Tea Board may cancel licence of traders selling adulterated tea

Harmful brew:Adulterated tea powder seized by the officials of the Food Safety Department in Ayanavaram on Tuesday.

Officials have sent the seized samples to laboratory for tests

With a rise in tea adulteration in the city, the Food Safety Department has decided to write to the Tea Board to cancel licences of traders responsible for adulteration.

Following a raid in Ayanavaram, Chennai Food Safety Department’s Designated Officer R. Kathiravan said the licences issued by the Tea Board would be cancelled after the lab report of samples was obtained. “Legal samples have been sent to the King Institute, Guindy. We will file a case and write to the Tea Board to cancel licences of the traders,” he said.

On Tuesday, the Food Safety officials seized 2.3 tonnes of adulterated tea packets from a wholesale tea trader in Ayanavaram. Many of such traders reportedly purchase substandard tea and mix sunset yellow colour. The chemical causes damage to liver and the digestive system. Most of the shops in low income neighbourhoods buy the product. One kilogram of the adulterated tea was sold at Rs.150 as against the market price of Rs.450, said Food Safety officials.

The different kind of labels seized on Tuesday did not have the address and batch number.