Tea Contains No Mean Textract, Clarifies Board, Companies

They were responding to a news that said the Central government has permitted tea manufacturers to use animal raw material or meat extract to add flavour to tea. The ministry of health and family welfare notification No GSR 694 (F) published on October 11, 1999, permitted the use of all natural flavours and flavouring substances in flavouring tea.

The issue raised a stink in the state assembly in the current session and caused a domino effect in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.

Such was the impact that the secretariat of the Prime Mister's Office asked the Tea Board to put out the details about the issue. Demand for tea declined sharply in these states. R C Jhawar, chairman, Indian Tea Association said that there was no question of mixing any non-veg or animal extract essence or flavour to any variety of tea in India.

He said, "The news, more precisely rumours, has affected the livelihood of two lakh families those directly or indirectly dependent on tea industry."

T C Choudhuri, director, Tea Board, said, "The Prevention of Food

Adulteration Act permits no one to sell flavoured tea without registration with the board. No tea producer has ever applied for it, let alone been granted permission to use any flavours that is meat or animal based.

He informed that the Board had permitted only flavours of vegetarian origin, such as cardamom, ginger, bergamot, lemon, cinnamon and mixtures of such flavours in specified quantities."

The department of health government of India, issued a notification under the prevention of Food Adulteration Rules that amply clarifies that tea may contain only natural flavours and flavouring substances that are obtained from material of vegetable origin.

MP chief minister Digvijay Singh, who himself give up the tea after the news, (though he did not accept it) said, "The problem began when the BJP-led Union Government granted permission to the tea manufactures to use meat or animal extract in tea to add flavour. Later when pressure built up, it withdrew the decision.

"I assure all the people in the state to consume tea like before. It contains no animal extract or meat flavour, "Singh said. The union ministry of health and family welfare amended the earlier notification and issued a fresh notification GSR 647 (E) that clarifies "Tea may contain only natural flavours and flavouring substances that are obtained from material of vegetable origin."

Sources informed that there was a sharp decline in tea demand of 3-4 per cent, while there was hardly any demand for loose tea in Madhya Pradesh.