Herbal Tea Database 1. Herbal Tea Database: Part A2. Beta Version

Transcription

1 Herbal Tea Database 1 Herbal Tea Database: Part A2. Beta Version Group 3 Yu-Ting Lin, M. M., H. O., and A. R. San Jose State University LIBR 202 Professor Virginia Tucker

2 Herbal Tea Database 2 Statement of Purpose Herbal tea is a type of tea made from a combination of herbal spices and plant materials. For centuries, people have consumed herbal tea for its flavor and its health benefits. To satisfy those objectives, the Herbal Tea Database offers users the ability to locate herbal tea based on what s in the tea and what medicinal and physical benefits it offers. Users of the database can search for herbal tea across eight distinct fields: brand, name, primary ingredients, health benefits, caffeine content, USDA-certified organic content, packaging, and rating. Target Audience The typical users of this database are between the ages of 20 to 40, familiar with the Internet, and moderately active on social media websites. They are busy and health-conscious. However, they do not have much time to invest in researching and selecting teas that address their needs. This database will allow our target audience to explore new herbal teas and to quickly locate those that meet their demands. Following are two examples of typical users of this database: Edward is 35 years old and single. He has a job at an accounting firm where he is often required to work overtime. This busy work schedule leaves him with little time for social activities and shopping. However, the extra overtime pay comes in handy when he is paying off his Honda Civic with his 45K base salary. Edward uses social media websites on a regular basis, for example, to check Facebook and daily. Since his job takes up much of his time, Edward does most of his shopping online. He visits different sites to compare prices and ratings and yet likes to buy quality organic brands. Lately, because of his hectic schedule and inability to have proper meals as well as adequate

3 Herbal Tea Database 3 exercise, Edward has become concerned about his weight. He is turning toward herbal tea in an effort to do something about it. Edward is new in learning about tea, so he wants something easy to understand that does not require specialized brewing equipment. In using the Herbal Tea Database, Edward submits such search queries as weight loss and organic and weight loss. Hannah is 28 years old, married and expecting her first child. She s just entered the second month of her pregnancy and is both thrilled and terrified. Besides handling the physical fatigue that comes with pregnancy, Hannah is also juggling graduate classes for a Master in Library and Information Science and a part-time job at a café. With her husband s full-time job and her part-time one, Hannah and her husband are able to cover a monthly mortgage and her student loan. Hannah is determined to make all this work, but she must budget her time and finances closely. She shops online, prefers organic produce when it s not too costly, and is especially health-conscious now that she is eating for two. She is an active social media user, posting regularly on Facebook and Twitter and using Yelp to find budget-friendly restaurants. Although previously a strict coffee drinker, Hannah has learned about tea at the café where she works and has switched to drinking herbal tea now that she s pregnant. She is willing to take the time to prepare tea in different ways and is interested in trying new combination of ingredients. She uses the Herbal Tea Database to search for caffeine-free, organic teas that will help her to relax and de-stress. She submits such queries as relaxation, mint organic, and pregnancy organic, and also uses the drop-down menus to look up teas that are loose leaf and contain no caffeine.

4 Herbal Tea Database 4 Rules Herbal Tea Definition This database defines herbal tea as a tea-like drink made from an infusion of herbal spices and/or plant materials. Herbal tea does not contain a plant called Camellia, which is used to make true tea such as green tea, white tea, black tea, and oolong (Hanson, 2011). Indexers may determine that a tea is herbal based on the description herbal tea or some combination of that phrase (such as herbal infusion ) on the tea container. Source for Records All information entered in this database should be based on the physical tea container. No other sources should be consulted, including images of the container reproduced elsewhere. Field Name: Brand Type: Comment Definition: The Brand field is restricted to the name of the company that presents the final tea product, as listed prominently on the tea container's label. Rule: Enter the brand name in title case. For alternative formats or additional punctuation (such as colons, question marks, exclamation marks, or accents), enter the brand name as it appears on the packaging. Other special characters should be replaced by a space. All brand names should be entered in American English. If the brand name is only available in a non-roman language, such as Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, spell it out in Roman script. If the brand is owned by a larger corporation, do not include the name of the

