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part 2-

how is all the nasty stuff gets on these plants/roots/berries?

Choose products with the lowest levels of heavy metals. CR's tests found at least one product that fit in our No Concern category for every herb and spice we tested except oregano and thyme.

Focus on herbs and spices that are lower in heavy metals. These were black pepper, coriander, curry powder, garlic powder, saffron, sesame seeds, and white pepper. That doesn't mean that every brand of these herbs and spices is low in heavy metals, because we didn't test them all. But it is easy to find low-risk versions of them.

Don't assume some brands are safer than others. CR's tests could not determine whether one brand was consistently better or worse than any other. And organic products did not have consistently lower levels than conventionally grown ones. While that might surprise some, CR's Ronholm says the USDA's organic standards don't include heavy metal testing.

Grow and dry your own. That might be a particularly good idea if you use a lot of basil, oregano, and thyme; in our tests all or almost all the brands tested were high in heavy metals. Read more about how to grow and dry your own herbs and spices.