.39 µg/L. That study tested tea bags, not matcha, so it can’t tell you what’s in a matcha tin.

Where does the lead come from?

The 2013 study says contaminants in tea can vary with the soil, air and water where the plants grow. It also says soil pH can increase how much heavy metal leaches from the soil.

What have lab tests found in matcha?

Who tested	What	Lead
Lead Safe Mama, chart updated April 2025	9 matcha and matcha-flavored products	23 to 153 ppb
Lead Safe Mama, sample from December 2024	Jade Leaf Organic Ceremonial Matcha, Barista Edition	153 ppb

Parts per billion (ppb) equals micrograms per kilogram. So 1,000 ppb is 1 mg/kg.

Lead Safe Mama is a small business that campaigns on lead and runs community-funded lab tests. It isn’t a regulator, and it earns ad and affiliate income. Its reports show the lab, the method and the limits, which is why we include them, but they cover only the items tested.

Does Jade Leaf matcha contain lead?

One tested sample did. Lead Safe Mama’s report, run by SGS North America, found 153 µg/kg of lead in a Jade Leaf Barista Edition sample. That was the highest of the nine products on its chart, though the chart says it isn’t a ranking. A single sample can’t speak for every batch or product.

Jade Leaf says every batch is tested by an independent third-party lab, including for heavy metals, and that failing batches go back to the supplier. It also says it doesn’t share its test results, so we can’t report its own numbers.

Is there a safe limit for lead in matcha?

No safe level has been established. The FDA says there’s no known safe level of lead exposure, and the World Health Organization says no level is known to be without harmful effects.

The FDA does use benchmarks called interim reference levels, for lead from food overall: 2.2 µg a day for children and 8.8 µg a day for females of childbearing age. These aren’t safe limits, and they aren’t specific to matcha.

Lead in powder	Lead in a 2 g serving (our math)
23 ppb	About 0.05 µg
153 ppb	About 0.3 µg
1,000 ppb	2 µg

We also found no FDA lead limit written for tea. The FDA’s lead page lists action levels for foods for babies and young children, and a draft for juice, and it doesn’t mention tea.

What does a lab report tell you?

A certificate of analysis (COA) is the lab’s report on a batch. When you read one, check:

• Batch: It should match the lot on your package. One report says nothing about another harvest.
• Lab: Look for a named outside lab, not just the seller’s own statement.
• Lead result and unit: Convert ppm or mg/kg to ppb if you’re comparing products.
• Reporting limit: “Not detected” only means below that limit. The Jade Leaf report used 5 µg/kg.
• Date: Older results may not match what’s on the shelf now.
• Serving math: Multiply ppb by your grams of powder, then divide by 1,000 to get µg.

Why is “lead free” rarely meaningful?

The FDA says it isn’t possible to completely prevent lead from entering the food supply. So “lead free” usually means, at best, that a test found nothing above that lab’s limit. Every product on the Lead Safe Mama chart had a measurable amount of lead.

Ask a seller for the batch report and the limit used. If they can’t give you either, the claim tells you little. Organic doesn’t settle it either. In the 2013 study, organic teas didn’t appear to have less toxic element contamination than regular teas.

How can you lower your exposure?

• Favor brands that publish batch results.
• Keep servings modest, since the amount scales with the grams you use.
• If you’re pregnant or making drinks for children, talk to your healthcare provider. The FDA’s benchmarks focus on these groups. Green tea also has caffeine, which the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health says should stay moderate in pregnancy.
• If you want steeped tea instead, compare EGCG in matcha and brewed green tea before you switch.