5 Herbal Tea Database 5 corporation/ brand owner in this field. If the brand name is not available, input: Not specified. Example: A) HARNEY & SONS - The brand name is presented on the container in all caps and with a symbol. Index as: Harney & Sons B) Centro Botánico Azteca S.A. DE C.V. - No official English name is available. Index as: Centro Botánico Azteca S.A. de C.V. C) Lipton - The brand owner of Lipton is actually the consumer goods conglomerate Unilever. Index as: Lipton Field Name: Name Type: Comment Definition: The Name field refers to the primary name listed on the tea container. The name entered should be the same name the manufacturer is using to present its tea to the public. Rule: Enter the name of the tea as it appears on the product. Use title case. Do not include descriptive phrasing, such as words that describe packaging, caffeine, or organic content. For alternative formats or additional punctuation (such as colons, question marks, exclamation marks, or accents), enter these characters as they appear on the packaging. All tea names should be entered in American English. If the tea name is only available in a non-roman language, such as Korean, Japanese, or Chinese, spell it out in Roman script. Other special characters should be replaced by space. Entry is limited to 100 characters. If the name is longer than the limit, only enter the first 100 characters.

6 Herbal Tea Database 6 Example: A) The tea label says: Organic USDA Temple of Health Tea Bags - enter as: Temple of Health B) The tea label says: TEN-CHI-CHA Authentic Japanese Herbal Tea Supplement. - enter as: Ten-Chi-Cha Field Name: Primary Ingredients Type: Comment/ Repeatable Definition: The Primary Ingredients field reflects the main ingredients contained in the tea. Because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2009, October) requires that ingredients on a food label are listed in descending order of predominance, this database defines the Primary Ingredients as the first three ingredients listed on the tea container. Rules: Locate the ingredient list printed on the tea container. If three or fewer ingredients are listed, enter all of them, separating each value by a comma and a space, and capitalizing each ingredient using sentence case. If there are four or more ingredients listed, enter only the first three ingredients in order. Ingredients can include additives, extracts, and flavors, natural or otherwise. Omit the word organic from the ingredients list. Entry is limited to 300 characters. Examples: A) The tea lists two ingredients: Chamomile, Lemon Myrtle. Index as: Chamomile, Lemon myrtle

7 Herbal Tea Database 7 B) The tea lists five ingredients, each beginning with organic : Organic rooibos, Organic cloves, Organic ginger, Organic nutmeg, Organic cinnamon. Index as: Rooibos, Cloves, Ginger Field Name: Health Benefits Type: Comment/ Repeatable Definition: The Health Benefits field aggregates the physical and/or psychological/emotional benefits that a tea offers its drinker, according to that tea s manufacturer. It is important to note that the database lists only the benefits specifically stated by the tea manufacturer to be contained in the tea. Rule: List all health benefits the tea contains according to the tea manufacturer on the label. If the description includes the benefit of relaxation or any synonym of that state, such as soothing, calming, comforting, de-stress, repose, tranquility, peacefulness, loosening up, or unwinding, use the term relaxation. If the tea does not list any health benefits at all, enter the phrase Not specified in the field. If two or more health benefits are described, enter all of them. Separate each value by a comma and a space, and capitalize each health benefit using sentence case. Entry is limited to 300 characters. If the health benefit can be covered by one word, enter the word in a noun format. If the benefit contains more than one word, follow the basic format of third-person presenttense verb and a noun. Do not include any unnecessary descriptive words. If the benefits listed are vague or ambiguous, the indexer should omit them. Examples:

8 Herbal Tea Database 8 A) DeTox by Yogi - This herbal tea includes the following product description (italics added to assist indexers): Yogi DeTox is a gentle way to help the body cleanse itself by supporting the two primary filtering organs, the liver and kidneys. Our tea uses the timehonored purifying herbs Burdock and Organic Dandelion, traditionally used to support the liver, and Juniper Berry to promote kidney function. Index as: Cleansing, Supports liver, Supports kidneys B) Tension Tamer by Celestial Seasonings - This herbal tea includes the following product description (italics added to assist indexers): Sip away the stress of the day with a comfortable cup of Tension Tamer Herb Tea. Soothing ginger, chamomile, vitamin B6 and B12, and eleuthero - an herb celebrated for centuries by the Chinese - help restore harmony to your hectic day. Indulge in a flavorful moment of relaxation with the cozy combination of peppermint, cinnamon and lemon. Index as: Relaxation Field Name: Caffeine Type: List Definition: The Caffeine field indicates whether or not the tea contains caffeine. Though the majority of herbal teas are caffeine-free, some herbal teas still contain caffeinated ingredients (for instance, the herbal tea Yerba Mate). This field allows users to distinguish between herbal teas that contain caffeine and those that do not. Rules: If the phrase caffeine free or the equivalent expression (e.g. no caffeine, without caffeine, etc.) is printed on the tea container, select Caffeine free from the drop-down list. If the phrase contains caffeine or the equivalent expression (e.g. naturally caffeinated, light caffeine, 55 mg caffeine per 8 fl. oz. serving, etc.), is printed,

