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Bubble tea is a sweet and delicious snack, but is it good for you?
Consumer Reports published a recent investigation into the nature of an incident. bubble tea (also known as boba tea), which suggests potentially concerning levels of lead.
Bubble tea typically contains your favorite brewed black tea, milk or creamer, sweeteners, flavors, tapioca pearls, or a jelly-like foam known as boba at the bottom of the drink.
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Bubble tea shops, which originated in Taiwan, have exploded across the United States in recent years. at home boba tea kit There are also canned options.
According to the USDA, boba’s main ingredient, tapioca, comes from the root vegetable cassava.
According to a recent test by Consumer Reports, products containing cassava can contain very high levels of lead.
Experts say lead exposure among adults causes about 256,000 deaths from cardiovascular disease each year. (St. Petersburg)
Experts performed a small test boba pearl It aims to check for the presence of heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury in products from two popular chains, Gong Cha and Kung Fu, and two packaged products, Trader Joe’s and WuFuYuan.
Three samples of each product were tested, and the liquid and boba were analyzed separately.
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Researchers said the boba samples did not contain dangerous levels of arsenic, cadmium or mercury. health threat.
Lead levels were high, but none of the boba tested exceeded Consumer Reports’ official level of concern, according to a report by Dr. James E. Rogers, Director of Food Safety Research and Testing.
In young children, exposure to lead can have “serious adverse effects” on the developing brain and nervous system, Consumer Reports warns. (St. Petersburg)
Three of the four boba samples contained 50% or more of the level of concern per serving. However, researchers pointed out that this is not a comprehensive study of the boba tea market.
Lead was detected in both boba pearls and tea. Dr. Sana Mujahid, manager of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, said it’s “difficult to determine” where the lead in the liquid portion came from.
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WuFuYuan’s tapioca pearl products had a 29% lead concern level, followed by Kung Fu Tea’s milk tea with boba at 63%, Gong Cha pearl milk tea at 70%, and Trader Joe’s instant boba kit at 83%.
”[This] That’s good reason to treat it as an occasional treat rather than a daily necessity,” Rogers said in the report.
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Although the 83% level of concern is much lower than other cassava-based foods, which contain more than 2,000% lead, no level of lead exposure is considered safe, the researchers noted.
“Avoiding exposure to lead is difficult. Lead is present in varying amounts in food; drinking water“The health risks are posed by repeated or continued exposure over time,” Rogers said.
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“But when small amounts add up, in the long run, Health effects. Therefore, it is prudent to minimize exposure to known sources of lead as much as possible. ”
Products known to contain lead and other heavy metals should be consumed “in moderation,” Consumer Reports advises. (St. Petersburg)
Lead has been shown to have “significant adverse effects” on the developing brain and nervous system, which could be particularly threatening. pregnant And even for young children.
Tom Neltner, national director of Unleaded Kids in Washington, DC, commented in the report that approximately 256,000 adults die from cardiovascular disease each year due to lead exposure.
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Generally, bubble tea looks like this: high in sugar and total calories. Some drinks can contain close to 1,000 calories per serving, depending on add-ons and toppings.
Consumer Reports advised consumers to limit their regular intake of boba tea, as products known to contain lead and other heavy metals should be consumed “in moderation.”
Corporate response
Trader Joe’s reported to Consumer Reports that the grocer has stopped selling instant boba kits.
“We take product safety very seriously, and your support has enabled us to further improve our existing quality control measures,” Jason Tsou, general manager of China’s Shanghai ZhouShi Foodstuffs, WuFuYuan’s parent company, said in a statement to Consumer Reports.
Consumer Reports noted that the study was “not a comprehensive examination” of the entire bubble tea market. (St. Petersburg)
In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Goncha commented that the bubble tea company takes the quality and integrity of its ingredients “very seriously.”
”[This] That’s reason enough to treat it as an occasional treat rather than a daily necessity. ”
“To maintain our high standards, we work with suppliers who meet our exacting standards. independent testing“Our Boba Pearls, like most Boba Pearls, are made from tapioca, a root vegetable.” Root vegetables can naturally absorb trace amounts of lead from soil and water, so we carefully monitor concentrations to ensure they stay within FDA guidance. ”
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Goncha also conducted its own independent testing of all ingredients and said there were “no adverse findings.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to Kung Fu Tea for comment.
