THERE’S A SMALL CHANGE IN YOUR STAPLE CUPPA

For a city that has diversified from coffee-drinking to sipping tea and its many variants, here’s a small development – the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has banned the use of stapler pins in tea bags. Although manufacturers have been given time till year-end to phase out the stapled tea bags (including those being exported), corporate companies have already stepped up to meet the food safety regulation. In communications to their food court vendors, many tech companies have asked them to discontinue the use of stapled tea bags immediately.

Last month, FSSAI issued this order based on several cases of complaints and possible health hazards.

The order had said: “Food Safety and Standards Authority of India is mandated to ensure availability of sale and wholesome food for human consumption and for matters connected therewith. The Tea (Marketing) Control Order 2003 defines “tea bag” as packet containing tea in bags made of filter paper, nylon net or any other acceptable material conforming to international norms and standards, for brewing of tea liquor by direct immersion of such bag in hot or cold water, commercially known as tea bags. At present, there are two types of tea bags available -- stapled tea bags and knotted tea bags. Use of staple pins in tea bags poses potential hazard to consumers since any loose staple pin consumed inadvertently with tea may cause serious health hazard. Taking congnisance of the risk to public safety in using staple pin in tea bags by some companies, the Food Authority, hereby directs the concerned organisations to discontinue the manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import of stapled tea bags by January 1, 2018.”

This order has been circulated to all the commissioners of Food Safety departments of respective states, Indian Tea Association, Tea Board of India and major operators in tea industry.

The industrial houses in Bengaluru which boasts of good number of tea drinking employees with well-laid canteens/food courts have already started acting on the order.

Infosys has communicated to its food vendors, against usage of stapled tea bags. “We got the communication, with this order attached, asking us to discontinue using stapled tea bags on the campus. The company does not want to wait till December end and those vendors who are supplying vending machines for coffee and tea will have to find alternatives,” said a hotelier who is a part of Infosys food court.

However, gourmet tea manufacturers have always been using knotted tea bags, packed in organic tea pouches. But almost all major tea manufacturing brands have their tea bags closed with staplers.