9 Herbal Tea Database 9 select Caffeinated. If the word decaffeinated or the equivalent expression (e.g. decaf, etc.), is printed, select Decaffeinated. If there are no words regarding caffeine, select Not specified. Field Name: USDA Organic Type: List Definition: The USDA Organic field reflects a tea s certification as organic by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA Organic label should be found on the packaging of the products, which verifies that at least 70% of the product s ingredients are organic content. Products should not be indexed as organic without the USDA organic label, regardless of what the manufacturer claims. Rule: From the drop-down list, select the following option: Organic, Not organic/ Not specified. If the USDA Organic label is located on the tea container, select Organic. If the USDA Organic label is not found on the tea container, select Not organic/ Not specified. Field Name: Packaging Type: List Definition: The Packaging field is restricted to how the tea is prepared for a single serving, such as one tea bag. Indexers should use the smallest unit available in the tea container. It does not mean the bundling of multiple tea bags in a box or tin.

10 Herbal Tea Database 10 Entry Rules: From a drop-down list, select the following options: Loose leaf, Tea bag, Bottle/Ready-made, Other. Example: A) Herbal Cranberry Orange, 16 oz. bag this packaging is sold in bulk. Select: Loose leaf B) Organic Milkmaid Tea, - this tea comes in a box of 16 tea bags. Select: Tea bag C) Wellness Elderberry Lemon - comes in 14 oz. bottles. Select: Bottle/Ready-made D) Instant Digestion Facilitating Tea for Babies this tea comes in a can. Select: Other Field Name: Amazon Rating Type: Textbox/ Numeric Required?: No Definition: Because this database is intended for tea consumers, it is important that it offers users a way to assess other tea drinkers opinions of herbal tea brands. Although Amazon ( is not focused on herbal teas, it is one of the largest and most used databases of shoppers opinion and behavior in the world. For that reason, this database includes Amazon ratings for herbal tea so as to help users locate the best possible herbal teas. Rules: Each rating is drawn from the five-star customer rating rubric used by Amazon.com. Locate and use the Amazon rating for the exact match of tea type. Variations in tea packaging are acceptable. For instance, if a tea is available only in bulk on Amazon, still use its rating for the database so long as the tea itself is a direct match to the tea indexed in the database. A tea s numeric rating can be found on Amazon by hovering the cursor over the rating stars, which are located directly beneath the brand name at the top of the

11 Herbal Tea Database 11 tea s Amazon product page or by scrolling down to the Customer Reviews section. All numbers should be entered to one decimal place, such as 3.8. In cases where the same tea has more than one Amazon entry with different ratings, select the entry that has the most reviews. If the separate entries have the same number of reviews, then default to the highest score. If the item is not found on Amazon or is available but has no review, leave the field blank. Example: A) Tea currently has three entries on Amazon: a bulk 16-ounce bag (65 reviews, 4.6 stars), a container of 100-count tea bags (1 review, 5 stars), and a container of 25-count tea bags (1 review, 5 stars). Choose the rating from the entry with the most reviews (the 16-ounce bag with 4.6 stars). Enter: 4.6

12 Herbal Tea Database 12 References Hanson, B. (2011). Why herbal teas aren t considered Real Tea. [Blog post]. Retrieved September 24, 2013 from United States Department of Agriculture. (2012, October). Labeling organic products. Retrieved September 18, 2013 from United States Department of Agriculture. (2012, October 17). National organic program /consumers. Retrieved September 20, 2013 from avid=nationalorganicprogram&leftnav=nationalorganicprogram&page=nopconsum ers&description=consumers&acct=nopgeninfo United States Food and Drug Administration. (2009, October). Guidance for industry: A food labeling guide (6 Ingredient lists). Retrieved September 19 from rmation/labelingnutrition/ucm htm