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Rooibos Tea Is Africa's First Food To Join The EU's List Of Protected Products

A farm worker grades and treats rooibos tea leaves before packaging in the Clanwilliam district of South Africa in 2017.
Mujahid Safodien
/
AFP via Getty Images
A farm worker grades and treats rooibos tea leaves before packaging in the Clanwilliam district of South Africa in 2017.

The European Union has added a South African tea to its register of products with a protected designation of origin. Ish Mafundikwa prepared this report for NPR's Newscast unit.

Rooibos ("red bush" in Afrikaans) joins France's Champagne, Greece's feta cheese and Colombian coffee on the list. The tea is said to have numerous health benefits.

The rooibos-producing community in South Africa is justifiably excited about the certification.

"It protects the product against would-be producers outside of the rooibos region in South Africa," said Dawie de Villiers, legal director of the South African Rooibos Council.

The listing means only rooibos from the South Africa region can use the EU's red and yellow "protected designation of origin" (PDO) logo.

The status protects consumers from any fake teas labeled rooibos. It also should result in premium pricing for the tea, which should benefit farmers. It's the first African food to be added to the exclusive list.


This story originally appeared on the Morning Edition live blog.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Rachel Treisman (she/her) is a writer and editor for the Morning Edition live blog, which she helped launch in early 2021.

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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